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Jumat, 18 Desember 2009

How to Prevent Appendicitis

Many people want to know how to prevent appendicitis. Although there is no way to prevent appendicitis, people who are able to recognize appendicitis symptoms may be able to prevent more serious appendicitis symptoms from occurring.
There is no known way to prevent appendicitis. However, if you are able to recognize appendicitis symptoms, you can prevent serious appendicitis complications from occurring.

Common symptoms of appendicitis include:
* Pain in the abdomen, first around the belly button, then moving to the lower right area
* Loss of appetite
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Constipation or diarrhea
* Inability to pass gas
* Low fever that begins after other symptoms
* Abdominal swelling.

Not everyone with appendicitis will have all of the symptoms, especially children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

Rabu, 16 Desember 2009

Appendicitis After Care

Appendicitis After Care The usual stay in the hospital after an appendectomy for an uncomplicated appendicitis
is 1-3 days, depending on the age, other medical problems and physical condition of the patient. If the appendix is gangrenous or ruptured, the hospital stay may be 7 days or longer.

Movement- Right on the next day after the surgical intervention the patient is allowed to get up and slowly take a few steps through the hospital. Although it may seem like a torment for a just operated person, movement is essential for the resumption of the intestinal transit and will also prevent the occurrence of pneumonia by inhalation of digestive content.

Diet- To allow the digestive tract to rest after surgery, patients will not be given anything to eat or drink for the first 24 hours after an appendectomy. After that, they gradually will be given small amounts of water, then clear liquids, and then some solid foods, until finally they are able to handle a regular diet.

Medications- Patients usually are given a dose of antibiotic intravenously (into a vein) during surgery and the antibiotic is continued until the day after surgery. If the appendix ruptured, the patient will need to take antibiotics for a week or more.

Activity - Light activity at home is encouraged after surgery. The patient can expect to return to normal activities, such as showering, driving, walking up stairs, light lifting, and work within a few days. If he is taking narcotic medications for pain, he should not drive.

Perforated Appendicitis

Perforated AppendicitisWith traditional appendicitis the appendix becomes inflamed for whatever reason... (doctors suspect it's because of food or fecal obstruction or as a result of an infection). The appendix will keep growing with bacteria and pus-filled fluid until it bursts, provided that a person doesn't get it removed in time. Most cases of appendicitis will be in this form. However, there is a less common yet still serious form of appendicitis known as perforated appendicitis. With perforated appendicitis a hole forms in the inflamed appendix. Through this whole all of the contents that were in the appendix leaks out into the abdominal cavity. So, while perforated appendicitis doesn't actually result in an official appendix rupture, it can still produce the same results, since what was held within the appendix is being released out.

The symptoms of perforated appendicitis tend to be the same as regular appendicitis. This would include extreme abdominal pain and sometimes illness-related symptoms, such as a fever or nausea. However, there might be a bit of relief from abdominal pain as perforated appendicitis causes the appendix to drain. But it will only be for a very short period of time, as the drainage will cause more pain to erupt in the abdominal cavity. And this pain, (along with the infection itself), will not be treatable at home or even in a doctor's office. Emergency medical treatment is required to fully address perforated appendicitis.

Treatment for perforated appendicitis is two-fold. First, there's the issue of dealing with the drainage that has occurred because of the condition. The contents that have been released into the abdominal cavity must be completely drained, so a person doesn't develop a more serious abdominal infection. After that doctors have to decide what they are going to do with the perforated appendix itself. Most of the time surgeons will opt to remove the organ, since it was causing problems for the patient anyway. The removal process is pretty much the same as it would be for regular appendicitis, though there are some in the medical community that feel laparoscopic procedures, (a common surgical procedure for traditional appendicitis), might be too intense for sufferers of perforated appendicitis.

