Acidity and GERD: Beyond the Antacid Bottle
Reaching for an antacid several times a week is not a solution — it is a symptom. Persistent reflux damages the oesophagus and occasionally hides something more serious.
Read articleAppendicitis is inflammation of the appendix, a small pouch attached to the large intestine. Left untreated it can burst and spread infection through the abdomen, so it is one of the true surgical emergencies.
Symptoms
Not everyone gets every symptom, and the pattern can differ in older people, in people with diabetes and in children. These are the ones most often reported.
- Pain starting around the navel and shifting to the right lower abdomen
- Pain worsening on coughing, walking or travelling over rough roads
- Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting
- Low-grade fever
- Tenderness and guarding over the right lower abdomen
- Constipation or, less often, loose stools
When to see a doctor
Do not wait these out
If any of the following applies, arrange to be seen the same day. For anything sudden or severe, call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department at SIMS — it is open 24 hours and does not need an appointment.
- Right lower abdominal pain lasting more than a few hours — attend the same day
- Abdominal pain with fever and vomiting
- A rigid, board-like abdomen with severe pain — attend the emergency department immediately
- Do not take strong painkillers or purgatives before assessment, as they mask and worsen the picture
Tests that may be advised
Your consultant will order only the investigations that change the plan. Most of the following are available on the SIMS campus, so results usually come back the same visit.
- Clinical examination, which remains central to the diagnosis
- Complete blood count with white cell count
- Ultrasound of the abdomen
- CT scan of the abdomen where the diagnosis is unclear
- Urine examination and, in women, a pregnancy test to exclude other causes
How it is treated
Treatment is decided case by case — by how advanced the problem is, what else you are being treated for, and what you can realistically sustain. Broadly, it involves the following.
- Laparoscopic appendicectomy, usually a one- to two-day admission
- Open surgery where there is perforation, dense adhesion or an abscess
- Intravenous fluids and antibiotics before and after surgery
- Drainage of an appendicular abscess followed by interval surgery in selected patients
- Early mobilisation and a graded return to normal diet and work
This page is general information, not a diagnosis
Appendicitis can look like several other conditions, and the reverse is equally true. Nothing here can replace an examination, your test results and the judgement of the doctor treating you — and no medicine mentioned by name to a friend or relative should be started on the strength of this page. If you recognise yourself in it, book a consultation with the General Surgery department. If a symptom is sudden or severe, call 9281862028.
