What are the symptoms of acute appendicitis?

Appendicitis is a relatively common disease in daily life, especially acute appendicitis. When symptoms appear, you must go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time. Appendicitis may seem a minor disease, but if it is not treated in time or incorrectly, it will have serious consequences and may even be life-threatening. Therefore, when patients show symptoms of appendicitis, they must pay attention to it.

What are the symptoms of appendicitis?

stomach ache

Typical acute appendicitis begins with pain in the upper middle abdomen or around the umbilicus. After a few hours, the pain shifts and becomes fixed in the right lower abdomen. In the early stage, it is a visceral nerve reflex pain, so the pain in the upper and middle abdomen and around the umbilicus is diffuse and often cannot be accurately located. When the inflammation spreads to the serosa and parietal peritoneum, the pain is fixed in the right lower abdomen because the latter are innervated by receptor nerves, are sensitive to pain and have precise localization. The original pain in the upper abdomen or around the umbilicus is alleviated or disappears. Therefore, the absence of a typical history of migratory right lower quadrant pain does not exclude acute appendicitis.

Nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting due to reflex gastric spasm. Complications of peritonitis and intestinal paralysis can cause abdominal distension and persistent vomiting.

Pressure pain, rebound pain

The most obvious pain during an attack is pressure pain and rebound pain. There is obvious pressing pain in the right lower abdomen, and the pain is more obvious when raising the hand.

fever

At the beginning, it is mainly a low fever, with the temperature between 37 and 38 degrees. As the condition and infection worsen, the fever rises to above 38 degrees.

Plate-shaped abdomen

The pain is severe and the abdominal muscles are tense. This sign will appear when the appendix becomes purulent, and the abdominal muscle tension will be particularly obvious when gangrene perforation is complicated by peritonitis. However, the abdominal muscles of elderly or obese patients are weaker, so the contralateral abdominal muscles must be checked at the same time for comparison to determine whether there is abdominal tension.

Dietary treatment for appendicitis

1. Eat small and frequent meals. Divide your meals into six times a day. Don’t eat three meals a day with your healthy family members. Also, eat as little as possible each time and don't overeat.

2. People with appendicitis should not drink alcohol, and should not eat raw or cold food. They should not eat greasy, spicy, fried food, or food that is difficult to digest.

3. Although you have undergone surgery for appendicitis, you still should not be too tired. Reduce your workload and lower your work pressure to increase your disease resistance factors and reduce the aggravation of the disease.

4. Ulcers will appear after appendicitis. Generally, you should drink more water to reduce excessive stomach acid irritation to your gastric mucosa. Also, if appendicitis causes diarrhea, it will cause dehydration, so hydration is necessary.

5. People with appendicitis should eat more vegetarian food. It is recommended to eat less meat and more soft food, such as porridge, or steamed food. Do not eat hard food, especially some fruits and nuts.

6. Avoid eating hot foods, such as dog meat, mutton, beef, onions, garlic, peppers, etc. You can eat more heat-clearing foods, such as mung beans, bean sprouts, bitter melon, etc.

7. People with appendicitis should use medications with caution. Some antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory drugs should not be used anymore. If the condition is serious, it may cause gastrointestinal perforation. It is recommended to take medication as directed by the doctor.