Appendicitis

There can be various symptoms of appendicitis. It can be hard to diagnose appendicitis in young children, the elderly, and women of childbearing age.

The first and foremost symptom is frequent pain around your belly button. The pain may be minor at first, but it becomes more intense and severe later.

• Reduced appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Low fever
• Chills
• Diarrhea
• Shaking
• Constipation

Mainly there are two causes of appendicitis:

• Infection – a stomach infection at first can lead to appendicitis
• Obstruction - a hard piece of stool may have got trapped in the appendix

Generally, doctors try to treat this condition in its initial stage with antibiotics. In most complex cases, appendectomy is done which involves the complete removal of appendix.

• Laparoscopy – This surgery is also known as minimally invasive surgery (MIS), bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery. In this surgery, the surgeon inserts a very thin tube (laparoscope) consisting a tiny camera with its own lighting, into the abdomen through a cannula (a hollow instrument). This surgery is popular as it ensures precision, minimal loss of blood, faster recovery, needs for very small incisions, and less scarring.
• Conventional surgery – In case the appendix has ruptured and infection has spread, a large incision is needed so that the area inside the abdominal cavity can be cleaned. Traditional appendectomy is also used if the patient has tumors in the digestive system.