The classic signature: pain starting around the belly button that moves to the lower right abdomen over hours and worsens - hurting more with movement, coughing, or pressing, easing slightly with knees pulled up.
Appetite loss, nausea, and a temperature commonly join. That worsening right-sided pattern is a same-day, go-to-hospital problem - the appendix can burst. Not everyone reads the textbook: pregnant women, young children, and older people often show milder, slower, or differently-located pain, so lower your threshold with them. Pain that suddenly eases briefly then returns as severe whole-abdomen pain can signal rupture, not recovery. Get assessed before eating or masking pain. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you judge the pattern.
What to do
Common questions
What are the signs of appendicitis?
Appendicitis has a classic signature: pain that starts in the middle of the abdomen around the belly button, then over a few hours moves to the lower right side and gets steadily worse. It typically hurts more when you move, cough, or press the area, and can feel slightly better pulling your knees to your chest. Loss of appetite, feeling or being sick, constipation or diarrhoea, and a temperature commonly join in. The pattern matters more than any single symptom: worsening right-sided tummy pain over hours is a same-day, go-to-hospital problem - an inflamed appendix can burst, and a burst appendix is dangerous. The sneaky part: not everyone reads the textbook. Pregnant women, young children, and older people often have milder, slower, or differently-located pain (older people can present with confusion), so a lower threshold applies to them. One warning sign of rupture: pain that suddenly eases for a short time and then returns as severe pain spreading across the whole abdomen - that easing is not recovery. Do not eat, drink, or take painkillers that mask the exam while you are getting assessed - the standard advice is to get checked first. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you judge whether tummy pain fits this pattern.