Duration of the regeneration | Appendix rupture

Duration of the regeneration

The duration of the disease varies from person to person. It depends on the general state of health of the person concerned. Older people and small children generally need longer to recover from an illness.

After an appendix rupture and subsequent complications, the duration of the disease is also longer. The doctor will put you on sick leave for about two to three weeks. You should also avoid lifting heavy things for several weeks after the operation.

How long does the hospital stay last?

After an appendectomy in which no breakthrough has yet been achieved, patients usually have to stay in hospital for another 3-5 days. After an appendix rupture or in small children, the length of stay in hospital is longer. It is between 6 and 8 days. In rare cases of very serious complications, longer hospitalisation may of course be necessary.

Child appendicitis

Appendicitis is very common in children between 4 and 12 years of age. However, appendicitis is extremely rare in infants under 2 years of age. In general, children complain of the same symptoms as adults.

However, children may have an atypical course in which the symptoms are not clear. For example, small children cannot localise the pain well or have no abdominal pain at all. Fever or diarrhoea may also occur.

This makes the diagnosis more difficult. Since children also tend to progress more quickly, appendectomies before surgery are relatively common. After an appendicitis rupture, the symptoms initially disappear before the pain reoccurs more strongly later.

This can additionally delay the therapy to the rear, as misinterpretations can occur during this period. In children, the prognosis for a rupture of the appendix is also usually good. The same therapy is used as for adults: removal of the appendix and antibiotic therapy.

During pregnancy

During pregnancy, the diagnosis of appendicitis and appendectomy is more difficult. From the 2nd trimester or the 4th month onwards, the appendix (the appendix) shifts from the right lower abdomen to the right upper abdomen due to the growth of the child in the uterus. However, pain in the right upper abdomen is also caused by inflammation of the renal pelvis or gall bladder.

Therefore, the diagnosis is not as simple and clear as for non-pregnant women. In addition, the complaints caused by appendicitis can initially be dismissed as pregnancy complaints. Even in the case of pregnancy, the treatment of appendicitis and appendicitis rupture is the fastest possible operation, as both are life-threatening for mother and child.

Although, as with any operation, there is a certain basic risk for the unborn child, this risk is very low and, in view of the danger to life posed by the appendix rupture, can be neglected. Depending on the situation, the operation can be performed open (via a larger abdominal incision) or laparoscopically (minimally invasive via three small abdominal incisions). When choosing the painkillers and antibiotics, it must of course be ensured that they do not endanger the unborn child.