Aurora Saint Luke's South Shore issued the following announcement on Dec. 23
Have you ever had stomach cramps that were just short of child labor pains, but turned out only to be a bad case of excessive flatulence? If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Unfortunately, however, when those pains don’t subside after about a few hours, it’s time to consider something might be more seriously wrong.
“Your appendix serves no vital function in your body, but can become a source of life-threatening danger if it becomes obstructed with stool,” says Dr. Michael Karkkainen, general surgeon at Aurora Medical Center – Bay Area in Marinette, Wis. “An obstructed appendix is referred to as appendicitis, and often times, it requires emergency surgery to remove before it bursts and contaminates the blood stream with fecal matter and other bacteria.”
Affecting about 1 in 1,000 people in the United States, it’s a fairly common occurrence and mainly crops up in individuals between the ages of 10 and 30 years. Dr. Karkkainen advises watching for the following symptoms and to call your doctor immediately if you’re experiencing any of these:
- Pain around your belly button region and to the lower right side of your abdomen
- Pain when you move around, touch the area, or cough/sneeze
- Fever and chills
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Inability to have a bowel movement
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up