Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Appendicitis - Symptoms
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
The main symptom of
appendicitis is belly (abdominal) pain. The pain can
feel like
indigestion or like you need to have a bowel movement
or pass gas. Many people feel the first pain near the belly button. Then it
moves to the
lower right side 
of the belly. But the pain can be in different parts of your
belly or even on your side. The pain may get worse if you move, walk, or cough.
You may also have a fever or feel sick to your stomach.
Many people who have had appendicitis say the pain is hard to describe. It may not feel like any pain you have had before. It may not even be a very bad pain, but you may feel like something is wrong. If you have moderate belly pain that does not go away after 4 hours, call your doctor. If you have severe belly pain, call your doctor right away.
You may have appendicitis if:
- You have pain in your belly. The pain may begin around your belly button.
- The pain in your belly gets stronger and
moves below your belly button on your right side (the
lower right quadrant ). This is the most common place to feel pain when you
have appendicitis.
- The pain does not go away and gets worse when you move, walk, or cough.
- You have pain in any part of your belly or on your side.
- You feel nauseated or throw up a few times. You also may not feel like eating.
- You have constipation, back pain, a slight fever, or a swollen abdomen.
Some people do not have the symptoms listed above. Older
people, children younger than 2 years, and pregnant women may not have pain in
the lower right part of the belly. Other people feel pain in the side, because
the appendix is in a different position than normal.
Pain in the abdomen is very common. For more information, see the topics Abdominal Pain, Age 12 and Older and Abdominal Pain, Age 11 and Younger.
There are also many conditions with symptoms similar to appendicitis. But because appendicitis can become serious in a short amount of time, call your doctor right away if you have any of the symptoms listed above. Treatment is much easier if the appendix has not ruptured. In most people, the appendix does not rupture until they have felt sick for at least 24 hours.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: April 5, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
