How to identify appendicitis: quick ways at home

A painful stomach manifests itself for various reasons. An upset bowel and bloating can create pain in the abdominal region. However, the cause of the uncomfortable condition can also be a more serious cause - appendicitis. To distinguish it from other diseases, it is worth looking at the accompanying symptoms that appear.

Appendicitis is a condition of the appendix of the cecum called the appendix. Inflammatory processes taking place inside the organ lead to its edema and increase in size. In the absence of the necessary treatment, the disease passes from a simple stage to an acute form with subsequent complications.

It is often possible to confuse the inflammation of the appendix with a violation of the digestive process. Therefore, it is important to know what symptoms indicate the development of appendicitis in order to have time to call an ambulance before the onset of peritonitis.

Symptoms

Often, abdominal pain is confused with an indisposition of the digestive system, but there are distinctive signs that make it possible to recognize the alleged inflammation:

• Pain in the abdomen. Only at the beginning of the inflammatory process, discomfort is felt near the navel, with a gradual movement to the right, to the lower corner, where the process is located. The attack and pains come on suddenly, it is impossible to take a deep breath. The pain syndrome increases many times over when a person starts coughing or laughing.
• Body position. When the appendix becomes inflamed, the human body involuntarily takes a certain position in which the pain is not so strong. The person walks in a bent state. In the supine position, both the adult and the child lie on their sides with their legs tucked in.
• Nauseous, gagging develops. Inflammatory processes occurring inside, have an effect on the intestines, causing a feeling of nausea and regular vomiting, which does not bring a state of relief. In rare cases, vomiting bothers 1-2 times, the majority of patients complain of persistent discomfort. Schoolchildren and adolescents suffer from appendicitis more often, because vomiting occurs more often during this period. For adults, gagging is much less common. If the development of the disease occurs in an elderly person, such symptoms are not observed.

• Body temperature. When the body tries to cope with any inflammation, the overall temperature rises. Typically, a thermometer reads 37.5 - 38 degrees. In a child's body, the temperature can reach 40. An increase in thermometer readings indicates an increase in the inflammatory process and the progression of the disease.
• Violation of defecation. An upset bowel symptom is rare. Only if the location of the appendix itself is atypical, then, perhaps, there will be a lack of stool or diarrhea. It is worth noting the condition of a person after a liquid bowel movement. If after the process there is a temporary relief, then there is a poisoning, if relief does not come, it is appendicitis.
• Feeling of dry mouth and plaque. The appearance of these signs clearly indicates the development of inflammatory processes in the appendage of the cecum.

In rare cases, pain may occur when urinating. This is due to the presence of the appendix next to the bladder and pressure on it (sometimes it is believed that the kidney hurts). Pain can appear in the lumbar spine or groin. It all depends on the specific position of the appendix in the human body. Sometimes a runny nose and a cold cough that occurs in children makes it difficult to diagnose the disease.

Instruction for determination in an adult

The procedure should involve two people, it is difficult to independently determine the disease. It is possible to determine appendicitis at home using the following methods:

1. Take a horizontal position. It is permissible to lie on a bed or on the floor, as long as the surface is flat. Hands fall along the body. Spread your legs slightly to the sides, try to bend them. When bending the legs, the other person presses on the lower right corner of the abdomen and abruptly removes the arms. At the time of removal, pain should flare up - the help of a doctor is required, this is appendicitis. Perhaps the pain syndrome will be in the genital area, on the left or near the navel.
2. Lying on the floor, arms are extended along the body, legs are straight. You need to raise your right leg to a level of 50 degrees. The assistant should hit the heel of the outstretched leg with the edge of the palm. Repeat the same procedure with the left leg. Manifestation of pain syndrome on the right - there is appendicitis.
3. Self diagnosis of appendicitis possible when coughing. The pain intensifies and responds in the right side.
4. Walking is considered an important sign of an ongoing inflammatory process. Each step will begin to respond with pain and discomfort localized to the right.
5. With an independent palpation of the peritoneum, it is possible to grope tense muscles and a hard process, which indicates the development of the disease. In a healthy person, when feeling, the muscles are relaxed, the abdomen is soft, without pain.

Doctors recommend doing a small appendicitis test at home:

1. The patient lies on his right side. The movements must be performed carefully so as not to provoke mechanical damage.
2. Then the person takes the pose of the embryo: the bent legs are gradually pulled up to the chest.

1. Find out the patient's feelings. If the pain syndrome subsides, then it is appendicitis.
2. In this position, the patient is delayed for three minutes.
3. After that, the person needs to turn on his left side and stretch his legs.
4. Find out the feelings in this position. A sharp increase in the discomfort state makes it possible to identify the development of the inflammatory process in the appendix.

The difference in symptoms in a child and during pregnancy

With inflammation of the appendix in a pregnant woman, the pain syndrome is somewhat displaced to the side. During the period of fetal growth, all internal organs have undergone a change in location. The discomfort during pregnancy is higher.

The child cannot always say that the stomach hurts, show where it hurts and describe correctly the nature of the pain. Adults need to self-check and find out the severity of the symptoms that have arisen. If the child constantly squats on his haunches, there is frequent crying for no apparent reason - this indicates inflammation of the epididymis. Bloating and regular vomiting are also sometimes noted. An additional sign of the development of an inflammatory process in the child's body is refusal to eat, a sluggish state.

Identifying inflammation is the primary task, but it is worth pointing out what absolutely cannot be done if self-diagnosis has confirmed appendicitis:

1. You should not wait for the development of complications with the appearance of a temperature, accompanied by pain in the abdomen. Seek medical attention immediately.
2. It is strictly forbidden to take any pain relievers or laxatives. Their reception lubricates the manifestation of symptoms and does not allow the correct diagnosis, which means, in time to provide qualified assistance.
3. It is also worth refusing to take gastric medicines or medicines for the intestines. The chemical compounds they contain are capable of reacting with the contents of the inflamed appendix, which will lead to its rupture and the development of peritonitis, which often ends in lethal the outcome.
4. Before the arrival of the ambulance team, it is undesirable to eat and drink. The only treatment for appendicitis is surgery, i.e. will remove the inflamed process. The stomach and intestines should be free of food debris. Digestion of food is accompanied by irritation of the walls of the intestinal tract, which leads to increased pain.

The need for an ambulance

A person has severe vomiting, abdominal pain - this is a signal to call an ambulance for immediate hospitalization. The patient should describe to the doctor in detail his own feelings and symptoms. Try to indicate your condition in as much detail as possible, the period described is from 2 to 3 days, starting from the moment the first signs appear.

Doctor's actions: conduct an examination, feel the place of pain, tests and instrumental examination.

Hospital diagnostics

After delivering the patient, doctors will need a urine and blood test. As a rule, in the hospital, tests are taken to rule out other potential diseases that provoke similar symptoms.

Check the condition of the abdominal region by ultrasound. An ultrasound analysis makes it possible to accurately determine the course of inflammatory processes inside the human body. With the help of a survey, the location of the organ is also determined.

If the previous examination did not make it possible to diagnose the disease, it is not possible to make a clinical diagnosis, an additional study is carried out using a CT machine. The difficulty arises when the patient is overweight. The presence of a large amount of fat does not make it possible to see on an ultrasound an accurate picture of what is happening in the abdomen.