How normal is abdominal pain after appendectomy surgery?

Question

Hello doctor,

My daughter is 17 years old. She had an appendectomy a week ago and has been recovering nicely at home. I have minimal pain, no fevers, no swelling, and drain working normally. Today she woke up with severe cramping on her right side. She has not had a bowel movement yet today but has been having regular bowel movements since the surgery, but always loose. How normal is this pain?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to iclniq.com.

You have not mentioned whether your daughter had an open or a laparoscopic appendicectomy. From the history you gave, I can imagine the appendix must have been severely infected as the doctor has kept a drain postoperatively which is quite helpful to drain any remaining pus and infected fluid.

The pain might be due to many causes that need further assessment to rule out if it is just a post-operative pain which is quite normal or if it is due to sluggish bowel movement due to constipation. It is advisable to get an ultrasound abdomen to rule out any collection in the abdomen which might have caused the loose stools initially. A preliminary x-ray of the abdomen is also quite helpful to know the cause of constipation.