To know if you have appendicitis, the common signs to look for include:
- Abdominal pain that usually starts around the belly button and then shifts to the lower right side of the abdomen. This pain tends to worsen over several hours and becomes more severe and focused.
- Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite often develop soon after the pain starts.
- The pain often intensifies when moving, coughing, sneezing, or taking deep breaths.
- Other symptoms can include a low-grade fever, constipation or diarrhea, inability to pass gas, and abdominal swelling.
- The pain may wake you up from sleep and doesn’t improve with over-the-counter pain medications.
If any of these symptoms appear, especially the characteristic movement of pain to the lower right abdomen along with nausea or fever, it is important to seek immediate medical evaluation as appendicitis is a medical emergency that can worsen quickly. A healthcare provider will perform a physical exam and may order tests like blood work or imaging to confirm the diagnosis and determine if surgery is needed.
