My 11-year old son had his appendix removed Sunday. We went to the best hospital within an hour’s drive, though quality of doctors is still a concern.
Apparently the operation was successful and uneventful; he was sent home after less than 48 hours with instructions to walk regularly (to ensure the intestine retains normal shape?) and to eat only soft foods for 30 days. The scar is about 3 cm, closed with 3 stitches.
My son is usually strong and healthy, but still stoops slightly, 4 days after surgery, to avoid pain when he walks. Also, he’s tired of eating only soft foods (and we just gave him a little bit of soft steak with instructions to chew well.)
I would be grateful for advice and explanation from medical Dopers.
TheKid had hers out a few summers ago. She was directed to walk the gas out - it was done laproscopically and they used gas in the sugery. She had aches mostly in her shoulder area from the gas. She had no problems walking by the time she left the hospital - she just walked a little slow for a week or so.
She was eating regular food within a week - thirty days seems very extreme.
I would think a call to his regular doctor would be an idea.
Thanks for the suggestion. Inconsistent medical competence is one of the big disadvantages of living in rural Thailand. We’re generally happy with a nearby public health doctor (not an M.D.), but he failed to recommend a hospital trip on two visits (though he did mention the possibility of appendicitis). He now cleans the scar once a day, and seems unconcerned.
The only nearby doctor in whom I have great personal confidence works at the same 40-minute distant hospital where my son had surgery. He’s an ear-nose-throat specialist. I do consult him on other matters, but this seems quite different from his specialty.
I’m not even sure how up-to-date the surgical procedures are here. That’s why I mentioned the incision length, hoping that might be a clue. I think my son is probably fine, but I do tend to be a worrier.
I was 11 when I had my appendix out. The stooping may be simply to avoid his guts from spilling out. I had a 4 inch scar but was mortified that they were taking the stitches out before I left the hospital- I was convinced it wasn’t healed well enough to hold closed. I walked bent over for a couple of weeks to keep the tension down no matter what my mom or doctor said. The “pain” may just be the stretching of scar or wound tissue.
Think about it, 11 is just past the need for bandaids. This is the biggest wound encountered- it’s scary for a kid and defies everything they’ve encountered regarding bandaids and blood and SIZE! It’ll pass once the scab/scar starts to look more normal.
Have they removed the stitches? Those suckers can pull like crazy and everything you do seems connected to your abdomen once it’s been cut. They always left the staples in me for a week after a surgery and it was amazing how much better I felt after they were removed.
After a laparoscopy and a couple of maybe 1" incisions, I still felt a few days later like I was going to lose my intestines when I sneezed.
I had mine removed about 10 years ago, and found out my appendix had been leaking for a few weeks before my procedure. So along with having my appendix removed, I had a mass the size of a lemon removed, as well as some of my intestine and bowel. I had an incision which was closed with about 40 staples that started just under my navel and headed about six inches due south. I had an epidural and a catheter and was in the hospital for about 8 days.
I was on solid food (sandwiches, hospital dinners and lunches) by the 7th day, so for them to say no solid food for 30 days for an uneventful appendectomy seems a bit odd to me as well.