I was 11/12 years old when I experienced this severe pain in my abdomen. I couldn’t sleep that night. I was vomiting, rolling on the bed and my body was hot. Early the next morning, I was taken to the hospital and the doctors said I have Appendicitis. I did not even understand what they meant. I was admitted to the hospital, placed in drugs and scheduled for surgery.

I was wheeled to the theater on the surgery day crying. The fear of surgery got to me and I was probably thinking I won’t see my parents again. Everyone was consoling me. Laslas, after few hours I woke up and taken back to the ward. I was told Guava fruit caused it.

Can fruits really cause appendicitis? Is appendicitis preventable? Let’s discuss;

1. Your appendix is a worm like structure at the tip of your large intestine at the right side of your abdomen. It is about 3.5 inches long. It doesn’t really have an important function except in babies where it builds their immunity. Appendicitis is a pretty common disorder as studies has shown that 1 in 15 people can have it.
2. Appendicitis occurs when your appendix is irritated (inflammation) and is blocked by food, faeces or bacterias that comes from the large intestines. This causes it to swell and leads to pain.
3. Appendicitis can occur at any age, but it is rare in children below age 2. Most commonly occurs between age 10 to 30
4. Signs you have appendicitis are; pain that starts around your belly button and moves to the right side of your belly, high body temperature, inability to pass gas, vomiting and loss of appetite. You’ll need to carry out various tests before the Drs can say you have Appendicitis.
5. The main cause of appendicitis is unknown. Fruits do not directly cause appendicitis. However, seeds of fruits may cause it. IF you do not chew fruit seeds properly, it may pass your large intestine and store in your appendix. Yes, fruit seeds are medicinal but it must be properly chewed for your body can digest it.
6. Not all appendicitis requires surgery. In very mild cases, drugs may be used to treat it while surgery may be required in severe cases.
7. Appendicitis must not be left untreated because it can burst and spill it’s content (faeces, food, bacteria) to your abdomen. This can spread and cause infection in other organs like your liver, spleen or stomach leading to another disorder called Peritonitis.
8. Just like there is no specific cause, there is no specific prevention except that you chew your fruit seeds properly before swallowing them, drink lots of water, eat lots of vegetables and quickly go for treatment if you feel any pain in your abdomen.

Written by: Tolulope Adepoju

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