Appendix??

Question

Has anyone ever had their appendix out? If so, where are your scars situated, how many do you have and how long did your recovery take? Thanks.

Answer 1

my "recpvery" took about 6 weks. no vaccuming...no heavy lifting, and so on. my scar has become a LOT less un-noticeable, but its still there. unfortunatley, for women who were the belly shirts, if your apendix is taken out, the scar will show. it will show up on the bottom right side of your stomach about 3inches or 4inches up from the pant line...

the staples coem out after about a week....the only permanent damage is the area below the scar looses feeling...

so its allways weird if i touch it or some one touches is because theres no feeling there.

its a relativily easy surgery, you just have to make sure for about 6 weeks your not lifting anythign big, or running or vaccuming or so on....or you will split the opening again and thats no fun (trust me i know lol)

its not to bad of a scar....im sure some of that scar cream would make it go away...i just dont bother with it.

gl!

Answer 2

Incision

McBurney incision- small incision that runs diagonally on the abdominal wall in the right lower quadrant (i.e., parallel to the edge of the external oblique muscle or in the direction running from the hip bone to the pubic bone.)

Rocky-Davis incision- small incision that runs horizontally on the abdominal wall in the right lower quadrant

Midline incision- this is sometimes done is the patient is obese or if the surgeon is anticipating the need for a formal resection of the terminal ileum and cecum (i.e., if the appendix has ruptured at the base)

Surgical Details of Procedure

1. Skin incision is made with a knife.

2. Bovie electrocautery is used to dissect through subcutaneous tissue and control small skin bleeding.

3. The aponeurosis (muscle sheath) of the outer layer of the external oblique muscle is visualized and split by a small incision with a knife and then further opened along the direction of the fibers with a scissors or the Bovie.

4. The muscle belly of the external oblique is then bluntly retracted (but not cut) using the classic muscle splitting technique via a hemostat or Kelly clamp until the aponeurosis of the internal oblique is visualized.

5. The aponeurosis of the internal oblique is split in a similar manner as the external oblique.

6. The muscle belly of the internal oblique is bluntly retracted in a similar manner as the external oblique until the peritoneum is visualized.

7. The peritoneum is grasped on either side by two forceps, pulled up and into the wound, and palpated to insure there is no bowel caught in the fold of the peritoneum.

8. The peritoneum is opened with a small incision using either a knife or scissors.

9. The peritoneal fluid is immediately inspected for amount and prurulence and cultures are taken.

10. The opening in the peritoneum is widened and two hand-held retractors are placed to expose the cecal area.

11. Manual and visual exploration for the appendix is performed by locating the convergence of the cecum and the terminal ileum.

12. The appendix is delivered up into the wound either by digitally "flipping it up" or be grasping the base with a Alice or Babcock and applying traction to allow dissection of any adhesions holding it in the abdominal cavity.

13. The entire appendix is inspected with close attention to the base to insure that the area of rupture is sufficiently distant from the base to allow a margin of healthy tissue.

14. If the base of the appendix is involved in the rupture a limited right hemicolectomy is done (see right hemicolectomy).

15. If the base of the appendix is not involved, the mesoappendix or mesentery of the appendix is divided, cross-clamped with Kelly clamps or hemostats and tied with 2-0 or 3-0 silk usually.

16. When the appendix has been isolated from the mesoappendix, the appendix proximal to the rupture is crushed with a straight clamp.

17. Two chromic ties are then placed on the area of crushed appendix.

18. The appendix is then resected off the stump distal to the ties using a knife.

19. The exposed mucosa is then ablated by the Bovie cautery.

20. Some surgeons then prefer to "dunk" the tied-off appendiceal stump by placing a running pursestring suture around the stump.

21. The intraabdominal area is inspected for bleeding and pockets of remaining infection.

22. Most surgeons will irrigate the abdominal cavity with saline solution or antibiotic-containing saline solution.

23. The edges of the peritoeum are reapproximated using a running 3-0 or 4-0 Vicryl suture.

24. The edges of the internal oblique aponeurosis are reapproximated using a 1-0 or 2-0 Vicryl suture.

25. The edges of the external oblique aponeurosis are likewise reapproximated.

26. The superficial wound is irrigated.

27. If the appendix has ruptured and there was frank pus, many surgeons will leave the subcutaneous tissue and skin open to heal by secondary intention.

28. If the appendicitis was in the early stages or was normal the subcutaneous tissue can be closed at the level of Scarpa's fascia with interrupted or running 2-0 Vicryl suture.

29. The skin is closed with staples, interrupted Nylon sutures, or a subcuticular absorbably suture such as Monocryl

Postoperative Course

Non-ruptured appendicitis - if the procedure was done through a relatively small right lower incision, recovery is usually rapid with patients starting oral feeds and being discharged from the hospital in 1-2 days. If the incision is a larger right lower quadrant incision or a midline incision, recovery is delayed and the hospital course is lengthened by several days.

Ruptured appendicitis - even in the age of modern antibiotics a ruptured appendix is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. If peritonitis is present, it may take the bowel several days to have a return of function and a 2-3 day stay is not unusual, although many patients recover quickly and can be discharged sooner.

Complications

Superficial wound infection - this is a risk with all surgical incisions and is increased if the skin edges are closed in the setting of late appendicitis or rupture.

Intraperitoneal abscess - this is fortunately unusual but can complicate up to 10% of cases of ruptured appendicitis.

Other - as with all surgeries there is always a risk of blood clots, pulmonary embolism, stroke, heart attack, and death.

Answer 3

I had my appendix out many moons ago. Didn't take long for recovery but I have a 7" scar which was prominent at first but now you can barely see

Answer 4

i had my appendix taken out two weeks ago. I had a surgery called laproscopy. I have three incisions; one on my belly-button, one to the right of the belly-button, and one above the pubic hair line. The largest one is about 1/2 inch long. The incisions are glued instead of stitched or stapled. I stayed overnight in the hospital. I was on a liquid diet for about a day; mostly eating jello. I was healing fast i was walking around the next day, very slowly though. Two days after the surgery i was able to eat solid food.
It has been two weeks now and im doing great! The doctors do not want you to be doing any very active as in participating in any type of sport or other physical activities.

Here are some links about laparoscopy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laparoscopic_surgery
http://www.laparoscopy.com/
http://www.laparoscopyhospital.com/frequently_asked_question_about_appendicitis.htm

Answer 5

My scar is right down the middle of my stomach, and I have another small one at the very base of my stomach on the right hand side. My recovery took several months. I was in hospital three weeks. But, and this is a big but, I had all sorts of other stuff going on as well so it was an extraordinary operation. My sis had hers out, has a barely noticeable scar on the right side of her stomach, and took a couple of weeks to recover. Her operation was what is normal. Mine happened over 40 yrs ago in the stone age of medicine. These days I believe they have you in and out in a matter of days.

Answer 6

My son had his appendix out several years ago. It was not a big scar. He recovered in a few days. It was worth it, because he was in a lot of pain for a few days, because he didn't know what it was.

Answer 7

my brother had it
5 cm scar at the right side of the bottom of abdomen
disappear in few weeks