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The anesthesiologist will check your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery. If your appendix has burst or ruptured, your abdomen will be washed out with salt water saline. The lining of your abdomen and your abdominal muscles will be closed with stitches. A small tube may be put in the incision to drain out fluids. A tiny incision will be made for the tube laparoscope.
More cuts may be made so that other tools can be used during surgery. Carbon dioxide gas will be used to swell up your abdomen so that your appendix and other organs can be easily seen. When the surgery is done, the laparoscope and tools will be removed. The carbon dioxide will be let out through the cuts. A small tube may be placed in the cut to drain out fluids. After surgery, you will be taken to the recovery room.
Your healthcare team will watch your vital signs, such as your heart rate and breathing. Your recovery will depend on the type of surgery that was done and the type of anesthesia you had. Once your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing are stable and you are awake and alert, you will be taken to your hospital room. A laparoscopic appendectomy may be done on an outpatient basis. In this case, you may be discharged and sent home from the recovery room.
You will have pain medicine as needed. This may be by prescription or from a nurse. Or you may give it to yourself through a device connected to your IV intravenous line. You may have a thin plastic tube that goes through your nose into your stomach. This is used to remove stomach fluids and air that you swallow.
The tube will be taken out when your bowels are working normally. You will not be able to eat or drink until the tube is removed. You will be asked to get out of bed a few hours after a laparoscopic surgery or by the next day after an open surgery.
You may be allowed to drink liquids a few hours after surgery. A 'tummy tuck', or abdominoplasty, is cosmetic surgery to remove fat and excess loose skin from the abdomen. Most people can resume normal activities around three weeks after an arthroscopy. IVF in-vitro-fertilization and ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection are assisted reproductive treatment ART procedures in which fertilisation of an egg occurs outside the body.
A handful of non-urgent elective surgical procedures have been found to have limited benefits, except in very specific circumstances. People with coronary heart disease talk about the medical procedures that followed their heart attack and diagnosis. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.
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The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. Home Surgery. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Problems associated with appendicitis Medical issues to consider Appendectomy procedure Immediately after appendectomy Medical treatment for peritonitis Complications of appendectomy Taking care of yourself at home after appendectomy Long-term outlook after appendectomy Where to get help Things to remember.
Problems associated with appendicitis Appendicitis occurs when the appendix is blocked and becomes infected due to an invasion of intestinal bacteria. There is no single cause, but appendicitis may be due to: A bowel adhesion Swelling of the lymphatic tissue of the appendix due to a viral infection A foreign body A faecalith a small, hard mass of faeces , which causes blockage, inflammation and infection.
Medical issues to consider Once in hospital, your temperature, pulse, breathing pattern and blood pressure will be charted. Appendectomy procedure The two main surgical techniques include open and laparoscopic appendectomy.
These involve: Open appendectomy — an incision is made through the skin, the underlying tissue and the abdominal wall in order to access the appendix.
A gas is gently pumped into the abdominal cavity to separate the abdominal wall from the organs. You may drive when you are no longer taking pain medicine and can quickly move your foot from the gas pedal to the brake. You must also be able to sit comfortably for a long period of time, even if you do not plan on going far. You might get caught in traffic.
You will probably be able to go back to work in 1 to 3 weeks. If you had an open surgery, it may take 3 to 4 weeks. Your doctor will tell you when you can have sex again. You can eat your normal diet. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt. Drink plenty of fluids unless your doctor tells you not to. You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common.
Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre supplement every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.
Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. He or she will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines. If you take aspirin or some other blood thinner, ask your doctor if and when to start taking it again.
Make sure that you understand exactly what your doctor wants you to do. If your appendix ruptured, you will need to take antibiotics. Take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics. Take pain medicines exactly as directed. If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, take an over-the-counter medicine such as acetaminophen Tylenol , ibuprofen Advil, Motrin , or naproxen Aleve. Read and follow all instructions on the label. Do not take two or more pain medicines at the same time unless the doctor told you to.
Many pain medicines have acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Too much Tylenol can be harmful. If you think your pain medicine is making you sick to your stomach: Take your medicine after meals unless your doctor has told you not to. Ask your doctor for a different pain medicine.
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