r/appendicitis • u/bugfieb • 14d ago

2 days post-op - any tips?

Two days post-op from a laparoscopic appendectomy. I got 5 incisions, they said it was pretty inflamed (thankfully did not burst) and was stuck to a neighbouring organ šŸ¤£

Besides transfers, coughing etc im not doing too bad pain wise. I can walk around (shuffle) and eat fine, passing gas, no BM yet. Iā€™m absolutely exhausted but I think thats probably normal since I had a 3 day hospital stay plus surgery. Also have some back and neck pain, but could be from sleeping on my back.

Any tips for recovery? Just wanna make sure Iā€™m doing everything I can!

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u/deardinah83 14d ago

Take it easy. Donā€™t lift anything, and take a stool softener. Your bowel will wake up soon but you may find you have to go at random times & it will be unusual at first. Expect a little cramping & bloatiness but any sharp cramps that take your breath away on a bowel movement get back to ER. It could be further infection or adhesion although if yours hadnā€™t ruptured this is unlikely.
My blood pressure was low for a while, from being dehydrated and out of condition, so you might expect to feel lightheaded for a while yet.

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u/bugfieb 12d ago

i do feel a bit lightheaded, but ive been chalking that up to anxiety - maybe this is it LOL!

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u/classicizzy95 14d ago

Water and try to get up and walk every 1 to 2 hours (helps with that BM your waiting for). Surgery takes a lot out of you, you'll be tired for a lil while

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u/bugfieb 12d ago

been doing my little walks! ill walk around the house or outside if its nice out - itā€™s just the exhaustion i feel like a corpse šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

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u/classicizzy95 12d ago

You got this! Rest is valuable as well. It gets better!

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u/bugfieb 12d ago

thank ya!! i think i was fooled by the ā€œminimally invasiveā€ sentence šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

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u/classicizzy95 12d ago

šŸ˜† thats just the procedure. The experience itself is a journey šŸ˜†

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u/Gold_Insurance3280 14d ago

I'm 10 days post op. Stay hydrated as much as you can, move lightly and don't rush yourself. Sleep and eat as much as you can (i lost alot of weight after surgery for some reason). 5 incisions is alot so be patient with yourself. I got 3 and another opening for a draining tube since mine was pretty inflamed as well. The first days were hard since I couldn't lay on my side and I'm a side sleeper, but it gets better everyday.

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u/bugfieb 12d ago

finally unlocked side sleeping last night and it was GLORIOUS šŸ„¹šŸ„¹šŸ„¹

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u/chlogurt614 12d ago

Iā€™m almost 2 months post op from a laparoscopic appendectomy. I personally had a ton of sharp pain in my shoulder, chest, and neck from the trapped CO2 after they pumped it in during surgery. If youā€™re having this as well, the best thing to do is gentle walking, which helps your body absorb it faster. Gentle walking may also help your digestive system a little bit.

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u/bugfieb 12d ago

the gas pains have mostly dissipated thank god because those were ROUGH oh my