Question
My daughter is 8 years old, and she started having occasional abdominal pain on Wednesday last week. It is accompanied by nausea and loss of appetite, as well as a lack of energy. The pain is located in the upper abdomen near the navel. Could this be appendicitis?
Answer
Generally, appendicitis has a rapid onset, and some children may go from the initial pain to the stage of pus formation and necrosis in a very short time, possibly only 2 days. Based on your description, your daughter’s condition may be chronic appendicitis. Appendicitis, although the lesion is small, requires a doctor to make a diagnosis based on the patient’s condition and symptoms through questioning and detailed examination. From your description, it is difficult to determine whether your daughter has appendicitis. The symptoms of appendicitis usually include abdominal pain (often a shifting pain in the lower right abdomen), gastrointestinal symptoms, and systemic symptoms (such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, general weakness, fever, etc.). Physical examination may reveal tenderness and rebound tenderness in the lower right abdomen, and in severe cases, the entire abdomen may be tender.