What should I expect from laparoscopic appendectomy on a previously ruptured appendix?

A lap is totally appropriate for this. Virtually anyone who's had an appendectomy in the last whatever number of years has had lap surgery. My ruptured appendix was removed via a lap. The recovery is so much faster. I had no food restrictions after I was released, was walking hunched over 3 days later, was walking the dog hunched over 4 days later, and was fine for all activity within a couple of weeks. a lot of how active you feel like being has to do with how fast your incision heals.

Has anyone had a laparoscopic appendectomy? Yes! I simultaneously had appendicitis, which had in my case felt like getting stabbed several times a day, and problems with ovarian cysts. When I went to the ER in tremendous pain late one night, an intern poked at my abdomen until he ruptured a cyst, initiating internal hemorrhaging. Emergency surgery time! How did you feel afterward? So, so, so much better, I can't even tell you. They give you good drugs to take care of the pain--which is absolutely nothing compared to being sick beforehand. I remember feeling like I was cleaner afterwards. I know that sounds weird, and maybe I'm completely wrong, but I attribute it to a lot of the bacteria being gone that were making me feel awful and draggy. Did your diet had to change? Not at all. How long did it take to do more strenuous physical activities (i.e. cycling)? I was never really into that, so I can't say. In summary, I concur with other posters that laparoscopic surgery is totally, totally cake. I had another one several years later, also no problem.

You need to have this surgery. These people know what they are talking about. Also, this type of surgery (laparoscopic) is cake. I had my gall bladder taken out this way about a year ago on a Tuesday morning and was back to work the following Monday. > Couldn't be, he said, because too many days have passed. And in saying this was he implying that it couldn't be because others may have died after waiting this long?

I admit I failed miserably at seeing this one coming. But in my defense, I am a 31 yo, healthy woman who hasn't had anything like this before. I am tough and obviously have some pain tolerance. Everyone around me was sick and to make things worse, they too, said that they had horrible abdominal pain, their symptoms were pretty much the same as mine. What was I supposed to think? I don't have insurance, my job doesn't offer one single benefit and I don't make a lot. I wish I was in a different situation at the moment, but that's what it was, I didn't want to walk into the ER and have a 2k bill for something like stomach flu. Unfortunately I "make too much" to qualify for any assistance, although in reality I really don't make that much. It is my first surgery. I don't know what to expect. I'd like some recommendations/advice in recovery from anyone who has had this type of procedure before, diets that helped them recover, exercises, etc.

Couldn't be, he said, because too many days have passed. And in saying this was he implying that it couldn't be because others may have died after waiting this long? Yes. :(

I worry that laparoscopic may not be appropriate although the surgeon says it is. Speak with the doctor or staff, but the typical route is that if they get in there and the surgery can't be done via scope it will be done open. You really would prefer the laparoscopic. Otherwise, it's a fairly standard procedure. Recovery time is a few days to get back to functional and a couple of weeks to be 100%. The open appendectomy will be a few extra days to be functional and a few extra weeks to be 100%. Odds are you will start feeling much better as soon as it's out; this is one of the awesomely weird things about appendectomies.

Thank you for your answers! :) I am not in the best shape of my life anymore, but I am quite active, I bike to work (well, not since all this started as it is 2 miles up a steep hill) I cycle most of the week, I walk, I run and I swim. Although this issue in the past couple of months have slowed all that. I am in the dreaded 10-15 lbs over what I should weight which bothers me much. All I hope is that I can get back to normal soon after the surgery, to start exercising again, and most importantly because I had a very special 150 mile bike ride and a 5k planned in October 15th and would hate to miss it, this was going to be a huge personal challenge. The diet question comes because while I was in the hospital I was given a low-fat, very low-carb, high protein diet to follow until surgery, that's what I have been doing ever since. The sugars from carbs can promote bacterial growth and the fats are not easy to digest. The doctor told me I could eat what I wanted and craved on occasion too, since it took a couple of weeks to get any appetite back after taking the antibiotics and lost about 15 lbs while hospitalized (yay?). I have tried to just stick to this diet and not take chances. On the times I have eaten "bad" (pizza, pasta, breads) I have felt awful, achy, bloated. I love rice and that's one of the things I really have to limit myself with. I'd love to eat some indian food soon!

One thing that people don't always expect after laproscopic surgery is that their shoulders hurt. The reason why is that they fill your abdomen with air (maybe carbon dioxide?) to kind of "inflate" everything and give them room to work and see what they are doing. Not all of the air actually comes back out of the lap incisions, and for some reason it heads north and winds up making your shoulders hurt. My sister had this when her gallbladder was taken out and she thought she had somehow strained her shoulder while in the hospital. Turns out it was the air being "outgassed" (or whatever the term is for it). So don't freak out if your shoulders hurt...ask the nurses about it to be sure. Sister didn't have to do anything special about it, but I think moving around helped work it all out.

I had a laproscopic appendectomy 6 years ago, at age 20. I am/was also a very active female. Right after the surgery, I spent 1.5 days in the hospital. Then I spent 2-3 days in a hotel room (since i was living in a dorm) with my mom taking care of me. It took me about a month to get back to my normal active self, but most pain completely stopped 2.5ish weeks after the surgery. I had zero diet restrictions, but my appendix didn't burst.