Grumbling appendix is an old terminology that is used to define chronic appendicitis. The difference between acute and chronic appendicitis is that acute appendicitis calls for instant medical aid and excision of the appendix, while chronic appendicitis does not.
Instead of the sudden, excruciating pain of acute appendicitis, grumbling appendix pains are very gradually.
What Does A Grumbling Appendix Feel Like?
Symptoms of chronic appendicitis or a grumbling appendix are seen as:
- Usually, the condition remains undiagnosed for a long period of time, unless you experience an attack of acute appendicitis symptoms.
- The symptoms of chronic appendicitis are very mild consequently, people tend to neglect them.
- People complain of a dull pain in the lower abdomen that disappears in a short interval of time. The pain is always mild and starts around the navel and gradually spreads towards the appendix, (lower right side).
- There will be pain when you cough, bend or run. When you press in the abdomen, you feel tenderness and swelling in the appendix area.
- Nausea and fever are other commonly seen symptoms of this condition.
- People suffering from chronic appendicitis are tired and weary all the time. This is because of the fact that there is a progressive infection and the immune mechanism is trying to battle it, causing immense fatigue.
- Loss of appetite is another common feature.
- Some patients also complain of constipation alternating with diarrhea.
Do not neglect these symptoms, confer with your health care provider; left untreated, it can lead to life threatening consequences such as rupture of the appendix, organ damage through spreading of the infection and sepsis.
Diagnosis Of Grumbling Appendix
Doctors identify a grumbling appendix by using a combination of approaches. First and foremost, he will localize the pain, and check whether it is at or around the site of the appendix.
The physical examination involves the physician pushing on the appendix to ascertain whether it is the source, and that you do not have the severe rebound pain that is linked to acute appendicitis.
Your health care provider will advise a sonogram and / or a CT scan to ascertain the condition. The radiologist’s report contains information about any anomalies of the appendix. Abnormalities include – swelling along with abnormalities of the contents of the esophagus. The contents appear darker on the CT than the tissue of the outside of the appendix.
Treatment Options For Grumbling Appendix
Contrasting with an attack of acute appendicitis, a chronic case does not come on suddenly and continue to get worse. By and large, a grumbling appendix pain aggravates at a very slow rate; it has a slow, insidious onset. It can take weeks for a grumbling appendix to cause problems that are troublesome enough for you to visit a health care provider.
There are frequent attacks, which come on every month or 3 months and last for a couple of days; however, the symptoms are all mild; making you get almost used to them. Although the symptoms are mild, your doctor will not want to take any chance, he may advise surgery once the diagnosis is made.
Chronic appendicitis is managed with powerful antibiotics to battle the infection. Habitually, the course of antibiotics is lengthy and the dose is high in order to prevent progression to acute appendicitis. Surgical excision is also recommended. This ensures no further pain, or risk linked to possible future acute attacks.