A Kid Gets Appendix Surgery on His Birthday!

Byline: Omar Hamreh

It’s your birthday and you are asleep, then you wake up to see that you are in a hospital. You hear a lot of beeping machines, a lot of doctors and nurses, and your parents, who are really sad for you and hoping you are going to be okay. How sad!

This is a really bad and sad days for my fellow classmate Colby Stecker.  He is a 7th grader at Cal Young Middle School. At age 4, Colby Stecker went through a lot on his  birthday in a hospital which he mostly spent all of his birthday in!

“Appendicitis is really hard to go through.” said Colby Stecker.

The function of the appendix is unknown. One theory is that the appendix acts as a storehouse for good bacteria, “rebooting” the digestive system after diarrheal illnesses.

It is an organ that is credited with very little significance. However, modern researchers believe that the appendix has many key functions in the human body and it protects the body's internal environment from infection.

The appendix is a small, finger-shaped organ that comes out of the first part of the large intestine. It needs to be removed when it becomes swollen, infected, or if it is about to blow up. If the appendix is not removed, it can leak bacteria and infect your entire belly, which can be very life threatening.

Some studies have shown, however, that people without an appendix may have slightly higher rates of infection than those with a functioning organ. “It may also take them slightly longer to recover from illness, especially those in which the beneficial gut bacteria has been flushed out of the body," (Time Magazine).

At least Colby is in less danger because his appendix got taken out.

Appendicitis typically starts with a pain in the middle of your tummy (abdomen) that may come and go. Feeling sick (nausea), being sick, loss of appetite, constipation or diarrhea, a high temperature,  and a flushed face are all symptoms of appendicitis.

Appendicitis symptoms show up quickly, usually within the first 24 hours. Signs can appear anywhere from 4 - 48 hours after an issue occurs. It's especially important to see a healthcare provider if you also experience fever, chills, or lack of energy.

The surgery will take about 1 hour. You also might leave the hospital at 24 to 36 hours after the surgery. Also, if there is infection from the appendix bursting, you will be in the hospital from 5 to 7 days.

How common is appendicitis?  In the United States, appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain for which you need surgery. About 5 to 9 of every 100 people develop appendicitis at some point.

The way to reduce the risk of getting appendicitis is to first of all maintain a healthy diet by consuming foods in fiber. Next, avoid or reduce eating foods with high amounts of sugar and fat since foods high in sugar and fat can cause constipation and increase the risk of infections, including those that cause appendicitis.

The pain that happens to people when they get their appendix taken out is pretty much pain that begins around the navel and often shifts to the lower right abdomen. That pain also worsens with coughing, walking or making other movements.

The pain will last for seven days or more, or come and go for longer. Because of this, people don't necessarily seek medical care. You can have chronic appendicitis pain on and off for months before it becomes bad enough that the condition is identified.

How many kinds of appendicitis are there?   Appendicitis can be categorized into two types: acute appendicitis and chronic appendicitis. Acute appendicitis is the most frequent type and is a major cause of emergency abdominal surgery. It occurs due to obstruction of the appendix and can lead to rupture if not treated immediately.

A burst appendix, also called ruptured appendix, spreads infection throughout the abdomen, a condition called peritonitis. Possibly life-threatening, this condition requires immediate surgery to remove the appendix and clean the abdominal cavity.

Males have more appendicitis attacks than females and females have more normal appendixes than males.

In conclusion, appendicitis is a common infection and one of the people that it happened to is my fellow classmate Colby Stecker.