How To Determine Appendicitis At Home?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

How to determine appendicitis at home?

Often, the first signs of inflammation of appendicitis are confused with a wide variety of attacks in approximately the same area: food poisoning, renal colic, indigestion, etc. The doctor can remove the appendix very quickly and accurately, however, with timely treatment, but this requires confirmation of the diagnosis. In order to recognize in time all the signs of the onset of inflammation of the appendix and to go to a medical institution in time for the necessary examination, you need to know certain features of appendicitis.

It is very important not to confuse the pain associated with appendicitis with the same periods, poisoning, colic or other diseases that have similar symptoms.

Content:

• The main symptoms
• Key features
• When should you call an ambulance?
• Some good advice
• Diseases with similar symptoms
• Causes of inflammation of the appendix
• How to avoid appendicitis?
• Cases from medical practice

The main symptoms

• First of all, you can think about appendicitis pain in the abdomen. Most often, if this is an inflammation of the appendix, then the pain is localized mainly on the right side or in the navel area. The pain may eventually move from the center of the abdomen to the right and go down, but not reach the border of the pelvic bones. Remember that in pregnant women, appendicitis can change its location depending on the duration of pregnancy, so the pain may be slightly higher.
• Try to lie flat on a hard surface and press a little on your stomach in the area of pain. If, even with a light enough pressure, you experience acute pain in the right side, immediately call an ambulance.
• Usually, when you press on the abdomen, you should feel that it is soft, the fingers are slightly pushing the tissues and sinking into them. One of the symptoms of appendicitis will be a hard stomach, even hard to some extent. Also, look for bloating. Seek medical help immediately.
• Try standing up and walking upright. At the first signs of inflammation of appendicitis, it is impossible to do this without feeling severe pain. And if you try to "curl up" with your legs tucked up to your chest, the pain can be significantly less.

Key features

You should also pay attention to the other signs of appendicitis, it is not at all necessary that they will all appear at the same time, just a few are enough in order to know for sure that it is time to ask the doctors for help:

• If you have a very high temperature (38 ° - 39 °), do not postpone your visit to the doctor. In the event that it is much higher, call an ambulance;
• Chills and heavy sweating indicate the presence of inflammation in the body;
• Constipation, especially if vomiting is added to it, clearly makes you understand about inflammation of the appendix;
• Diarrhea, especially if there are blood particles in it, says the same;
• Nausea or vomiting;
• Back pain similar to renal colic;
• False urge to defecate.

What exactly should not be done if the question is about a possible inflammation of the appendix:

• If, in addition to the soreness of the abdomen, you have a high fever, you should not wait, it is better to call a doctor or an ambulance.
• In no case do not take any pain relievers or laxatives, this will only aggravate the situation when making a diagnosis by specialists.
• Do not take any medication for your stomach or intestines, they can only cause a strong chemical reaction that will rupture your appendix.
• Try to avoid food before medical attention, you may need surgery. This should also be done in order not to irritate the intestinal mucosa, which can greatly increase the pain.

Useful: The first signs and symptoms of appendicitis

When should you call an ambulance?

If you observe several signs of appendicitis, especially if they are accompanied by vomiting and severe pain, call an ambulance immediately!

After the doctors visit you, it is very important to accurately describe all your symptoms and signs. Do not disregard any violation that has occurred in the last 2-3 days (it does not matter if it is vomiting or diarrhea). Be sure to notify the doctor about the first painful sensations that you could not help but pay attention to.

Keep in mind that for the reliability of the diagnosis, the doctor needs to fully examine you, including palpating the abdomen, in order to exclude peritonitis from the list of possible diagnoses. If necessary, your doctor may do a rectal exam to confirm or deny appendicitis. With peritonitis, the abdominal muscles will be very tense.

With an implicit or vague diagnosis, additional examinations are often prescribed: urine and blood tests, ultrasound of the pelvic organs, a probe (an instrument in the form of a thin rod intended for carrying out diagnostic or therapeutic procedures in various cavities and canals of the human body), etc.

Some good advice

The most dangerous complication of appendicitis is its rupture. During dissection of tissue, all its contents are in the abdominal cavity, which is sterile, and the infection gets there. This can cause the development of peritonitis.

It should be remembered that in children, the first signs of appendicitis may appear differently, due to the immaturity of some body systems. In addition, not all children can clearly and distinctly explain where, how and what hurts. Most often, the child suffers pain, believing that it just hurts the intestines, while he may refuse to eat and really want to sleep. Therefore, if the baby has abandoned his favorite dish, you should be alert and find out the reason for what is bothering him. Not all people have the symptoms and signs described above.

The classic symptoms do not appear in people who fall into the following categories:

• diabetics;
• pregnant women in the 3rd trimester;
• obese people;
• cancer patients;
• HIV-infected;
• people who have undergone organ transplants;
• elderly age;
• Small children.

Diseases with similar symptoms

It is far from always possible to recognize appendicitis at the first examination without additional tests and examinations. This happens only because the primary symptoms of the appendix are very similar to the signs of other diseases, which painfully "radiate" to the same area.

