Appendicitis Pain

One of the first signs of appendicitis is appendicitis pain. In fact, for many appendicitis situations, appendicitis pain may be the only indicator a person has that something is wrong. And yet, abdominal pain is not exclusive to just appendicitis. Many people may mistake their appendicitis pain for a very bad bout of gas. Yet, if appendicitis pain is overlooked, a person could put themselves at risk for serious complications of the disease. That's why this article was created. Through this article you will learn what separates appendicitis pain from the types of abdominal pain associated with other conditions. Of course, don't use just this article to determine if the abdominal pain a person is having is really appendicitis pain. You won't know 100% for sure until you get that person medically evaluated. Anyway, the factors that make abdominal pain exclusive to appendicitis are outlined below.

Location
Appendicitis pain starts in the naval area then progresses to the lower right side of the abdomen. This area is known as the McBurney point and it is near where the appendix is located. The specific location of the McBurney point is at the topmost portion of the right side of one's pelvic bone. It should be noted that while the McBurney point is near the appendix, the pain is not in the exact location of where the appendix is.

Sharpness
Appendicitis pain tends to be more severe than the abdominal pain associated with less serious illnesses. Appendicitis pain worsens as the inflammation causes the tissues around the appendix to also become affected. As far as how the pain feels, this will depend on a person's experience with abdominal pain. Most people compare appendicitis pain with bad gas, but this may be the only description they can give because they haven't experienced different types of abdominal pain. Women who have had babies may liken appendicitis pain to contractions, which is also like gas pains but very extreme.

Cannot Easily be Relieved
Appendicitis pain cannot be relieved. For example, over-the-counter pain killers won't do anything since the underlying cause of the appendicitis pain has not been addressed. Not moving will also be futile, since again the source of the appendicitis pain has not been taken care of. The only way appendicitis pain can be relieved is if a person gets medical intervention. This involves surgical removal of the appendix. And even then the pain not immediately go away, but this is only because the surrounding structures may still have inflammation. Antibiotics will take care of that problem.

Possibly Accompanied by Other Symptoms
Finally, appendicitis pain may have other symptoms to accompany it. These symptoms may make a person feel like they are suffering an illness. They include: fever, nausea, vomiting and malaise. Sometimes a person may also have bowel problems, such as constipation, diarrhea or an inability to pass gas. Of course, these symptoms do not always accompany appendicitis pain, so don't be on the lookout for them thinking you need more exclusive signs that a person is suffering from appendicitis. Many people may get appendicitis pain as their only symptom.