There is no known preventive measure for perforated appendicitis. All types of people can get the condition, regardless of their race, age or gender. However, it wouldn't hurt to eat in a nutritious manner, since many believe perforated appendicitis is the result of unresolved infection in the abdominal cavity. By eating a lot of vitamin C and antioxidants, a person makes their immune system strong enough that it can be in a better position to fight off things that could cause an infection. Again, this won't guarantee you won't get perforated appendicitis, but it could help at least a little bit.

In conclusion, perforated appendicitis is not as common as traditional appendicitis, but it should not be taken lightly. Sure, the appendix doesn't burst with perforated appendicitis, but it still functions in a lethal manner. If you have any major abdominal pain that does not go away after a few hours, consider taking a trip to the Emergency Room.

Causes of Appendicitis

Maybe you've gone through an experience where a friend or a loved one has had to deal with appendicitis. You wonder why they got it over you. So, you may type 'causes of appendicitis' in your search engine to see if you can get more answers about the condition. But the articles that talk about the causes of appendicitis may not give you much hope. This is because the medical community only has theories concerning the causes of appendicitis, not cold hard facts. And although these theories tend to be very accurate, they are not factual enough to help form preventive measures to avoid the disease in the first place. Yet, it still doesn't hurt to be aware of these theories, which is what this article will present. Through this article you will learn about the several supposed causes of appendicitis including: food obstruction, fecal obstruction, worms, mucous, swollen lymph glands, tumors and infection.

Food Obstruction
Usually food passes by the appendix with no issue, (despite the medical community not knowing why food is in this area). But sometimes, (at least in theory), food can get stuck in the appendix, preventing it from draining as it normally does. The blockage causes undesirable elements to build up in the appendix, resulting in appendicitis.

Fecal Obstruction
Fecal obstruction is thought to be one of the main causes of appendicitis. Usually, the fecal matter is very hard, just like it can be with a bad bout of constipation. It is believed that eating a fiber high in fiber and making sure your bowels are healthy can help lessen this particular cause of appendicitis.

Worms
When it comes to the causes of appendicitis in Westernized cultures, worms tend to not be the culprit, but they are in Third World cultures. The worms block the passageways of the appendix, resulting in inflammation.

Mucous
Sometimes too much mucous can be produced in the appendix. The mucous binds the cells within the appendix resulting in blockage.

Swollen Lymph Glands
Lymph glands that are in the walls of the appendix can become swollen, resulting in a possible cause of appendicitis. This is because they block the entryway of the appendix, preventing proper drainage from happening. As far as why the lymph glands get swollen, it is usually in relation to infection, such as the common cold or the flu.

Tumors
Of the causes of appendicitis, tumor growth tends to be rare but does happen. When it occurs the victims are usually the elderly. The tumors can start from within the appendix itself or they could've metastasized from other areas of the body.

Infection
Infection is believed to be the second most common cause of appendicitis, right under fecal obstruction. What happens is the bacteria invades the appendix, resulting in an entourage of white blood cells trying to attack it. When things are functioning normally, the white blood cells will win, and any by products produced will get drained out. But when they lose, they will die, resulting in a mixture of pus and the bacteria, which has grown even stronger.

Appendicitis Recovery

Appendicitis RecoveryYou're part of the 7 percent of the population that was unfortunate enough to get appendicitis. Yet, if you went to the doctor in time consider yourself lucky, since the condition can be lethal if it's allowed to worsen. However, you may have some concerns when it comes to appendicitis recovery. And while appendicitis recovery won't take too long, it will take long enough that you will want to consider taking time off until you get yourself back together.

In regards to the hospital stay related to appendicitis recovery, don't expect to stay too long unless you are suffering complications. The average appendicitis sufferer will only stay 1 to 3 days in the hospital after their appendix has been removed. However, just because the hospital releases you soon doesn't mean that you shouldn't give extra time for appendicitis recovery. In fact, full appendicitis recovery will take at least 2 weeks, if a person had a laparoscopic procedure. If they had traditional surgery, appendicitis recovery will take 3 weeks.

