Can you eat after appendix surgery?
In this brief guide, we will address the query, “can you eat after appendix surgery?” We will also talk about what is appendix surgery, when you will need it and what are the risks of doing it. We will then discuss the type of foods and beverages you can eat and drink after appendix surgery, and what to avoid eating.
Can you eat after appendix surgery?
Yes, you can eat normally 24 hours after appendix surgery. However, it is important to maintain a healthy diet, so it can help you heal faster.
You may not want to eat or drink anything during the first day right after surgery because of some side effects like vomiting and diarrhea, but it’s important that you do it anyway.
What is appendix surgery?
It is a surgery done to remove the appendix. It’s called an appendectomy and it’s a very common procedure.
The appendix is a small organ connected to the large intestine whose function remains unclear. When it gets inflamed, the appendix can swell and cause severe pain. Its removal is not harmful.
There are two types of appendix surgery:
- Open appendectomy: It’s the standard method. It’s more invasive than the other option (laparoscopically). The doctor makes an incision about 2 to 4 inches long in your abdomen, and the appendix is taken out from this incision.
- Laparoscopic appendectomy: It is a less invasive method. Tiny incisions are made in your abdomen and a tube containing a camera and other tools go through that incisions to pull out the inflamed appendix.
The first type, an open appendectomy, causes less pain. However, your doctor may need to do it even after choosing the laparoscopic method if an abscess is formed around the infected appendix.
What can you eat after appendix surgery?
You can keep your normal diet after getting an appendix surgery done. However, you may probably feel a little constipated and therefore it might be a good idea to eat fibers.
Ingestion of fibrous foods will help your system digest more easily and thus facilitate your muscle activity when going to the bathroom.
Some doctors can ask you to eat only easy-to-digest foods for the first few days, like:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Rice
- Milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
When appendix surgery is needed?
You will need appendix surgery when your appendix is inflamed (a condition called appendicitis) and causing pain.
It is really important that you seek a doctor as soon as possible. Non-treated appendicitis can cause your appendix to burst or rupture, and this can lead to peritonitis.
In turn, peritonitis can cause severe complications and in more serious cases lead to death.
Can I drink alcohol after appendix surgery?
In general, you cannot drink alcohol for the first days after appendix surgery. This is because you will probably be taking narcotic painkiller drugs and/or antibiotics, and its effect can be blocked if you ingest alcohol.
Your alcohol tolerance will also be affected on the first couple days. Although appendix surgery is not a major surgery and offers minimum risks, alcohol can impair your healing process.
Some doctors suggest drinking alcohol only 7 days after surgery, but this may vary.
What are the risks of doing appendix surgery?
Some risks and complications of an appendix surgery includes:
- Bleeding;
- Prolonged ileum;
- Superficial wound infection;
- Deep wound infection;
- Blocked bowels;
- Pneumonia;
However, appendectomy is a very safe procedure and the incidence rate for these risks and possible complications are very low.
Every surgery has its risks, even the small ones. Ask your doctor about it so you can be prepared.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we addressed the query “can you eat after appendix surgery?”. We also talked about what is appendix surgery, when you will need it and what are the risks of doing it. Then we discussed the types of foods you can eat after this procedure and what to avoid eating.
We hope that this guide was useful. If you have any doubts, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Citations
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/appendectomy
https://www.claritysurgicalny.com/blog/foods-to-eat-after-appendix-surgery
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1422654/pdf/20030700s00008p59.pdf
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=92&contentid=P07686
