How do you tell it is just a tummy ache and not the appendix???

[JFSinIL]

DD, 14, says her tummy feels like it is being "ripped". OK, this kid tends to be my dramatic one...but it got me thinking - how do you tell when it is just the stomach flu and when it is appendix-itis (no, I can NOT spell it!!!) If I ask her probing questions she will imagine herself into feeling the symtoms and fret herself into feeling sicker than she may truly be.

[Lisa in SC]

Well, I'm not a doctor, so take this information with a grain of salt. Typically, the pain starts around the navel & then spreads to the area between the navel & the pelvis on the right side. It's usually *very* painful if any pressure is applied to that area. Vomiting can definitely come with appendicitis, but usually the pain is present *before* the vomiting starts. Fever can be present, but isn't always.

 

The problem with appendicitis is that the symptoms can present fairly vaguely. Hopefully, your dd has a virus that will pass quickly, but if you have any doubt, give your pediatrician or doctor a call. I hope she feels better soon!

 

Lisa

[Amy in Orlando]

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-appendicitis

 

Here's a link. We were worried my son might have appendicitis this summer. I called our ped and she had me use three fingers and push on the right side of his stomach near his belly button. It did hurt when I pushed down, but not after I released it. If it had hurt when I released, she would have had me take him in. I hope I described this correctly. Can you give your doctor a call and see what they suggest?

[Sharon H in IL]

The pain I took my son in for subsided a bit once we were in the doctor's office. The nurse immediately calmed down. Seems that if it subsided at all, it was more likely to be muscular, i.e., poop impacted in his colon.

 

Seems my dear son was experimenting with his body by *not* going poopy for as long as possible. A little bit of laxative resolved the problem.

[GothicGyrl]

Heat. In addition to the pain as described on webmd--heat usually accompanies in that spot--that is, it is almost feverishly, painfully hot to the touch in the area affected.

 

Not that you can't have a problem without the heat, because you can. But heat is one of the "tests" I was told.

[Remudamom]

that when his ruptured all the pain was gone and he nearly died.

[Lady Katherine]

We have had a lot of appendicitis in our family. In our case, it starts as a moderate stomach pain, which can be on the right, the left, or even move around. It eventually gets very bad and settles on the lower right side. There can be vomiting and fever. One good indication is to have the person stand on their toes and drop hard onto their heels. If that causes sharp pain in the lower right side, you need to be seen. Also, it's common to have the pain become very sharp when you drive over railroad tracks or bumps in the road.

 

When in doubt, call your doctor.

[Jean too]

The nurse on call with our insurance company had me have ds hop up and down on his right foot. Apparently if it is appendicitis it is unbearably painful.

[Ali in OR]

Try pressing on the LEFT side of the abdomen. If that hurts where the appendix is located, it is a good sign of appendicitis. She called it "referred pain" and explained that the pressure on the peritoneal lining (I think) pulls on the appendicitis. Something like that. That was her number one way of checking for appendicitis.

[Renee in NC]

My ds just felt terrible and his stomach hurt. We actually caught it before it was too bad, but he STILL didn't get surgery until almost 24 hours later. The last 8 hours or so was agony for him.

 

No vomiting (except for the contrast for the CT Scan), no fever, very little elevated blood levels.