Appendicitis typically starts with a pain in the middle of your tummy (abdomen) that may come and go. Within hours, the pain travels to your lower right-hand side, where the appendix is usually located, and becomes constant and severe. Pressing on this area, coughing or walking may make the pain worse.
The first signs of appendicitis are often a mild fever and pain around the belly button. It might seem like just a stomachache. But with appendicitis, the pain usually gets worse and moves to the lower right side of the belly.
Exams and Tests
If you have appendicitis, your pain will increase when your lower right belly area is pressed. If your appendix has ruptured, touching the belly area may cause a lot of pain and lead you to tighten your muscles. A rectal exam may find tenderness on the right side of your rectum.
The stages of appendicitis can be divided into early, suppurative, gangrenous, perforated, phlegmonous, spontaneous resolving, recurrent, and chronic.
Appendicitis causing pain in the left lower quadrant is extremely rare and can occur with congenital abnormalities that include true left-sided appendix or as an atypical presentation of right-sided, but long appendix, which projects into the left lower quadrant[2].
The symptoms of appendicitis can often be mistaken for other gastrointestinal issues. “Appendicitis is often confused for indigestion, gas or constipation, as they are symptoms of the condition,” says Dr. Jani. “Some patients will have diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea, mistaking it for food poisoning or the stomach flu.”
Pseudoappendicitis can describe any condition mimicking appendicitis, a disease which classically presents with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain with anorexia and tenderness at McBurney's point.
Chronic appendicitis is typically on the milder side. It can either last for seven days or more, or come and go for longer. Because of this, people don't necessarily seek medical care. 1 You can have chronic appendicitis pain on and off for months before it becomes bad enough that the condition is identified.
Although rebound tenderness is a widely used examination, it is uncomfortable and may be inaccurate. To perform the pinch-an-inch test, a fold of abdominal skin over McBurney's point is grasped and elevated away from the peritoneum. The skin is allowed to recoil back briskly against the peritoneum.
Appendicitis may be caused by various infections such as virus, bacteria, or parasites, in your digestive tract. Or it may happen when the tube that joins your large intestine and appendix is blocked or trapped by stool. Sometimes tumors can cause appendicitis.
The pain may ease a bit if you pull your knees up towards your chest, and may be worse if you push on your tummy or try to move around. The lower abdomen is usually tender, particularly in the lower right-hand side. You may find that pushing in on this area of your tummy gently with two fingers is very painful.
A health care provider tests for the obturator sign by asking the patient to lie down with the right leg bent at the knee. Moving the bent knee left and right requires ffexing the obturator muscle and will cause abdominal pain if the appendix is inffamed.
Mild bellybutton pain is typically not a cause for concern. However, people who are experiencing any significant and ongoing discomfort or pain should report it to a doctor. An umbilical hernia could be a cause of bellybutton pain.
The difference between appendicitis and other stomach ailments usually lies in the type of pain you experience. Seek emergency medical assistance if your pain: Starts near the belly button and spreads to your lower right side. Worsens over the course of mere hours.
How Long Do Appendicitis Symptoms Last? Symptoms will last until appendicitis is treated. If you or your loved one is showing early signs of appendicitis, seek medical care immediately. The appendix can rupture within 48–72 hours of the symptoms beginning.
Even deep pressure in the right lower quadrant may fail to elicit tenderness the reason being that the caecum, distended with gas, prevents the pressure exerted by the palpating hand from reaching the inflamed appendix, so it has been called as ' silent appendicitis'.
Blood and urine tests identify an infection or inflammation and rule out other conditions that can mimic an appendicitis presentation, like a urinary tract infection. CT scan images of your abdomen are the most accurate way to diagnose appendicitis.
Symptoms of appendicitis come on suddenly and intensify quickly. Pain may worsen when you move, take a deep breath, cough, or sneeze. Acute appendicitis is a severe and sudden condition, with symptoms usually developing over one or two days.