APPENDICITIS is one of the most common surgical emergencies seen in hospitals. About six of every hundred persons will get appendicitis some time in their life.
The appendix is a small pouch like a finger connected to your main gut. It's use is unknown but sometimes it gets blocked by stool passing by. Once this happens bacteria in the stool start to multiply and cause an infection of the appendix. It's like having a river of stool passing by. If it stops it gets stagnant allowing bacteria to grow - the same reason stagnant water starts to smell bad.
Appendicitis Symptoms and Signs:
- Fever.
- Bad breath and no appetite.
- Heart racing.
- Coughing hurts your tummy.
- Pain in your tummy that starts around your navel and later drops into your right lower side like in the cartoon guy above.
Appendicitis is diagnosed by your doctor from a history of the above symptoms and by pressing with his/her hand on your lower right tummy. If it is tender there and worse on jerking the area, appendicitis is likely (except in females where ovaries can also lead to pain in this area). An ultrasound or CAT scan of your appendix is then done to confirm appendicitis.
Appendicitis Treatment
Treatment for appendicitis is surgery. In a minority of cases antibiotics may be tried if access to a surgeon is difficult.
The inflamed appendix is removed in a treatment operation lasting about an hour. It is not necessary to be put to sleep for this brief operation as it can be done by injecting the skin and muscle over the incision area with a nerve deader before cutting. The actual treatment cut is about 2 inches long diagonally over the right lower tummy and heals with a minor scar. As the appendix has no function in digestion you won't miss it.
Hospital stay is typically about 24 hours going home on pain killers and rest from work for a week.