Discharge Instructions for Laparoscopic Appendectomy 
 
You have had your appendix removed laparoscopically.  The appendix is a worm-shaped hollow pouch attached to the beginning of your large intestine. During your procedure, the doctor made two to four small incisions. One was near your bellybutton, and the others were elsewhere on your abdomen. Through one incision, the doctor inserted a thin tube with a camera attached (called a laparoscope). Surgical tools were inserted in the other incisions. You may feel discomfort in your shoulder and chest for up to 48 hours after surgery. This is normal. It is caused by carbon dioxide (gas) used during the operation. It will go away.
 

Activity

• Resume light activities around your home as soon as possible.
• Don’t lift anything heavier than 15 pounds for 2 weeks.
• Limit sports and strenuous activities for 1 or 2 weeks.
• You may walk indoors, outdoors, up and down stairs.
• Shower as usual.
  • Gently wash around your incisions with liquid soap and water.
  • Don’t bathe or soak in a tub until your incisions are well healed.
• Wear loose-fitting clothes. This will help you be more comfortable and cause less irritation around your incisions.
• Don’t drive until you are no longer taking prescription pain medication.
• Sexual activity as tolerated.  If it starts to hurt- stop.

Diet

• Eat a bland, low-fat diet, for the first few days then expand to regular as tolerated.
• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, unless directed otherwise.
• If you are constipated, take a fiber laxative such as Metamucil.

When to Call Your Doctor
 
Call your doctor immediately if you have any of the following:

• Swelling, oozing, worsening pain, or unusual redness around the incision
• Fever of 100.5°F or higher
• Increasing abdominal pain
• Severe diarrhea, bloating, or constipation nausea or vomiting

Follow-Up
 
Make a follow-up appointment for 2 weeks after your surgery