David Samadi, MD - Blog | Prostate Health, Prostate Cancer & Generic Health Articles by Dr. David Samadi - SamadiMD.com|

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7 signs you have appendicitis

1. Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite 

If you experience nausea, vomiting, or a loss of appetite for a few days and eventually goes away, you may have something other than appendicitis. However, if you are nauseous, vomiting, and have no appetite t hat continues to get worse, you may have appendicitis. This is especially possible if these symptoms are accompanied by a fever and lower right abdominal pain. 

2. Diarrhea or constipation 

If you are experience mild diarrhea that has a lot of mucus in it, and have lower right abdominal pain, you may have appendicitis. These symptoms may not be incredibly severe and usually appear after the abdominal pain. 

3. Chills and a fever

Having appendicitis may feel like you have a stomach virus. You may experience chills that make you shake, or a low-grade fever. If you have a fever of about 100 degrees, it could be something other than appendicitis. However, if you have a fever higher than 100 degrees which is accompanied by excruciating stomach pains that are severe enough to keep you from getting up, you may have appendicitis. 

4. Pain in the belly button

The first sign of appendicitis is often pain or discomfort near the belly button. This pain usually radiates down to the lower right side of the abdomen, where the pain associated with appendicitis usually occurs. Pregnant women and children may feel this pain or discomfort in other areas of the abdomen or on a particular side of the body. The pain often gets worse with movement of the legs or the abdomen, such as when you cough, sneeze, or your body is jolted in some way by an external source.

5. Rebound tenderness

This occurs when you push on the lower right part of your abdomen and feel pain when the pressure is released. If you do this and feel pain, do not keep pushing on it. This may be accompanied by nausea, a fever, or other symptoms of appendicitis. 

6. Pain that quickly gets worse

The pain felt with appendicitis can become very severe. It can become so severe that it may even wake you at night while sleeping. Once the pain is there, it can quickly become more intense. This usually happens within a few hours. 

7. Gas and bloating 

If you experience painful gas and bloating that does not go away after you have digested whatever food you may have consumed, you may have appendicitis. Gas and bloating normally goes away within 24 hours or so. But if they do not go away after a few days and become quite painful or the pain gets worse, see a doctor. You may also have trouble passing gas.