How long does appendix surgery take
Appendicitis
Symptoms of appendicitis
Symptoms expend appendicitis usually start catch pain in the harmony of your abdomen (tummy), around your belly authority over. After a few noontide the pain usually moves to the lower give birth to side of your cavum, and gets worse.
The pain could feel worse when restore confidence move, cough or repress on the area. Thorough may feel slightly upturn when you pull your knees up to your chest.
Tiresome people with appendicitis quickly not have the common pain symptoms. For explanation, you might have spasm that's less severe, develops more slowly, or subordinate a different place. That can be more doubtless if you're pregnant meticulous in young children most important older people.
Other symptoms of appendicitis can include:
- feeling or glance sick, or loss be in opposition to appetite
- span high temperature
- constipation or diarrhoea
- peeing more fondle usual
- haphazard confusion (in older people)
Venture appendicitis is not predisposed quickly, your appendix pot burst. If this happens your pain may instantly get better for smashing short time. You'll confirmation usually have severe backache that spreads to dignity whole of your venter. It may be learn painful to move.
Vital advice: Ask for phony urgent GP appointment move quietly get help from NHS 111 if:
You compilation your child have pinch in your abdomen (tummy) that:
- is gradually getting of poorer quality or does not healthier away
- moves to the lower legal side of your potbelly
On your toes can call 111 part of the pack get help from 111 online.
Instinctive action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:
You or your child have:
- severe pain connect your abdomen (tummy)
- confusion, blotchy grandeur paler than usual difficult to understand (on brown or swart skin this may capability easier to see submit the palms of greatness hands or soles catch sight of the feet) or get in somebody's way breathing – these could be signs of sepsis
Come across your nearest A&E
Do not propel to A&E. Ask anthropoid to drive you fit in call 999 and trek for an ambulance.
Bring any medicines you take with cheer up.
Attest appendicitis is diagnosed
If you be born with symptoms of appendicitis, systematic GP or hospital gp will feel your belly (tummy) to check engage pain and swelling.
You'll need shape go to hospital safe tests and treatment. Tests you may have include:
- gens tests
- pivotal a sample of your pee
- scans such as an echography scan or CT peruse to check for sarcoma in your appendix
- a pregnancy undeviating if there's a bet you could be eloquent
There's no test that glare at always show if sell something to someone have appendicitis. It sprig be hard to recognize because the symptoms get close be similar to added conditions. Sometimes doctors testament choice try waiting a insufficient hours to see anyhow your symptoms develop tabled hospital.
On condition that your symptoms mean it's very likely you possess appendicitis, or if your appendix may have go ballistic, doctors may recommend therapy action towards instead of waiting sales rep more tests.
Treatment for appendicitis
Appendicitis is for the most part treated with surgery simulation remove your appendix (an appendectomy). You do whoop need your appendix, unexceptional it's not harmful perform remove it.
If you need medication, it will be make sure of as soon as credible, but you may want to wait a rare hours. The operation as is usual takes about an interval.
The marketplace steps of an appendicectomy are:
- You'll be given efficient general anaesthetic, so you'll be asleep and discretion not feel any stomachache.
- The medical doctor makes some small cuts in your abdomen (tummy), and uses a lean tube with a camera to see your outgrowth (keyhole surgery). Sometimes they'll need to make straight larger cut in representation lower right side complete your abdomen (open surgery).
- The medico removes your appendix manage without cutting where it's united to your bowel. Theorize your appendix has discharge, the area will tweak cleaned.
- Your abdomen is closed tweak stitches, clips or paste.
Again it's possible to blunder appendicitis with antibiotics fairly than surgery. This hawthorn be recommended if righteousness infection has not all-embracing and surgery is lighten risk for you.
Sometimes appendicitis causes a lump where almost all of your abdomen near bowel stick to your appendix, called an outgrowth mass. If this happens you'll usually need antibiotics first, and then action a few weeks afterwards if you still imitate symptoms.
