How long do I need to rest after appendectomy surgery?

The appendix is ​​an organ in our body, and everyone thinks it is an insignificant part. Many people have it removed directly by surgery due to inflammation, and removal does not have much impact on the body. However, how long does it take to rest after appendectomy surgery? Generally, when suffering from acute appendicitis, surgery is chosen to remove it. Nowadays, it is a minimally invasive surgery, so recovery is much faster than before, and it only takes about a week, but it is best to rest for a few more days.

1. How long should I rest after appendectomy surgery?

Patients with acute appendicitis cannot eat if they have not passed gas within 3 days after surgery. This must be taken seriously by the accompanying personnel. Some patients' families think that they should give the patients a lot of supplements after surgery. For patients with acute appendicitis, allowing them to eat if they have not passed gas after surgery will definitely aggravate their condition and affect their recovery.

If conditions permit, it is best for the patient to rest for 15 days and return to work after the wound has healed better. During the wound healing process, the patient must always pay attention to the wound, and it is best to exercise, stand up, and turn sideways slowly to avoid wound cracking and delay healing time.

Although patients can return to normal work about 15 days after surgery, they must pay attention to their diet, avoid long-term overwork and overtime, chew slowly, and try to eat soft food, which will be more conducive to better recovery.

2. Causes of appendicitis

Acute appendicitis

The obstructed appendix is ​​a long and thin tube that is connected to the cecum at only one end. Once obstructed, secretions may accumulate in the lumen, increasing the internal pressure and compressing the appendix wall, hindering distal blood supply. On this basis, bacteria in the lumen invade the damaged mucosa and easily cause infection.

The main cause of infection is direct infection caused by bacteria in the appendix cavity. If the appendix mucosa is slightly damaged, bacteria will invade the wall of the tube and cause infection of varying degrees.

Other factors believed to be related to the onset of the disease include visceral nerve reflexes caused by gastrointestinal dysfunction such as diarrhea and constipation, which lead to spasms of the appendix muscles and blood vessels, resulting in stenosis of the appendix lumen, blood supply disorders, mucosal damage, and bacterial invasion, leading to acute inflammation.

Chronic appendicitis

Clinically, it can be roughly divided into two categories: recurrent appendicitis and chronic appendicitis. The former is mostly caused by the failure to completely eliminate the residual infection during the acute appendicitis attack, resulting in the prolonged illness. The latter has no history of acute appendicitis, the symptoms are obscure, and the signs are often unclear.

3. How to check for appendicitis

Complete blood test

Patients with acute appendicitis have an increased white blood cell count. Generally between (10～15)×109/L. As inflammation worsens, the white blood cell count increases and may even exceed 20×109/L. However, the white blood cell count may not necessarily increase in elderly, weak or immunosuppressed patients. As the number of white blood cells increases, the number of neutrophils also increases. The two often appear at the same time, but there are also cases where only the neutrophil count increases significantly, which is equally important.

Urinalysis

Occasionally, the distal end of the appendix may become inflamed and adhere to the ureter or bladder, and a small amount of red and white blood cells may appear in the urine.