When you think of appendicitis, think of three words that begin with the letter “I”-irritation, inflammation, and infection. When any of those three affect your appendix, appendicitis can be the result. Seven to eight percent of the people in the United States come down with a case of appendicitis, the number one cause for emergency abdominal surgery in children. Appendicitis is usually not serious if properly taken care of, but the results of ignoring it can be lethal.
Everyone is born with an appendix, except for a very few individuals; it is a small and narrow tube-like pouch that juts off of your colon on the lower right side of your abdomen. Some scientists feel that the appendix is part of your immune system early in life, but “retires’ early from the fight and lets the other organs do the job. After that, it has no real purpose, and is like that unemployed uncle who doesn’t get invitations to family functions. Other researchers think that the appendix is what is known as a vestigial structure, something that has lost its original function down through the eons due to evolution. They theorize that the appendix used to play a role in digesting plants as we evolved. Whatever its purpose, people can get by just swell without it, which is what happens when you develop appendicitis and need to have it removed by an operation known as an appendectomy.
Appendicitis is precipitated by something such as a parasite, food wastes, or a hard piece of stool becomes trapped in the organ’s interior. This irritates and inflames the appendix, triggering it to swell, which in turn cuts off the blood supply to it. This causes the appendix to die, and if it then ruptures, an infection of the abdominal cavity can be a serious and potentially fatal problem. Appendicitis can also be caused by a viral infection, and bacteria can quickly invade the appendix and it fills with pus. Appendicitis usually occurs in those between the ages of ten and thirty, and a family history of appendicitis may increase one’s risk of getting it, especially for male family members. Children with cystic fibrosis also run a higher risk for appendicitis.
The symptoms of appendicitis can differ from person to person, but one of the most common ones is pain in the abdomen. It can commence in the region around the belly-button and shift to the lower right-hand side, or simply begin in the lower right-hand side. This pain will increase in acuteness with the passage of time, and it can become worse when the afflicted person sneezes, coughs, moves, takes a deep breath, or is touched in the tender area. If the appendicitis results in a rupture of the appendix, the pain can spread throughout the abdomen. Vomiting and nausea are also symptoms of appendicitis, as is a loss of one’s appetite, fever, chills, diarrhea, swelling of the abdomen, and the inability to pass gas.
If you or a loved one is suffering from these symptoms, it is vital that laxatives or enemas are not used to put an end to constipation, as this can cause the appendix to burst. Appendicitis is diagnosed by a series of tests in its early stages, which help rule out other potential problems that could cause similar symptoms, such as Crohn’s disease and kidney stones. Your physician will look at your abdomen, and will search for rigidity in the area of the appendix. In cases of appendicitis, when one puts gentle pressure on the affected region and then releases it, there is a “rebound pain” that is more severe. Because of the high risk of the appendix bursting, an operation is almost always performed to remove the appendix. If the appendix ruptures, it can cause a serious infection of the abdominal cavity called peritonitis. The contents of your intestines can spill into the cavity; this sudden release will make the appendicitis pain go away but soon after you will have a distended abdomen from gas and fluid. Peritonitis can be fatal even if treated promptly, so it is obviously in your best interest that appendicitis does not get to that stage. A child’s appendix has a better chance of rupturing than an adult’s does, and a delay in getting treatment for what may seem like a simple stomachache can be disastrous. In isolated cases, the seepage of intestinal contents from a hole in the appendix can cause an appendiceal abscess, an area that is walled off and filled with infection. These masses of varying sizes always require surgery as soon as they are discovered.
There are two ways to remove the appendix. One is called the open method, where the patient is put out and the surgeon removes the appendix through an incision in the lower right-hand side of the abdomen. The recovery time from such an operation is only a few days. If the case of appendicitis has resulted in a ruptured appendix, a small drainage tube will be put in to allow pus and other fluids to leave the body. This will be removed when the coast is clear. The other procedure to alleviate appendicitis is known as the laparoscopic method, where there are several smaller incisions made and a camera known as a laparoscope is inserted into the region of the appendix. The surgery is performed while the surgeon looks on by means of the camera, as the doctor uses tiny instruments to remove the appendix. A laparoscopic procedure is usually performed when the appendix has not ruptured, and because it is less invasive, it allows faster healing of the patient. A case of appendicitis that has seen the appendix burst will require a much larger incision, as the surgeon needs to clean out the abdominal cavity. Intravenous antibiotics will be administered, and your hospital stay will be considerably longer than a regular appendectomy. Once an individual has had their appendix removed and recovered, they live normal lives without any lifestyle adjustments having to be made, as that “freeloading relative” is no longer around to cause any trouble.
