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Diagnosis of Appendicitis

Appendicitis can sometimes be difficult to diagnose because different people have different symptoms. There is no test for appendicitis and the doctor will use their judgement.

The doctor will suspect it is appendicitis if you have a constant pain in the lower right hand side of your abdomen, especially if you also feel sick.

The doctor will take your temperature and look at your abdomen. It will feel very tender and they might gently press a hand onto the abdomen and then quickly lift the hand, allowing the tummy to rebound back up. If you have appendicitis you will almost definitely feel pain as your abdomen rebounds.

The doctor might examine your rectum (back passage) or vagina with a gloved finger. They will be looking for tenderness around the area of the appendix.

If there is any doubt about whether or not you have appendicitis, the doctor may suggest a blood test, urine test or ultrasound scan. These tests will help exclude any other causes of your symptoms such as food poisoning or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

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