APPENDICITIS
Appendicitis is a very serious disease. When the appendix becomes inflamed and infected, the process can spread so fast that gangrene and rupture may set in within a matter of hours. Rupture of the appendix leads to peritonitis, one of the most serious of all diseases.
As the inflammation of the appendix develops, there are usually three main symptoms: nausea; abdominal pain that starts to localize in the lower right part over the appendix area; and mild fever in adults, sometimes high fever in young children. There may also be vomiting, constipation, and diarrhoea. Chills and convulsions, which are fairly characteristic of pneumonia, meningitis, and other severe infections, rarely occur at the onset of appendicitis in children.
How you can save a life
Statistics show that when a person with appendicitis takes a laxative, his chance of dying is three times as great as it would be if no laxative had been taken. With more than one dose of a laxative, the possibility of dying is seven times as great. This is due to the fact that laxatives and cathartics increase action in the intestine, and may also increase the pressure within the little sac. The more the pressure, the more likelihood that the sac will burst. The same is true for enemas. It has also been shown that a delay in operating lessens the chance of a cure. So many people have died as a result of taking a ‘good physic’ when they were developing appendicitis that I am inclined to call laxatives the first assistant of this killer.
Here are the rules to follow in order to save a life—your own or another’s—when appendicitis gives its warning signals. First of all, be sure to remember that any abdominal pain lasting for more than three or four hours may be appendicitis.
Call your doctor immediately. Or you can obtain a thorough examination for appendicitis in the emergency room of any reliable general hospital. You should be taken there by car, if possible.
Lie down and remain as quiet as possible. Do not massage the abdomen.
Take nothing by mouth—no food, water, or medicines. Especially avoid taking any cathartic or laxative.
Do not take an enema.
Do not use a hot-water bag. If the pain becomes very severe, an ice-pack may be applied.
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