Training & Nutrition - appendoctomy

hey boys and girls, i just found out that my appendix burst last week, i suppose my pain threshold is quite high, i did the Carlsbad Weds ride with it like that and felt okay(ish) over 100 miles. I checked in with the docs because i felt nauseous and not hungry even after such a long ride. Anyway they are giving me antibiotics and stuff to reduce the swelling and will operate in 8 weeks when i get back home to the UK (where state healthcare exists).

NOw i was wondering if anyone has had a lapiscopular appendoctomy and how long their recovery time was, i NEED some results by the end of the season to get with a team next year. If i get it done in august how long will i be off the bike for? have heard anything from 3 days to 3 weeks. It's basically a keyhole cut so i can't see that there will be too much muscle damage from the op itself but im not sure how long the healing process will take.
thanks for your help
james

James, plan for 3 weeks and then if you get back at it in 1 you will be relieved. Each case is different. Good luck. My only concern about state health care is that you usually get what you pay for!

James, plan for 3 weeks and then if you get back at it in 1 you will be relieved. Each case is different. Good luck. My only concern about state health care is that you usually get what you pay for!

that's true but when i can't afford to pay for nay healthcare here so it beats that!

just had my appendix out, laparoscopically. total bill: just under $100,000. total insurance coverage: $0 (in probationary period at new job, low-income to begin with). thank your lucky stars for state health care.

mine hadn't burst. I actually had recurrent bouts of pain over a year that turned out to be an abscessed appendix. surgeon said gangrenous, but that sounds exaggerated. anyway, surgery went fine, but I had complications (an ileus, which is more common than they would have you believe) that kept me from eating anything for about 10 days afterward. Lost 15 lbs (9% of body weight), was allowed back on the bike in 2 weeks, but no heavy lifting or anything really strenuous for 4. I thought I'd never gain the weight back, but it only took 2 weeks of eating lots of milkshakes and hitting the gym before I felt like I was back where I was before the surgery. not eating for a couple weeks is an easy way to shed body fat. :)

regardless, you're rather lucky to be doing so well with an appendix that actually ruptured. if it were just the surgery, w/o complications, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal for me.

ouch 100k! it might just be cheaper to move to Europe!

Can you explain what the complication was?

I had an ileus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileus). apparently, it is not uncommon for the digestive tract (specifically the intestines) to have trouble starting to work again after abdominal surgery. I ate just fine the

the day after surgery, I felt good, and went home. But my appetite vanished thereafter, and my intestines were not passing anything, even gas. Thankfully, it wasn't a mechanical obstruction or anything, which would have likely required more surgery. It did however, require me to be NPO in the hospital for several days and on IV fluids and antibiotics. This was after not eating much of anything and vomiting and diarrhea for a few days. So, I was without adequate nutrition for over a week.

In the end, everything's fine and seemingly back to normal, though it did take a couple of months for my digestion and the lot to return to my norm. I guess the nerves sometime take some damage during surgery, or have a hard time recovering from anesthesia. Gut motility is a very good thing.