1. Expect an Easy Procedure
Your appendix is pouch shaped like a worm and located at the start of the large intestine in your lower right abdomen. If your appendix becomes infected (a condition called appendicitis), it must be removed. The good news is that this procedure doesn't affect your lifestyle. You can live just fine without the organ. Appendectomy recovery usually takes from two weeks to a month, depending on the method your surgeon uses.
2. Compare the Length of Recovery to the Length of the Incision
Your surgeon decides which type of incision is best for your situation when you have an appendectomy. An open incision (usually about 2 to 3 inches long) may require about 5 to 7 days in the hospital. Laparoscopy surgery is done with four tiny incisions (about 1 inch each), and your hospital stay may be only a couple of days. Appendectomy recovery is usually quicker with laparoscopy surgery. If your appendix ruptures, you may require a lengthy hospital stay and have tubes draining the infection (peritonitis or a general infection) from your abdomen.
3. Plan on Eating Bland
You can start eating after your appendectomy when your stomach and intestines start functioning again. You're usually up on your feet and walking within 24 hours of surgery. This helps to get things going again in your system. Your first meal will probably be clear broth, some kind of juice and gelatin. Once you can handle that meal well, and there is evidence of elimination, you may start eating regular meals again.
4. Watch for Warning Signs
You may go home in just a few days after surgery, if there are no complications. Watch for some signs of infection as your recovery continues at home. Fever, worsening pain, swelling and redness at the incision site and an incision that is warm to the touch may signal infection. Call your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.
5. Walk and Work
Appendectomy recovery is quicker and easier if you get moving, so start walking as soon as you can. Once you go home, don't slack up. Keep moving according to your doctor's instructions. With a regular, open incision, you usually may resume regular physical activity and go back to work after 3 to 4 weeks. If you have laparoscopy surgery, recovery is usually faster, and you may resume regular physical activity in 1 to 3 weeks. However, let your doctor help you to determine when you can return to full, normal activities.
