What to pay attention to with appendicitis

Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
Updated on January 06, 2025
00:00
00:00

Patients with appendicitis should pay attention to diet adjustments and regular routines, as well as choosing the correct treatment method. Diet should be lighter, consume more vegetables, ensure smooth bowel movements, eat less raw, cold, and spicy foods, rest more, and avoid excessive fatigue, especially staying up late. Additionally, pay attention to active and effective treatments. Currently, surgical treatment is the main approach, and laparoscopic appendectomy can be chosen. This surgical method involves less bleeding during the operation and a faster postoperative recovery, requiring a rest period of two weeks post-surgery.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Ai Bing Quan
General Surgery
41sec home-news-image

Can you exercise with appendicitis?

During the acute onset of appendicitis, it is not suitable to exercise. This is because the patient's immune system is weakened, and exercise can exacerbate the spread of inflammation, making the appendix more likely to perforate. In cases of chronic appendicitis, as well as during the recovery period after appendix surgery, moderate activities can be performed. Exercise can be carried out after the stitches are removed, but the intensity of the exercise should not be too high. It is necessary to progress gradually, and an abdominal binder should be used to protect the incision site. It's also important to strengthen nutrition, improve physical fitness, and eat more coarse grains to maintain smooth bowel movements.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Huang Gang
Gastroenterology
1min home-news-image

Acute appendicitis clinical features

Acute appendicitis generally presents primarily as abdominal pain, specifically migratory pain to the lower right abdomen. Initially, the patient may experience stomach pain, which gradually shifts to pain in the lower right abdomen. Whether it is appendicitis needs to be diagnosed by a physical examination by a doctor, or an ultrasound of the appendix during the acute phase can be performed. If the appendix appears significantly swollen on the ultrasound, it can also confirm the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Typically, the best treatment for acute appendicitis is surgery, especially if the condition is very severe and critical, as it may lead to perforation of the appendix and result in purulent peritonitis, which is very serious and life-threatening. Therefore, once diagnosed with acute appendicitis, it is best to be hospitalized for surgery.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
1min 1sec home-news-image

Acute appendicitis clinical classification

Acute appendicitis can be classified into four types based on the clinical course. The first type is acute simple appendicitis, where the lesions are mostly confined to the mucosa and submucosal layer, with small ulcers and bleeding spots on the mucosal surface. The symptoms and signs are relatively mild. The second type is acute suppurative appendicitis, where the lesion has spread through all the layers of the appendix wall, and pus may accumulate inside, also known as acute cellulitis appendicitis. The third type is gangrenous and perforated appendicitis, which occurs due to pus in the appendix cavity causing increased internal pressure and circulatory disturbances in the appendix wall, leading to mucosal ischemic necrosis and perforation, causing acute diffuse peritonitis. The fourth type is peri-appendiceal abscess, which forms an inflammatory mass encapsulated by the surrounding omentum during suppuration or perforation of acute appendicitis.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
38sec home-news-image

Does chronic appendicitis cause fever?

Chronic appendicitis is a common gastrointestinal disease. Whether chronic appendicitis causes fever depends on the control of the inflammation. Most cases of chronic appendicitis do not involve fever, but some cases may exhibit a low fever when the inflammation is not well controlled. A very small percentage of chronic appendicitis cases can undergo acute episodes and develop suppurative infections, leading to perforation of the appendix and diffuse peritonitis, septicemia, and septic shock; in such acute episodes of chronic appendicitis, a high fever can occur.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
47sec home-news-image

Will there be a scar from appendicitis surgery?

Appendectomy can leave scars, especially more noticeable in people prone to scarring. Currently, there is a minimally invasive treatment that involves the removal of the appendix under laparoscopy. This method only requires three small incisions on the abdomen, resulting in smaller scars and a faster postoperative recovery. The traditional method, which involves making an incision at McBurney's point, leaves a slightly larger scar and has a slower recovery process. After recovery, the application of aloe vera can help reduce scarring. It is important to take good care of the incision, eat plenty of vegetables to prevent constipation, and protect the incision. At least two weeks of rest is necessary after the surgery, during which vigorous exercise should be avoided.