Appendix recovery?

[Cserv]

Any of you guys had you appendix taken, and how long was you recoveey time?
Woke up with bad gut pain 0130 today and it stuck with me until going to work at 0630. Long story short, had an old fashioned open appendectomy this aftwrnoon. Post op pain is mild and I am walking around 5 hours after surgery. I have had coworkers say six weeks, I am saying f%$k that. I have a family and hobbies to support.lol.
What say you who have been there. Granted at 43 I am not gonna get back like at 20 butt I still heal pretty good.
Thanks.

Eric

 

[shooter1054]

I had my nice, pink, healthy appendix taken out several years ago. Mine was an unnecessary surgery. It sounds like you are miles ahead of where I was after the surgery. I know it sucks, but you are NOT 10 foot tall and bullet proof anymore. I've learned from the appendix and subsequent hernia surgery that recovery is what it is. I wish you the best and will keep you in prayers for a speedy recovery.

 

[671RTO9513]

Been there, done that at 24.

Six weeks - don't kid yourself.

 

[stoney15]

Why open? Had it ruptured. Was laprascopic not an option? Recovery would have been much faster.
Anyway listen to your Doc and take it easy, especially lifting restrictions, you don't want to end up with a hernia and have to have another operation.

 

[elfster1234]

I just went thru that bs about 5months ago. Did it burst i take it? I had mine lycroscopic or how ever you spell it and i was out 10hours later. If they had to open you up and it burst i bet well over a week maybe two.

All i know is my total bill was 24,000 dollars and my portion of payment was 3400 dollars after insurance and that was only 10hours in the hospital and mine didnt burst. I was 100% about 3weeks after

Any of you guys had you appendix taken, and how long was you recoveey time?
Woke up with bad gut pain 0130 today and it stuck with me until going to work at 0630. Long story short, had an old fashioned open appendectomy this aftwrnoon. Post op pain is mild and I am walking around 5 hours after surgery. I have had coworkers say six weeks, I am saying f%$k that. I have a family and hobbies to support.lol.
What say you who have been there. Granted at 43 I am not gonna get back like at 20 butt I still heal pretty good.
Thanks.

Eric

 

[oughtsix]

A close friend/colleague of mine had an open appendectomy a year or so ago, and yes, six weeks is an accurate picture of the recovery time. He is about 30 years old, and I didn't see him at work for several weeks. The reason he had to have it done open is, and get this, because the laproscopic surgeon doesn't work weekends. He went in on a saturday evening, so you do the math. My dad had it done laproscopically and his recovery time was still significant, although he is in relatively poor physical condition (High BP and Diabetic...)

 

[Cserv]

Why open? Had it ruptured. Was laprascopic not an option? Recovery would have been much faster.
Anyway listen to your Doc and take it easy, especially lifting restrictions, you don't want to end up with a hernia and have to have another operation.

I am a Cert. Surgical Tech. so I opted for the open. My reasoning is that laparoscopic requires three incisions, one below the belly button(about the same size as the one open incision) and two smaller incisions above and below. Plus they blow you up like a balloon withCO2 gas which has its own post op pain complications for some. So I went with one incision one pain. And no, no rupture. Just anout 6" long thickened and inflammed, also retrocecal. Which would have been more difficult lap, so it was a lucky choice too.

 

[MDM]

I'm 38 and mine ruptured 2 years ago. Pretty rough ordeal but I was climbing a tree stand 6 weeks later but had to use a crossbow that was already cocked. Mine was open type. It will take 6 weeks to get back to 80% and another month to get close to 100%. They figured mine had been ruptured for 10 days before the surgery. It was weird because I did't get sick or have much pain at all. I knew I was in trouble after the CT scan when I say the surgeon come running down the hall. He couldn't believe I was on my feet and walking around like nothing was going on after he saw what was inside me. Lol.

 

[fx77]

No heavy lifting for 6 weeks.

 

[Strykervet]

Mine was laproscopic and that was ten years ago! Two or three half inch scars, can't see 'em really as one is inside the bellybutton. They used cameras and pulled it out that way. They gave me good pain killers, it did hurt when I woke up, but it was nothing more than a mild stitch of pain or knot if I pulled to hard there. I was going on walks, 2 miles, in a day or two. I only missed one day of school.

You wanna keep that site clean. I got MRSA (hard not to in a VA hospital when you get cut open). Like pimples around the wound. That can get bad, keep it clean and if you get sores around the wound talk to the doc about antibiotics. I imagine you'd be able to walk around a bit in your home, but I doubt you'll be doing long walks for a bit due to the fact they opened you up.

Listen to your doc, he'll generally have good advice for how to get by on it. I do what I can do when I can do it, and listen to the body. Any strong sharp tugs mean stop. Don't overdo it. Your real concern is to not rip out your stitches and staples (you should have staples in the abdominal wall under the skin I imagine).

In the future, always ask if the procedure can be done laproscopically. In my case it not only cost 'em less, it was very fast and almost no scars and no complications (other than the MRSA that I beat).