The symptoms of appendicitis usually appear quickly and without reason. Granted, there are symptoms of appendicitis that may indicate a more chronic form of the condition, but this tends to be rare. Usually, when the symptoms of appendicitis appears, a person is suffering the acute form of the disease. And when appendicitis is acute, it tends to progress very quickly, with the ultimate complication being the actual rupture of the appendix. If this happens a person is faced with a life-threatening situation. This is why when the symptoms of appendicitis appear, the sufferer must go to the hospital as soon as possible.
What are the symptoms of appendicitis? The most primary symptom of appendicitis is pain in the stomach area. This pain starts in the middle of the stomach, right around the naval area. Then, during a 24-hour period the pain moves towards the lower right side of the abdomen, right around where the appendix is located. The pain does not stop and cannot be fully relieved, though some people find a little comfort if they lie on their sides.
Other symptoms of appendicitis include digestive problems, nausea, vomiting and fever. However, it should be noted that not all sufferers will experience these secondary symptoms of appendicitis. In fact, only half actually do. What is more common is that one or two of these symptoms might accompany the abdominal pain, which is the main indicator of the disease. And then there are some people that may only have abdominal pain as a symptom of appendicitis.
When a person is sent to the doctor, especially in the earlier stages of the disease, there is a possibility they could be misdiagnosed for gastroenteritis. This is a condition that results in inflammation of the stomach and the intestines. For this reason everyone should have basic knowledge of appendicitis, so they can bring up their concerns with the doctor. Loved ones should press for a second diagnosis, especially if the person is not responding to initial treatment. If the symptoms of appendicitis get ignored for a less serious condition, the condition could get a lot worse and much harder to treat.
If doctors do determine a person is experiencing the symptoms of appendicitis, they will remove the appendix. Sometimes the appendicitis sufferer may also need to be given antibiotics, since it's possible that the structures surrounding the removed appendix could still have traces of the inflammation that caused the disease in the first place. This inflammation can be serious enough to continue the symptoms of appendicitis even though the organ has been removed.
In conclusion, the symptoms of appendicitis may not seem to be that big of a deal, but if they are ignored and a person does have appendicitis, their life could be in danger. It's not worth taking that chance. This is the case even if the doctors give a different diagnosis. Be persistent that doctors get to the core of what's causing problems with you or your loved ones. It doesn't take much for them to run a second test.