How long after appendectomy can I do heavy work?

Appendectomy is a common surgical procedure, indicated when the appendix becomes inflamed, causing severe abdominal pain along with other gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, and fatigue. When the inflamed appendix bursts, it can lead to generalized peritonitis, sepsis and life-threatening illness. It is possible to have open surgery or laparoscopic appendectomy and depending on the surgical method, the recovery time also varies.

The appendix is ​​a small segment of intestine, located at the ileocecal angle, where the ileum and ascending colon meet. The appendix, which is about 3 to 8 cm long, is usually located in the right iliac fossa. The appendix, due to the degeneration of the first part of the cecum, usually has no function in the digestive system.
Appendicitis is a condition in which the appendix is ​​swollen, painful, fluid due to a blockage in the lumen of the appendix, leading to symptoms of severe abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal wall reaction, fever and infection, .. .. Causes of obstruction can be due to lymphoid hyperplasia or foreign bodies such as stones, feces and food,.. Inflamed appendix if not treated promptly will lead to rupture quickly.
When the appendix ruptures, the infectious agents residing in the appendix will spread throughout the abdominal cavity leading to generalized peritonitis or peritoneal infection. Patients can develop sepsis if these infectious agents spread into the bloodstream - this is a very dangerous complication, a medical emergency, the risk of multiple organ failure and possibly death for the patient. patient.
Because appendicitis progresses very quickly, from the first symptom of inflammation, it can rupture quickly within 36 hours. Therefore, emergency appendectomy should be performed as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed to avoid danger to the patient's life.

Inflammatory appendix can be surgically removed by open surgery or laparoscopic appendectomy.
Today, laparoscopic appendectomy is indicated in most cases of common inflammatory appendix, especially in elderly people who are not healthy enough to undergo open surgery, people with medical diseases such as hypertension and diabetes,...
Instead of having to make a long horizontal incision on the abdomen, the laparoscopic method only makes small incisions to put specialized instruments into the abdomen through the troca tubes. The inserted devices will help the doctor see the organs inside the abdomen through a large connected screen and can perform operations to remove the appendix as usual.
The advantages of laparoscopic appendectomy compared with open surgery can be listed as:
Smaller incision, less pain after surgery; Shorter hospital stay; Post-operative care is simpler; Gastrointestinal function is restored faster; More aesthetic; Patients return to normal activities sooner. However, in some cases, laparotomy is required when the appendix has ruptured and spread throughout the abdomen, leading to infection of the entire peritoneum, the patient has symptoms of toxic infection or when hemodynamic instability due to ruptured appendix,... At this time, open surgery not only helps to remove the appendix, but also helps to solve the infection problem. If the patient is hemodynamically impaired, both resuscitation and appendectomy are required.

Like any other surgery, after appendectomy, whether it is laparoscopic or open surgery, the patient's health is impaired, besides the postoperative wound pain has not recovered. Therefore, patients need to rest and foster to heal wounds, restore digestive functions as well as restore health before returning to work.
Usually, depending on the surgical method, the patient will stay in the hospital for 3-5 days to take care of the wound and monitor the recovery after surgery. After that, the patient can be discharged from the hospital, but need to continue to rest and receive treatment at home after this time. It is necessary to continue to closely monitor the patient's health status as well as make sure to rest and nourish the body.
Deciding when a patient can return to work depends on many factors, including: Preoperative condition, appendectomy method, postoperative recovery, patient's health and the nature of the patient's work,... In case the body recovers quickly, the nature of work is light and laparoscopic surgery is performed, the patient can return to work after 10 days of treatment. For open surgery cases, patients need to rest for at least 2-3 weeks before officially returning to work. In particular, in cases of heavy labor, the rest period should be longer to ensure health and the patient can return to work after 6-8 weeks. In the new weeks of returning to work after appendectomy, patients need to pay attention to exercise in moderation, pay attention to maintaining their health and stop immediately if they see any abnormal signs in their body.

In order for the wound to heal quickly and the body to recover quickly, the patient needs to pay attention to some of the following issues during the treatment and care after appendectomy.
Clean, change the wound dressing daily, make sure the incision is always clean and dry. Follow the doctor's instructions strictly, do not arbitrarily use anti-scar creams or any other medicine than prescribed by the doctor. In the first week after appendectomy, the patient should only eat liquid, soft, easy-to-digest foods such as porridge, soup, milk, etc. until the bowel movements and digestive function return to normal. Patients need to limit movement, do a lot of activities, especially climbing stairs, doing vigorous sports or carrying heavy loads, especially when having open surgery. Pay attention to drink a lot of water, eat a lot of green vegetables, walk gently to avoid constipation, restore bowel movements and increase blood circulation after surgery. Choose clothes that are loose, airy, comfortable, and avoid friction with the incision. People after appendectomy should not swim, go to the beach or bathe in a tub because it is easy to infect the incision. Pay attention to the symptoms of wound infection such as fever, swelling, redness, pain around the incision, symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders such as loss of appetite, stomach cramps, diarrhea, no bowel movements after more than 2 day or abdominal pain... In summary, appendicitis surgery is a common surgery, if it is treated promptly, it will bring good results to the patient. After surgery for appendicitis, patients need to pay attention to rest, ensure wound healing, and restore health before returning to work, especially heavy jobs that need to be properly treated.