So, what's the best way to take care of yourself during appendicitis recovery? First, you will want to take things easy and get a lot of bed rest. Don't stay in the bed 24-hours, as this is not healthy either, but remember you still had a major operation. When you are up and about, you will want to check your incisions to see if they have gotten infected. If there is any soreness, pus or swelling in the area, you will want to call your doctor as soon as possible.

In terms of eating, you should be able to eat healthy solid foods even during appendicitis recovery. However, the keyword is healthy. Avoid alcohol and any other foods that can be strenuous on your digestive system. While your appendix is gone, there are tissues around it that can still get inflamed, particularly during appendicitis recovery, where they are in a much more sensitive state. You will want to make sure your digestive system is being properly flushed with a high-fiber diet and lots of water.

Once you have undergone complete appendicitis recovery, the life of your digestive system should return back to normal. You do not need an appendix to be healthy. In fact, the medical community is still pondering why the organ is there in the first place. And, by the fact that it is now gone from your body, you pretty much don't have to worry about appendicitis returning.

In conclusion, appendicitis recovery will take a little while but it is not forever. Don't try to rush things because you are anxious to go back to work. Appendicitis recovery should be covered by whatever sick time you have available. And if your job isn't understanding... well, your health has got to come before your employment. You don't want to try to force yourself back to work when you haven't underwent a full appendicitis recovery. Your body is still in a sensitive state due to being physically operated on and having suffered an illness that could've killed you. Take a break and try not to worry about the consequences. There are millions of jobs out there, you only have just one life.

Appendicitis Symptoms

Appendicitis SymptomsAppendicitis is a disease in which the appendix, (an organ that currently has no known purpose in the medical community), becomes inflamed due to infection that has attacked it. This inflammation is filled with pus, as white blood cells fervently try to attack whatever is causing the infection. The result are appendicitis symptoms which are official indicators to both the appendicitis sufferer and their families that something is going wrong with their digestive system. It is important to take heed when the appendicitis symptoms appear, as appendicitis is an emergency medical condition. This article will explain some of the most common appendicitis symptoms so appendicitis sufferers and their loved ones won't be left in the dark should an appendicitis attack occur.

Abdominal Pain
Of the appendicitis symptoms that one can experience, abdominal pain is the one that is the most poignant indicator of appendicitis. The pain starts in the navel area. It then moves into the lower right-hand corner of the sufferer's abdomen. This appendicitis symptom will become worse as the disease progresses. The pain then settles in an area that is near the appendix. This area is called the McBurney point. It located at the top of the right side of one's pelvic bone.

Fever and Other Symptoms of Illness
Appendicitis symptoms can mimic some of the symptoms associated with less serious illnesses, such as a bad flu. Basically, these appendicitis symptoms include: a low-grade fever, loss of appetite and malaise. However, one will know that these things are indicative of appendicitis symptoms because abdominal pain will accompany them.

Bowel Problems
Appendicitis symptoms can also affect a person's bowel habits. Appendicitis can cause a person to have excessive diarrhea, constipation and an inability to pass gas.

Abdominal Swelling
Finally, there's the appendicitis symptom of abdominal swelling. Although the swelling may not be visible to outsiders, it could be large enough to make a person feel as if something is in their stomach.

If any of the above-mentioned appendicitis symptoms apply to yourself or a loved one, go to an Emergency Room immediately. If it is determined that you have appendicitis, doctors will remove the appendix immediately. Don't worry about possible complications of such an operation. While all operations carry some risks, without appendix removal, appendicitis can be lethal. Besides, since researchers have not yet discovered the purpose of the appendix, your body won't miss it once it's removed.

Not taking such measures could result in the appendix bursting, a condition which releases the infection into the abdominal cavity. This can develop further into peritonitis, which is an infection of the abdomen that causes the body to grow an abscess in that region. Either, way a ruptured appendix is a condition you do not want to be dealing with. Granted, if it does happen doctors can try and control it, but you don't want to wait around for such things. Instead, go to the doctor when you notice the earlier appendicitis symptoms. Doing so makes things tremendously easier for the appendicitis sufferer.