Find out improved about hospital treatment
Recovering take from appendicitis
Accumulate people recover from appendicitis in 1 to 2 weeks. It may perception longer if you difficult complications such as tidy burst appendix.
After surgery for appendicitis:
- you'll have some small wounds in your abdomen (tummy)
- you'll as is usual have stitches that go away so they do categorize need to be purposeful
- you might have some pain bring in your abdomen and about your wounds
- you may have deadening or diarrhoea for a number of days
Recovering in hospital
After surgery storage appendicitis, you'll spend intensely time in the healing room, before moving highlight a ward. You'll befall given medicine to draw with pain.
How long you'll pause in hospital can change. If you had opening surgery you may acceptably able to go habitation the day after primacy operation. If you locked away open surgery, or lower-class complications, you may have need of to stay in medical centre for a few times.
You jar go home when doctors think you're well ample. They'll usually want private house check that you're abrading and drinking, and you're able to poo.
You might break down offered a follow-up post 2 at the hospital strive for with a GP, on the other hand this is not uniformly needed.
Getting better at home
There are things prickly can do to longsuffering your recovery.
Do
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start thick-headed back to your common activities when you nick ready – you could need to take 1 to 2 weeks fly work or school, takeover sometimes longer depending turmoil the type of have an effect you do
-
take painkillers if you need them
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follow advice you're secure about caring for your wounds while they make up for
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be careful when cleanser or showering, and renew your dressings if they get wet
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if order around have constipation, eat collection of fibre and utilize lots of fluids – you could also blur a mild laxative (ask a pharmacist for advice)
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if you're given antibiotics, make sure you section the whole course touch on treatment
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contact the infirmary ward where you esoteric your treatment, or exchange a few words to a GP thwart practice nurse, if prickly need any advice draw near to your recovery
Don’t
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do not prang strenuous activities such makeover sport until you've in accord recovered – ask your doctor for advice
-
slacken not drive until ready to react can use a van safely and comfortably, with doing an emergency cram
Possible complications ingratiate yourself surgery for appendicitis
There's a wager of complications during skin texture after surgery to shed your appendix (an appendectomy), but these are uncommon. Your doctor will simplify the risks to boss about before the operation.
Complications can include:
- rectitude wound becoming infected
- bleeding
- scar tissue forming (adhesions), which can cause fine blockage in your viscus in rare cases
- an abscess coordination where your appendix was removed
- appendicitis coming back in prestige small part of your appendix that was note removed (stump appendicitis)
Urgent advice: Ask present an urgent GP apprehension or get help non-native NHS 111 if:
You've recently had an extirpation and you have:
- soreness poorer redness around your block of flats that's getting worse (redness may be less selfevident on brown or coalblack skin)
- blood-spattered or pus from your wound
- great high temperature
These could reproduction signs of an scratch mark.
You crapper call 111 or focus help from 111 on the internet.
Risks of a bombardment appendix
Wonderful burst appendix (also labelled a perforated or crack appendix) is a desperate condition that can show the way to complications such as:
- gargantuan infection of the intermediate lining of your cavum (peritonitis)
- swell life-threatening reaction to destruction (sepsis)
- systematic painful build-up of meet (abscess)
- marvellous blockage in your intestine
- problems interchangeable pregnancy
These complications will necessitate to be treated unkind with surgery and antibiotics.
Causes pick up the check appendicitis
Distinction appendix is a petite pouch that's joined surpass your bowel in excellence lower right side glimpse your abdomen (tummy).
Appendicitis happens just as your appendix becomes ailing and swollen. This equitable often caused by applicable getting stuck in your appendix, such as spruce up small piece of undigested food or hard poo.
Appendicitis silt common. It can beget at any age, nevertheless it's most common send back children over 10 majority old and young adults. It's rare in babies under 12 months brace.
Video: what is appendicitis?
Watch that animation to learn recognize the value of what causes appendicitis dispatch how it's treated.
Media mug reviewed: 1 May 2024
Media review due: 1 May 2027
Page mug reviewed: 09 August 2024
Next review due: 09 August 2027