Fast & Effective Care for Appendicitis in Southern California

Our emergency medicine doctors are experts at recognizing appendicitis symptoms in Southern California. One of our experienced providers will quickly determine if your appendix is infected and at risk for rupturing. You’ll receive prompt treatment to relieve your symptoms, clear the infection, and reduce complications from a ruptured appendix.

For your convenience, Dignity Health Southern California offers InQuicker, which allows you to select an estimated arrival time at one of our urgent care centers or ERs when you require medical care. At all our locations, we have highly skilled doctors to treat appendicitis in Southern California:

Call 911 for immediate medical attention.

Recognizing Symptoms of Appendicitis

The appendix is a sac-like organ where the small and large intestines meet. Its location in the lower right side of the abdomen drives the hallmark symptom of appendicitis: lower right abdominal pain that gets increasingly worse.

Appendicitis pain typically comes on suddenly and spreads rapidly from the center of your belly to the lower right side. Other symptoms of appendicitis we see at Dignity Health Southern California include: 

  • Fever and chills
  • Nausea, with or without vomiting
  • Gas and bloating
  • Constipation or diarrhea

What Causes Appendicitis?

The appendix can become inflamed if a substance, such as mucus or stool from the intestine, gets trapped inside it. This causes appendix irritation, inflammation, and infection. Appendicitis is a medical emergency because an inflamed and ruptured appendix can cause a more widespread and life-threatening infection.

Treating Appendicitis at Dignity Health Southern California: Care with Kindness

An inflamed appendix can rupture about 48 to 72 hours after symptoms develop, so prompt treatment is always necessary. If you have appendicitis and your appendix has not ruptured, you will likely have an appendectomy as soon as possible to prevent further infection. If your appendix has already burst, one of our experienced surgeons will perform emergency surgery to remove the appendix and clear the infection.

Please contact us for more information about Dignity Health Southern California, including our emergency departments.

Dignity Health ER doctors, nurses, and surgical specialists provide expert treatment for appendicitis in Southern California.