What Is Appendicitis?
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. It's a medical emergency that almost always requires surgery as soon as possible to remove the appendix. Luckily, you can live just fine without it.
There are two types of appendicitis:
1. Acute appendicitis. This is the most common type of appendicitis. Its symptoms start suddenly and get worse quickly within a few hours.
2. Chronic appendicitis. Chronic appendicitis means that the appendix is inflamed, but it doesn’t typically get any worse. While the symptoms are usually milder, the pain can return over weeks, months, or even years. Because doctors know less about chronic appendicitis, it’s harder to diagnose.
Appendix Location
The appendix is a 3 1/2-inch-long tube of tissue that extends from your large intestine on the lower right side of your body. The appendix has specialized tissue that can make antibodies, but no one is completely sure what its function is.
What Causes Appendicitis?
1 in 20 people will get appendicitis at some point in their lives. Although it can strike at any age, appendicitis is rare in children younger than 2. It’s most likely to affect people between the ages of 10 and 30 and people who were assigned male at birth.
Appendicitis happens when the appendix gets blocked, often by poop, a foreign body (something inside you that isn’t supposed to be there), or cancer. Blockage may also result from infection since the appendix can swell in response to any infection in the body.
Appendicitis Symptoms
The classic symptoms of appendicitis include:
· Pain in your lower right belly or pain near your navel that moves lower. This is usually the first sign. The appendix pain location might be different for some people, depending on where your appendix is. If it’s behind your colon, for example, you may feel pain near your pelvis. If you’re pregnant, the pain might start higher up, as the appendix can move during pregnancy.
· Loss of appetite
· Nausea and vomiting soon after belly pain begins
· Swollen belly
· Fever of 99-102 F
· Inability to pass gas
Atypical signs of appendicitis during pregnancy include:
· Acid reflux and/or indigestion
· Pelvic pain
· Pain beneath your rib cage
· Pain when urinating
If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor right away. Acute appendicitis comes on suddenly and develops quickly over 24 hours. Timely diagnosis and treatment are important. Don’t eat, drink, or use any pain remedies, antacids, laxatives, or heating pads.
Appendicitis Treatment
Appendicitis is almost always treated as an emergency. Surgery to remove the appendix, which is called an appendectomy, is the standard treatment for almost all cases of appendicitis.
Generally, if your doctor suspects that you have appendicitis, they will quickly remove it to avoid a rupture. If you have an abscess, you may get two procedures: one to drain the abscess of pus and fluid, and a later one to take out the appendix. But some research shows that treating acute appendicitis with antibiotics may help you avoid surgery.
Appendectomy Procedure
There are two types of appendectomies:
Laparoscopy
· This is the most common type of appendectomy because of its quick recovery time. During surgery, a doctor will use a tube to inflate your abdomen with gas so that they can see your appendix better. They will remove your appendix through a 4-inch-long cut or with a device called a laparoscope (a thin telescope-like tool that lets them see inside your belly).
· If you have peritonitis, the surgeon will also clean out your belly and drain the pus. The surgeon will close the cut with either dissolvable or regular stitches. If you get regular stitches, you’ll need to visit your doctor 7-10 days after surgery to have them removed. You should be able to leave the hospital within 24 hours if there aren’t any complications.
Open surgery
· If your appendix has already burst, or if you’ve had open abdominal surgery in the past, your doctor will make a larger cut in the lower right side of your belly. Once the abdominal area is open, the surgeon will tie off your appendix with stitches and remove it.
· If your appendix has burst, your abdomen will be washed out with salt water. The cut will be closed with stitches and a small tube may be inserted to drain any extra fluids. If you have peritonitis, your doctor may have to make a cut along the middle of your abdomen. It could take up to 1 week before you’re able to leave the hospital.
Post-surgery
After surgery, you may be given pain relievers through an IV. You can drink liquids within a few hours and slowly start to eat more solid foods. After 12 hours, you should be able to get up and move around. It’s normal to have some pain and bruising around the cut. If you had a laparoscopy, you might also have pain in your shoulder or feel bloated from the gas that was pumped into your belly. You can take over-the-counter painkillers to help. It’s important to keep the cut clean and dry while it heals.
Appendicitis FAQs
1. What triggers appendicitis? Viruses, bacteria, or parasites in your digestive tract can cause appendicitis. Poop that blocks the opening of your appendix can also trigger it.
2. Can appendicitis resolve on its own? In rare cases, appendicitis can go away on its own. But you should always see a doctor if you think you have appendicitis — even if your pain levels start to improve.
3. How fast does appendicitis progress? Symptoms of appendicitis usually show up within the first 24 hours and progress quickly. If left untreated, the appendix can burst within 48-72 hours.
4. How to check for appendicitis at home? If your abdominal pain gets worse when you lie on your left side and extend your right hip, or when you flex and rotate your right hip, you may have appendicitis.
5. Which foods can cause appendicitis? Undigested seeds or nuts have triggered rare cases of appendicitis. A high-fiber diet may reduce your chances of having appendicitis.
source: webmd.com
