A confession of an appendix: The "rebellious moment" should not be underestimated, but don't panic!

In the wonderful world of the human body, I, a tiny appendix, am located between the thick cecum and the tiny ileum in the vast abdomen, but I am mainly attached to my brother cecum, which is a one-way intestinal tube as thick as a finger.

I am often mistaken for an extra organ and even dubbed a "useless tail", but modern research has found that I still have certain immune functions.

Normally, I quietly protect the health of the human body. But when my lumen is blocked, invaded by bacteria or stimulated by other unknown reasons, I will get inflamed, and this is my "rebellious moment"!

1. How do I behave during my “rebellious moments”?

Migrating right lower abdominal pain is my most typical symptom. At first, it may be pain in the upper middle abdomen or around the navel. After 6 to 8 hours, the abdominal pain transfers and fixes to the right lower abdomen, and the pain is continuous. There is a fixed tender point in the right lower abdomen. This tender point is called "McBurney's point", which is located on the line connecting the navel and the upper edge of the right ilium (the protruding bone in the right lower abdomen), 1/3 of the way to the bone.

Subsequently, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, worsening abdominal pain, and fever appeared one after another.

These should not be underestimated. Trying to hold on may lead to systemic infection, shock, and even serious consequences such as multiple organ failure.

2. Why do I behave in a “rebellious” way?

Bad eating habits, such as overeating and liking to eat raw or cold food;

The body's immunity is reduced, leading to bacterial invasion;

Obstruction of the lumen, such as obstruction caused by fecal stones, undigested food, etc.

3. How can I prevent my “rebellion”?

1. Improve your diet: Eat more light, easily digestible foods, and eat foods rich in dietary fiber to promote digestion; develop good eating habits, avoid spicy, irritating, or too hard foods; avoid overeating and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, and avoid drinking cold drinks immediately after exercise or after eating.

2. Appropriate exercise: Appropriate exercise can promote gastrointestinal motility, help digestion, and at the same time enhance physical fitness, improve immunity and resistance.

3. Adjust your emotions: develop a positive and optimistic attitude towards life and adjust negative emotions in a timely manner.

4. Don’t underestimate the “rebellious moment”, but don’t panic

Although my "rebellious moment" should not be underestimated, there is no need to panic. Just go to the hospital as soon as possible and don't delay. With the development of medical technology, there is now a gold standard procedure: laparoscopic appendectomy. In principle, surgical treatment should be performed as soon as possible once the diagnosis is confirmed.

Its main advantages are:

Small wound: There are only two 5mm and one 10mm small incisions on the abdomen, leaving basically no scars.

Less bleeding: The surgical field is clear, blood vessels are handled more delicately, and the amount of bleeding is reduced.

Fewer complications: The intraoperative field of view is wider and there are fewer abdominal wall complications.

Mild pain: less pain after surgery and less amount of analgesics required.

Quick recovery: Since the interference to the abdominal wall and internal organs is reduced, the recovery after surgery is quick.

Short hospital stay: patients can be discharged from the hospital 3-4 days after surgery.

When my "rebellious moments" are just a little bit emotional, non-surgical treatment can also be used. The main measure is to use effective antibiotics for treatment, and elective surgery can be performed if necessary.

Although I am just a small organ in the human body, it is closely related to human health. I hope that my autobiography can help you better understand my appendix, which seems ordinary but is full of mysteries. I also hope to remind you to always maintain good living habits to avoid me getting emotional or becoming a "rebel."

Source: Publicity Department of Hanshou County People's Hospital

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(Edited by YH)