um, crazy timing. I have a very dull "pain" just at the spot where the rib cage ends. Wife says it's too high and if it was my appendix it would be lower and would be in a lot of pain because it escalates quickly.

Now, at the same time I've recently started some core workouts after not really working my core in years. Maybe coincidence?

If you are concerned, Google "heel tap test appendicitis". Doctor did it to me and I felt like someone had stabbed me. Sure enough, had appendicitis.

Right upper quadrant abdominal pain is a very uncommon presentation for appendicitis, more common in late term pregnancy due to everything shifting up in the abdominal cavity. I've only seen one in my entire career (8 years as an ER doc), and I've seen a ton of appendicitis cases. Not unheard of but I would be WAY more concerned about gallstones and gallbladder infections with pain in the right upper belly. But agree with your overall point about not ignoring pain on the right side of the belly, or really any abdominal pain that seems to localize to a single point, especially if it's significantly tender when you palpate that single point.

In my experience, the pain I had before having to get my appendix removed, and it had almost burst, was defintely telling me something was wrong and I shouldn't ignore. I waited a day and layed in bed and then went in. I was wheeled into surgery, had it removed, and sent me home that day.

My appendix pain was not towards my belly button. It was a sharp pain sort of above my hip bone and below my ribs. I thought it was just bad gas at the time, so I didn't do anything about it. Middle of the night, the pain suddenly stopped. Cool.

Woke up the next morning in the most excruciating pain ever. Turning over in bed it was like I could feel all my insides roll from one side of my abdomen to the other. Then my neck started hurting worse than just about any other pain. Finally went to ER and they gave me a pain shot and waited a while. About 30 mins later I asked the nurse when the shot should start kicking in, and that's when she finally started showing real concern. They did some blood work and a urine test and suspected appendix. Finally wheeled me back to OR and found it had ruptured the night before. (That was that point when the pain suddenly stopped....when it ruptured).

I wound up with a horrible infection and was in the hospital for a week. The neck pain was peritonitis. I was lucky I even pulled through.