Compassionate Digestive Expertise Care and Treatment for Appendicitis
If you've ever thought of your appendix at all, it's likely because someone told you it's where chewing gum goes after you swallow it. This classic old wives tale has no basis in reality and was likely created to 1) stop children from swallowing gum, and 2) ascribe a function to this tiny organ. The appendix, so-named because it is an appendage to the large colon (similar to a tail), has a role in digestion. When the organ becomes blocked, often by stool, a foreign body, cancer, or other infection, the result is appendicitis.
Appendicitis occurs most often in infants and children, but can affect adults up to age 30. Symptoms include steadily increasing abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, and/or constipation. The condition affects one in 1,000 Americans and is very treatable, especially when caught early.
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With Thoughtful Appendicitis Treatment You Can Overcome Your Pain and Worry
- A Clear Picture. An Accurate Diagnosis.
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Stomach pain, diarrhea, indigestion, and constipation. These are common maladies, all of which can simply be symptoms of eating disagreeable food. If you're experiencing them once in a while, they're nothing to be concerned about. But if they become your norm, it may be a sign of something more serious.
Since appendicitis shares symptoms with a number of other digestive problems, we at AdventHealth Tampa start by getting a clearer picture of your condition using a full range of advanced tests and screenings, including:
- Abdominal Ultrasounds to View the Appendix
- Blood Tests to Check for High White Blood Cell Counts and Infection
- CT Scans to Get a Complete Look at the Abdomen
- Lower Gastrointestinal Series (Barium Enema) to View the Small Intestine with X-Ray Images
- Urine Tests to Rule Out Urinary Tract Infections
Once we recognize that your symptoms are due to appendicitis, our Tampa hospital team will work quickly to bring you back to health.
- Different Types of Appendicitis
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You try to keep yourself as healthy as possible. You watch what you eat, exercise, and get plenty of rest. But conditions such as appendicitis are impossible to predict and prevent, no matter how healthy you are. If you notice discomfort behind your belly button or in your right side, experience loss of appetite, constipation, a dull fever, or feel continuously nauseous, please come in to see us — especially if these symptoms are sudden and severe. There are several types of appendicitis, including:
- Acute appendicitis, which shows sudden, more severe symptoms over a 24 to 48 hour period and needs to be treated quickly.
- Chronic appendicitis, which results in prolonged moderate symptoms that could lead to acute appendicitis.
- Gangrenous appendicitis, which is an inflamed appendix that doesn’t receive the blood it needs to remain alive.
- Stump appendicitis, which is a rare condition that occurs in any appendix tissue left behind during a previous appendectomy.
Appendicitis is a very treatable condition, especially when it's discovered early. Whether your symptoms are the result of an inflamed appendix or another digestive-related issue, your AdventHealth Tampa team of experienced gastroenterologists is here to provide care to alleviate your symptoms and get you back to your healthy life.
- Treatments for Appendicitis
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Sometimes, the infection of uncomplicated appendicitis can be treated with antibiotics. But more often, a surgical procedure called an appendectomy is the best course of treatment. Appendectomies are extremely common emergency procedures used to remove the aggravated appendix.
Appendectomies can be performed as either open or minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures. Open appendectomies are more traditional, removing the appendix through a two- to three-inch incision in your abdomen. Laparoscopic appendectomies use very tiny incisions and commonly allow for a faster recovery time; in many cases, you’ll be able to go home on the same day.
Whether an open or laparoscopic appendectomy is right for you, we’ll help guide you back to wellness with experience, compassion, and a commitment to providing whole-person care that not only helps heal your body, but eases your mind and lifts your spirit as well.
Expert Care. Specialized Doctors. Digestive Care You Can Count On
You’ve got this, because you’ve got us. Our digestive health specialists are here to provide the care and support you need to feel whole again.