Do I Have Appendicitis? Symptoms & Treatment

--

What is appendicitis?

First you have to understand what your appendix is. Your appendix is what we call a vestigial organ—an organ that may have served a function long ago but no longer serves one now. It is a tiny part that shoots off of your colon and is connected. If it gets blocked, usually by stool, then bacteria can grow and it doesn't drain. Now the bacteria is sitting there, growing, and it becomes infected. That’s when your appendix becomes appendicitis.

How do I know if I have appendicitis?

Appendicitis usually starts like every other abdominal pain: it’s vague, you’re nauseous, you don’t feel well. The key here is that it continues. It’s pretty persistent, doesn’t go away, and is lasting longer than most. Sometimes it develops faster, other times slower, but it tends to start from a vague pain and becomes a traveling pain. It starts around your belly button and then it goes down and to the right. Belly pain in general that you can put a finger on where exactly it hurts, becomes more concerning.

What other symptoms should I look out for?

While you might not be vomiting or have diarrhea and while it might be vague at first, most people lose their appetite. For kids we call it the hamburger test. If you go up to a kid and ask if they want a hamburger or a pizza—something that they always say yes to—and suddenly they’re saying no, that’s very unusual. That loss of appetite where you don’t want to eat anymore kind of starts to hone you in on that you might be developing something more than general abdominal pain.

How is appendicitis treated?

You can treat it one of two ways: you can either treat it with antibiotics or with surgery. The decision on what to do and how to do it needs to be managed in the ER by doctors who have more advanced imaging techniques. That’s a decision to be made there.

If you’re not sure what you’re feeling and you don’t know if this is general abdominal pain or possibly your appendix, download the K app, put in your symptoms, find out what people like you experienced, and how people like you dealt with their appendicitis. If you still want to know more you can press a button and talk to a doctor.

--

K Health provides digital primary care for less. We use smart technology to bring you top-notch medical care at a fraction of the price.

The internet doesn’t understand who you are or your medical history, and seeing a doctor can be expensive and inconvenient. But with K Health, you get smart health information for free and can chat with an expert doctor in minutes, all for less than a copay. Turn to K Health anytime you don’t feel well to understand your symptoms, chat with a doctor, get a prescription, or manage any other primary health care need you may have.

--

Join the K Health Community