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- What is appendicitis?
- Symptoms of appendicitis
- Causes of appendicitis
- Prevention of appendicitis
- Risk factors for appendicitis
- Complications of appendicitis
- When to see a doctor about appendicitis
- Diagnosis of appendicitis
- Conventional treatment of appendicitis
- Alternative/complementary treatment of appendicitis
- Living with appendicitis
- Caring for someone with appendicitis
Conventional treatment of appendicitis
There are two approaches to treating appendicitis, depending on severity and duration of symptoms:
Observation
If the symptoms are not too severe (or they dissipate), the doctor may recommend observation to determine if the pain returns or improves. Observation is mostly done at hospital, where emergency treatment (surgery) can be performed if symptoms increase dramatically and/or the appendix ruptures.
Medication
If the appendicitis is mild and is determined to be caused by an infection, the following medications can be prescribed:
- Antibiotics - the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to reduce the bacterial infection which is the source of the appendicitis
- Pain killers - the doctor may prescribe over-the-counter (or prescription) pain killing medication to reduce the severity of the pain
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Surgery
If it is determined that it is appendicitis and especially if the appendix is very inflamed or infected and has the potential to rupture, then the doctor may decide to remove the appendix as a precautionary measure (to prevent possible complications of a ruptured appendix).
There are two types of surgery that can be performed, depending on a number of factors:
- Laparoscopic appendectomy - this is a newer type of surgery for removal of an appendix, which is known as keyhole surgery, as it enables the surgeon to make smaller incisions in the abdomen in which a thin tube with a camera and light are inserted. This allows the surgeon to view the appendix (and surrounding tissue) and remove it. A laparoscopic appendectomy requires less time in hospital for recovery (only a few days), leaves less scarring and is the preferable surgery for removing an infected appendix
- Traditional appendectomy - a traditional appendectomy requires a larger incision (cut) in the abdomen, leaves a bigger scar and requires a stay of up to a week in hospital to recuperate from the surgery. This type of surgery is usually recommended in the following circumstances:
- the appendix has burst and an emergency procedure is required
- women who are in their first trimester of pregnancy
- people who have had any type of previous abdominal surgery, especially if it has been performed more than once
- people who have existing tumours in their digestive system
Whatever type of surgery is performed, it may still take up to a few weeks to completely heal from the surgery after leaving the hospital.
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