Show Your Doctor Dottor I Says The following is one of a series of articles written by members of the Utah State Stale Medical Association and published in cooperation with your local lo local lo- lo cal newspaper These articles are arc scheduled to appear every other week throughout the year In an effort ellort to better acquaint you wit with problems of health and designed to improve the thc well being of the people of 01 Utah APPENDICITIS Despite the fact that the number num num- ber her 01 ot deaths from appendicitis has dropped substantially in recent re recent recent re- re cent years it still remains a s serious serious seri seri- rl ous disease which kills several thou thousand nd people each year in this country This seems strange when we consider the fact that we havethe have havethe havethe the facilities the know how the hospitals and the equipment to reduce the death rate almost to the zero point The principal reason seems tolie to tolie tolie lie in in delays in diagnosis and treatment This is probably due principally to the fact that the public is not educated regarding early stage signs and symptoms of the disease Hence Henc many donot do donot not r recognize cognize the possibility of the presence of appendicitis and call a doctor until it is well developed developed developed de de- and in io some cases too late It will be the purpose of this article then to discuss the disease briefly in in simple terms so that the readers may mar get a better understanding of ot it The appendix is a small wormlike worm worm- wormlike like structure usually two or or three inches in length attached to the first part of the large intestine intestine in intestine in- in located in in the lower portion portion por por- tion hon of the right side of the abdo abdo- men It has no known useful function t in the human although in some animals it probably participates participates participates par par- in in digestion as does the rest of the intestine Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix and usually starts as an abdominal pain The pain is either quite generalized rn in 10 the abdomen or may start i Inthe in inthe inthe the pit of the stomach It i is s usually dull at the onset an and d gradually becomes more severe After After a few few hours the pain pain tends to settle in the lower right side sid e of the abdomen and at that that time the patient or the family for the th e first time thinks of the possibility y of appendicitis Soon after the onset onset onset on on- set of pain there is usually nausea nause a and nd often vomiting Sometimes there is no vomiting and when present it is rarely severe Constipation usually develops develops de de- develops de- de after the onset of the pain Rarely is diarrhea present If one guesses as to the presence of fever by feeling the forehead one would usually estimate that the temperature is normal but if one takes the temperature with a thermometer it will usually be slightly elevated elevated around around ninetynine ninetynine ninetynine ninety- ninety nine to one onehundred hundred degrees or a little more If It one presses on the abdomen with the hand it willbe willbe will be found that there is usually tenderness in the lower right side which may be detected even before the patient has noted any pain in this area If a blood count is taken the number of white blood cells will willbe willbe be found to be increased Many people however have the fals false e idea that the blood count will tell definitely whether appendicitis is present or not This 15 is not true It is a valuable aid but must be considered only one of of several indications which may lead one to the correct diagnosis One of the most common errors made is the administration of a laxative in cases of abdominal pain The patient or mother is likely likey to think the pain due to some some dietary indiscretion es especially especially espe espe- e- e before the pain settles in inthe inthe the lower lower right side ide Laxatives tend to stir u up the intestines and the appendix and may greatly aggravate the condition condition leading to rupture of the appendix and spread of the infection The only safe treatment of appendicitis appendicitis appendicitis ap- ap ap ap- is surgical removal of the organ This should be done early in the disease before it has bas ruptured The appendix rarely ruptures within the first few hours of the onset of infection Some people seem to feel appendicitis appendicitis appendicitis ap ap- ap- ap is is no longer dangerous now that we have antibiotics and other valuable drugs to combat infection Although these drugs are of great value the danger of appendicitis is still real and patients pa patients pa- pa are dying every day despite de- de despite despite de de- spite them There There-is is evidence that many people have been lulled into in into into in- in to a false sense of security by them until it is too late In this caso of abdominal pain which persists persist more than two or three hours call your doctor even if the pain is not very severe nor in in the right lower abdomen Do not take laxatives food or m medicine e d i c i n e s. s If your doctor feels that it is a case of appendicitis do not delay the operation unnecessarily I If this advice is followed many lives may be saved J |