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Appendectomy... what does the recovery look like?

tkradtke

tkradtke

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We've been in the ER for 9 hours now, but we'll be moving to a room soon. My 15 year old, Clara, will be getting her appendix out in the morning.

I had one of my panic attacks when we got the news so I didn't ask as much as I should have. I'll ask more tomorrow. I got the part where she'll be out from dance and cheer for two weeks. But what about school do you think? They talked like she'd be walking out by dinner time tomorrow. But how will she feel? Any special recovery tricks we should know? Thanks!!
 
The longer you take doing nothing means that your recovery will be faster in the long run.
I haven't had this operation, but imagine caesareans are slightly tougher.
I am sure she will be booked off school for a while and then still off sports for a bit longer.
Lots of TLC and rest even when she feels like she can do stuff, often the next day catches up with you.
 
I'm no expert. I just have known a few people who had one. It will depend on what they find. I imagine they will try laprascopic and if the appendix isn't in danger of bursting they should be able to do it that way. Then it's mainly muscle soreness and getting rid of the excess air they put in her to open the area up. So the first day or two are a little sore. If they have to do an incision then it will be more. My husband had a laprascopic hernia repair and he was fine in a day or two. It was amazing. Just remind her not to push it. She'll feel good, but can easily overdo and then feel icky. Good luck. Saying a prayer.
 
oh my! glad you got her to the ER and all is OK. sounds like it was avery long night for you all. i have no experience with this - just wanted to say i hope all goes well for clara. and wish her a speedy recovery. and hope you are doing ok too mama! :) :beat
 
For her, it should be a whole lot easier since you caught it ahead of time.

When I was 17 mine ruptured (while at Disneyland for Grad Night!!) and I spent a whole week in the hospital. That was rough and can easily say that it was much worse than child birth.

It's nice that it is all laparoscopic so her incisions will be minimal (you can hardly see mine unless you are really looking). She will probably be sore and tired for a few days but being that she is young should recover rather nicely.

Hope all goes well today!! Keep us posted. :)
 
Oh boy... I have no experience, but I wish a speedy recovery for Clara and your family! I'm happy to hear that you got to the ER and it didn't rupture like Carrie's! Scary!
 
Thanks @Eyeore @carilyne @jenn mccabe, @jk703 and @carrie1977!

Thankfully it was caught in the super early stages. She doesn't even feel all that bad. Surgery will be sometime late morning/early afternoon. I've gotten a wide variety of answers this morning. But they all agree that it will be today.

I was able to ask more questions last night when we got into a room (around midnight). She'll be out of school the rest of the week. With the holiday on Monday, she'll even have some extra recovery time.

Hoping for a very uneventful rest of the day!! :-)
 
Speedy recovery for Clara.. I just remember my brother was 10 (1966) and his almost burst.. they did the normal surgery.. he was in the hospital a few days and i would presume he went back to school soon after that but not phys ed activities for a while during recovery.... at the hospital, there should be a discharge planner who she be able to advise.. also after the surgery is done, speak again with the nurse or the doctor and ask based on Clara's situation. Hope all goes smoothly :)
 
carilyne said:
Just remind her not to push it. She'll feel good, but can easily overdo and then feel icky. Good luck. Saying a prayer.
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^^this, which is good advice for any type of procedure. The problem is pain meds + a day of recovery = people thinking they can push themselves. Have her take her prescribed pain med before the pain is unmanageable for her. That's important, cuz staying on top of pain is easier than trying to "rein it back" once it's really intense.
Perhaps writing down questions to ask will help you remember to ask them, when the time comes. And good luck to your daughter! Hopefully the recovery is quick and easy!
 
I'm glad you were able to get more info. My friend had her appendix out last year and one thing she mentioned was how long she felt fatigued afterward. I think she was still feeling the effects a month after the surgery. Your daughter is younger so she may bounce back quicker but don't be surprised if she feels more tired than usual even after the acute effects of the surgery are better.
 
Yikes! I saw this on Facebook this morning. I hope that everything with the surgery goes well. I'm sure since she is so active and young she'll bounce right back. And hooray for catching it early! :)
 
The only thing that I know is that a few years ago my favorite baseball player had his appendix out, and he was back playing 2nd base within 2 weeks.
 
Surgery went really well! She kept getting bumped since she wasn't critical so her 9:15 surgery ended up being around 1:30. Like I said before, they caught it early so they could do the surgery laparoscopically. She has just three tiny incisions. Her appetite is back. And she's moving around ok.

Clara was pushing to go back to school on Friday because she misses her friends but a bunch of them are planning on coming over for a little bit tomorrow. That's helping with convincing her to stay home that day. She might be ok, but I've already called her in absent for the whole week. Might as well take advantage of it!

We're at the hospital one more night. Hopefully going home first thing in the morning. I'm desperate for a shower and my own bed! The setup here is really nice but it's just not the same as home.

Thanks so much for all of the prayers and positive thoughts!!
 
Yay! Sounds good. I was thinking of you and your daughter earlier today. Good luck keeping her home. She will survive. Glad friends are already planning a visit
 
Im so sorry to hear this! Praying for a speedy recovery!! And she listens to taking it easy until she's completly healed!
 
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