So, here is a small list of such diseases:

• inflammation of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or uterus;
• pyelonephritis;
• renal colic;
• Crohn's disease (also referred to as terminal ileitis);
• ulcer and its perforation;
• enterocolitis and colitis of varying degrees;
• inflammation of the nodes of the small intestine;
• inflammation of the testicle;
• rupture, sometimes stretching, anterior abdominal muscles and more.

Ultrasound of the pelvic organs and abdominal cavity does not always help to make an accurate diagnosis. This is due to the fact that something can be viewed on the ultrasound machine or simply not seen due to the imperfection of the technique or the skills of the specialist. Only laparoscopy can give 100% result when making a diagnosis.

Causes of inflammation of the appendix

Despite the rapid development of medicine in all its areas, it has not yet been possible to fully study all the causes of inflammation of the appendix. Appendicitis is classified as an inflammatory disease that often goes unnoticed and appears suddenly. It is impossible to predict its manifestation.

Inflammation caused by various microorganisms (anaerobes, staphylococci, E. coli, streptococci, etc.) occurs in the appendix of the cecum.

Often, the result of inflammation of the appendix is an excessive overload of the body with protein foods: frequent overeating and obesity on the basis of overeating. Modern people spend a lot of time sitting at work, and then at home near the computer, such a sedentary lifestyle can also provoke appendicitis inflammation.

How to avoid appendicitis?

In order to minimize the risk of inflammation of appendicitis, it is very important to follow proper nutrition. At the same time, try to use only easily digestible proteins in your diet. They are found mainly in a variety of dairy products.

You also need to consume fresh fruits and vegetables daily. The most useful will be those grown in their own garden or purchased from summer residents. Try not to overeat, always keep track of your calorie intake.

Periodically do fasting days and monitor the health of the digestive tract, do not allow constipation.

Related article: diet after appendicitis

A ruptured appendicitis is a risk of dying, so don't try to cure it yourself, but get tested by your doctor or call an ambulance.

• Remember, the abatement of pain, or vice versa, an excessively sharp increase in pain, may indicate the onset of serious complications.
• It is very important to know the first signs and symptoms of appendicitis in order to seek help from specialists in time.
• At the slightest suspicion of appendicitis, especially in young children, immediately call an ambulance, it is better to make sure once again that this is not an inflammation of the appendix.

Some interesting cases from medical practice

1 case from medical practice

A young 28-year-old boy came to the doctor with pain in his right side. When asked how long ago the pain began, the answer was that about 8 hours ago. The side began to ache completely unexpectedly, for no apparent reason, while his temperature rose slightly to 37.8 °.

During the examination, the doctor determined that the pain was spreading from the left side to the area just below the navel. At first glance, the symptoms suggested peritonitis.

The patient was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. The young man was immediately taken to the surgical department in the operating room for a laparotomy. During the operation, it turns out that the process of the cecum is not changed at all, despite the presence of serous effusion in the peritoneum. It was decided to examine the small and large intestine more thoroughly. As a result, an inflamed diverticulum (embryonic bile duct) was found at their junction. It was removed because it was he who caused symptoms similar to appendicitis. Most often, inflammation of the diverticulum occurs without any symptoms, and only in 5% of people it is detected during laparoscopy or some other operation.

2 case from medical practice

A 65-year-old man with suspected acute appendicitis was delivered by an ambulance to the emergency room of the hospital. The necessary tests were taken and additional examinations were carried out. It was decided to operate, as it was not possible to eliminate the pain by other methods. The patient agreed to the operation.

During the operation, the surgeon discovered an inflamed appendix with a dense consistency. Its length was 3.5-4 cm, there was a plaque of fibrin and obvious signs of an inflammatory process. The appendix was removed. After the operation, the wounds began to fester a little, despite this the patient was discharged home.

After 21 days, a conclusion was received after an examination of the appendix. Bottom line: cancer of appendicitis. The necessary data were transferred to the clinic at the place of observation of the patient. He was called in for a consultation with an oncologist. The man chose to refuse further treatment. He died 6 months later.

3 case from medical practice

An 82-year-old woman was brought to the hospital by ambulance complaining of pain in the lower abdomen. Based on the results of the examination, the history of the disease and a survey of the patient, a conclusion was made about the need for urgent surgery to remove acute appendicitis.

The patient was prepared for the operation and taken to the operating room of the surgical department. As a result of laparoscopy, the surgeon did not notice any abnormalities of the appendix. However, when examining the junction of the small and large intestines, a small opening was found through which the contents of the intestine entered the abdominal cavity. The cause of such a hole was a foreign body (fish bone), which was safely removed. The intestinal perforation was sutured. The necessary postoperative treatment and observation was carried out. The patient was discharged home in satisfactory condition.

These are just a few real cases from the practice of surgeons. The described cases only confirm the statement that you should not hope for a chance and wait until everything goes away by itself. It is better to immediately call an ambulance and be calm while providing assistance to qualified doctors.

Not always signs of appendicitis necessarily speak of inflammation of the appendix of the cecum, often with similar symptoms, pathologies completely unexpected for the patient are found, on which his health depends.

The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist

Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.