Appendicitis symptoms can be confusing, but a woman now on the other side of an acute case told us: "Taking that pain seriously made all the difference."
“Here’s How I Knew I Had Appendicitis”: A Recovered Patient Illustrates What Hers Felt Like
Published on Apr. 09, 2025
If you’ve ever felt a sharp or persistent pain in the lower right side of your abdomen, it’s a common question for your mind to jump straight to wondering: Is this what appendicitis feels like? According to 2024 data, approximately 300,000 adults in the U.S. go to the hospital for appendicitis each year. When appendicitis symptoms strike, experts agree: It’s not something to brush off. The Cleveland Clinic states that if you feel appendix pain, that’s your cue to go to the hospital.
The issue, of course, is that not all of us can identify whether the feelings signal appendix pain or something else. That’s why 30-year-old Olivia Martin from Tampa, FL, shares her experience with acute appendicitis here. Martin told us she made it to the ER just in time—hours later, her outcome might have been far more serious.
The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch attached to the large intestine. Appendicitis is the inflammation of this site, and one of the most common causes of sudden abdominal pain that requires emergency surgery. Appendicitis typically develops when the appendix becomes blocked, often by hardened stool, bacteria, or swollen tissue, leading to infection and inflammation. If left untreated, appendicitis can lead to a potentially dangerous rupture.
Classic appendicitis symptoms include pain that begins around the belly button and then shifts to the lower right side of the abdomen, particularly to a spot known as McBurney’s point, located about one-third of the way between the navel and the right hip bone. This pain is often accompanied by nausea, a loss of appetite, low-grade fever, or vomiting. That said, symptoms can vary from person to person and may resemble other conditions such as gastrointestinal infections, kidney stones, or ovarian cysts.
Prompt diagnosis and treatment, usually involving surgical removal of the appendix, are key to avoiding serious complications, including a rupture that can lead to widespread infection and even be life-threatening.
How I Knew I Had Appendicitis
By Olivia Martin, as told to Dr. Patricia Varacallo, DO
I was a healthy 28-year-old woman when I learned the hard way that not every stomachache is just a stomachache. Mine turned out to be something far more serious.
What does appendicitis feel like?
For me, my appendicitis symptoms started as an odd pressure around my belly button—uncomfortable, but not yet painful. It was more of a tight, bloated sensation, like I’d eaten too much. On a Friday night in February 2023, I’d just come back from dinner with a few friends where I’d overindulged a little, so I figured I was just full or maybe had some mild indigestion.
But within a couple of hours, just as I was trying to relax and watch a movie, the discomfort escalated into something much sharper and more intense. The dull ache became a stabbing pain that centered on the lower right side of my abdomen. I felt nauseated, a little feverish, and couldn’t get comfortable no matter how I shifted on the couch. I tried lying down in different positions and even paced around my apartment, hoping the pain would pass, but it only got worse.
Living away from family and unsure of what was happening, I eventually called my mom in tears. Her voice was full of concern as she urged me to go to the emergency room immediately. I could hear in her tone that she was already preparing to make the couple-hours’ drive to me.
Thankfully, I live across the street from the hospital, so I threw on a hoodie, clutched my side, and slowly walked over to the emergency department. hunched over from the pain. When the nurse asked what was going on, I told her I thought it might be food poisoning—or maybe even a ruptured ovarian cyst, since I’ve been diagnosed with ovarian cysts before.
I also mentioned the possibility of appendicitis, since my mom had brought it up during our call. As it turned out, Mom was right.
Being diagnosed with acute appendicitis
The ER staff quickly got me back for a physical exam. The ER doctor gently pressed on different areas of my abdomen. When he pressed on the lower right side and then released, I winced and gasped from the sudden pain (a classic sign known as “rebound tenderness”), which can indicate irritation of the abdominal lining.
He asked if I was feeling nauseous (I was), if I’d had a fever (the nurse had noted a low-grade one during my vitals), and whether the pain had started near my belly button and migrated to the lower right side.
Yes, I nodded, exactly like that. It was all I could do to dialogue with the doctor, but I was relieved it seemed like we were narrowing in on some answers.
The emergency department team worked fast, with one drawing my blood. The results showed an elevated white blood cell count—a strong indicator that my body was fighting off an infection.
But the clearest answer came from a CT scan, which revealed an inflamed appendix and what looked like a developing abscess, which the doctor explained was a pocket of infection that can form when the appendix is blocked and bacteria start multiplying. I learned that left untreated, that kind of buildup can lead to a rupture or widespread infection.
A short while later, the doctor returned and told me I had acute appendicitis and that they needed to prep me for surgery right away. I felt some major anxiety—I’d never had a major surgery before—but there wasn’t time to dwell on it. Everything moved so quickly that I didn’t have much time to be scared. I just trusted the medical team and knew this was something that had to be done.
Undergoing a laparoscopic appendectomy
A few hours later, I was taken into surgery for a laparoscopic appendectomy—a minimally invasive procedure where the surgeon uses small incisions and a tiny camera to locate and remove the appendix. This image shows what an inflamed appendix looks like after it’s been removed.
I don’t remember much after being wheeled into the operating room, but I woke up feeling groggy, a little sore, but finally relieved of the sharp pain that had taken over my body the night before.
Because there was a significant amount of inflammation and fluid buildup, the surgeon had to place a small drainage tube in my abdomen to help prevent infection and allow any excess fluid to drain safely. He told me afterward that I’d come in just in time as my appendix was severely inflamed, but thankfully it hadn’t burst.
I stayed in the hospital overnight for monitoring and was discharged the next afternoon. I left the hospital with bandages over the incisions, pain medication, and anti-nausea meds, since I was still feeling queasy from the anesthesia and the residual infection. Luckily, my mom was able to stay with me for the week, which made a huge difference in my recovery.
Recovery was better than I’d expected. The incisions were tender, and I had to move slowly at first, but each day got a little better. Within a few days, I was taking short walks around my apartment complex. By week two, I felt almost back to normal.
Recovery after acute appendicitis
What shocked me most was just how quickly everything escalated. I went from feeling perfectly fine to writhing in pain in a matter of hours. I’m grateful I didn’t wait any longer to get help, because if I had, things could’ve taken a much more dangerous turn. My doctors told me that if my appendix had ruptured, I could’ve faced a longer hospital stay, serious complications like sepsis, and a far more difficult recovery.
Now, two years later, I’m left with just a few small, faint scars on my abdomen.
If you’re wondering what appendicitis feels like, here’s what I’d tell you: if you’re dealing with sharp, persistent pain on your lower right side—especially if it’s getting worse and accompanied by nausea or fever—don’t wait. Don’t second-guess yourself. Go to the ER. Taking that pain seriously made all the difference for me. It truly could save your life.
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