An appendix is such a small process of the cecum in a person, the meaning of which has not been fully studied by doctors. Many agree on the opinion that in the process of evolution this process - the organ has lost its purpose altogether, that is, it was previously necessary for something, but now, in modern times, it does not.
This is confirmed by the fact that after the operation to remove the process, the person continues to live and is not limited to anything. That is, it is easy to manage without an appendix, so why was it initially needed in the abdominal cavity?
Where is appendicitis located
Many people are very worried about the question, which side is the person with appendicitis? How not to confuse and correctly determine the cause of abdominal pain. And most importantly, how not to miss the symptoms of appendicitis and not to take them for pain in the heart, pancreas, stomach and other internal organs.
In general, all organs can relieve pain in a completely different place when they are ill, so the patient does not immediately realize that he is in pain. This is especially true of children and elderly people.
At an older age, a person has so many complaints that it is difficult to find a healthy organ. Therefore, appendicitis to self-diagnose grandparents is extremely difficult, if there are no pronounced symptoms.
So, appendicitis is in the person on the right side of the navel. However, it should be noted that its exact location depends on how the intestine is located. There is such a feature of the intestine, move the appendix to the right or left and therefore no one can know for sure about its location except for ultrasound.
After the ultrasound scan, an appendix will be revealed in the picture and therefore, ultrasound is the only correct decision of the doctor for complaints of acute pain.
Also, as the heart sometimes has a peculiarity of being located differently from everyone, that is, to the right, the appendix can also be shifted due to the individual characteristics of the organism.
How is appendicitis pain in adults
Pain in appendicitis is not so easy to determine. It is very easy to confuse with any other disease in the abdomen and even the heart.
In an adult person, the pain may be either on the left or on the right, and the entire stomach may also ache. Sometimes a person cannot really say which side hurts, because the whole stomach hurts, and sometimes the pain changes and gives to the side, first to one and then to the other.
So, how does the stomach hurt adults with appendicitis, how to understand this? To determine more accurately the symptoms, you need to press on the lower abdomen and abruptly release. If at the same time a person has acute pain, which quickly disappears, then it is most likely appendicitis. But for a more accurate diagnosis, the doctor prescribes an abdominal ultrasound scan.
Signs of appendicitis
Pain is not the only sign of appendicitis, although it is the most important and the first. In addition to pain, there are also such:
- nausea, vomiting;
- increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees;
- weakness, loss of appetite;
- increased heart rate;
- a sharp pain in the abdomen is aggravated by turning to the left side;
- raid on the tongue.
If appendicitis is promptly removed, then there is nothing dangerous and terrible about it. The operation is not complicated and very common. However, if you do not remove the inflamed appendicitis for a long time, endure pain, use painkillers and do not consult a doctor, serious complications can occur.
Depending on the stage of appendicitis, the symptoms change their character.
Stage appendicitis:
- The first stage lasts the first 12 hours and during it the patient feels pain in the abdomen, nausea, temperature rises to 38, and with pressure and sneezing the pain increases sharply. This is the catarrhal stage;
- phlegmonous stage. It is characterized by the appearance of pus in connection with inflammation of the appendix. The patient feels the deterioration in the state for another 12 hours. The temperature stays at 38, the nausea continues, the pain becomes clearer in the right side;
- if appendicitis is not removed for another 2-3 days, then the gangrenous stage begins. The pain subsides due to the fact that nerve cells die off in the area of inflammation. The patient is very sick, there is no stool, there is a strong intoxication of the body;
- appendicitis is ruptured. This stage is called perforated. With it, the temperature reaches 40 degrees, there is a sharp pain, the abdomen is swollen, and there is no stool. Death may occur at this stage, immediate surgery is necessary.
How appendicitis is manifested in children
Children over seven years of age have similar symptoms with adults. But children under 7 years old have some differences. At such a small age, the disease develops very rapidly. Therefore, it is very important to determine the reason in time and accurately, immediately send the child to the hospital.
Symptoms of appendicitis in children:
- sharp rise in temperature;
- capriciousness;
- acute abdominal pain in different places;
- bloating, constipation and diarrhea;
- tongue plaque;
- in children under 3 years old, the feature of appendicitis is pain when urinating.
Children are not able to properly describe the cause of pain, can not answer questions about how and where it hurts, especially if the child is very young, up to three years. Therefore, at this age you need to be extremely attentive to children and at the slightest suspicion of appendicitis, it is better to be safe, to see a doctor immediately, without wasting time, do not postpone going to the doctor for later, hoping that the pain will pass.
Complications of late removal of the patient's appendicitis:
- inflammation of the intestinal walls;
- peritonitis;
- blood poisoning;
- intestinal obstruction;
- death.
Causes of appendicitis:
- frequent consumption of fatty foods (meat);
- accidental ingestion of bones from fish, meat, eggshell, sunflower husks. These small solid elements of food are not digested in the stomach and fall into the appendix. Over time, they block the passage to the appendix and inflammation occurs;
- increased activity of pathogenic microflora in the intestine.
Measures for the prevention of appendicitis
Doctors can not determine the exact causes of appendicitis. Still remains a mystery why the appendix is located in the cecum and what is its purpose.
It is also not clear how to prevent its inflammation. It is believed that you need to adhere to proper nutrition and not allow the reasons because of which it usually becomes inflamed. This is the entry of foreign objects into the digestive tract and heavy unhealthy food.
It is necessary to treat food very responsibly, chew well and carefully look at what is eaten.
What not to do with abdominal pain
Often, inexperienced parents apply hot-water bottles or other warm objects to their stomachs, thinking that this will cure a sick stomach. In no case can this be done. A heating pad will only aggravate the situation and increase pain.
Often, the symptoms of appendicitis can be confused with poisoning and therefore the patient is given an enema, causes vomiting, and even gives activated charcoal or other means of poisoning. Acute abdominal pain clearly indicates that there may be appendicitis, which happens in a chronic form, but this happens very rarely.
Such a course of the disease does not require surgery.
Additional information about pain in appendicitis - in the next video.
