Appendectomy Recovery Time

[TC Johnson]

Greetings!

It has been an interesting couple of weeks for me. After crashing on the rainy bike leg of my prime triathlon of the year, and having a terrible cramping run following, I thought things would be quiet before the Philly Livestrong ride I was to take with my son two weeks later. I had finished building up the Meivici I bought from bn70 on the forum, and was looking forward to some time on it to get used to my first Campy build before this weekend.

How wrong one can be. I had some abdominal pain on the Wednesday following my tri, but only felt really sick one day; went back to work with just the smallest amount of discomfort. Unfortunately, it never seemed to get any better, so into the doc's this Tuesday. He listened to my crash story, pushed around in my belly, then sent me in for a CT scan.

I didn't leave the hospital until Thursday, minus one abnormal and slightly perforated appendix. Prognosis is good long term, and no serious bugs to fight at this point. Unfortunately, no Livestrong Philly for me.

And now to my actual questions: Livestrong has offered to transfer my entry to the Austin Livestrong ride October 24-25. Will this be enough recovery time from the surgery (traditional incision, not laparoscopic)? For those who have ridden the Austin Challenge before, would the terrain of the Texas Hill Country be much worse than Eastern PA? How can I maximize the limited training time I would have on the back side of the healing process? It will be several days before I can even hit the stationary trainer bike.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

TC

[BumbleBeeDave]

What does your doc say? Is he or she a sports medicine doc? I would guess a regular doc might go on the conservative side and say "Don't do it" but an expert sports medicine doc might give a more realistic opinion.

Also does the Livestrong ride have sag? If you do go down there and decide you can't make it the whole way then that could be a realistic option. If I was going to one of these rides the interaction and social experience would be as important to me as the actual ride. You can still experience that even if you don't finish the whole ride.

You've got a good 8 weeks of recovery time and it sounds like you're already in real good fitness already. A ride like Livestrong where you don't have to hammer might work OK.

But remember . . . I'm NOT a doctor. I don't even play one on TV! ;)

BBD

[TC Johnson]

Thanks, BBD,

You are correct on the doctor issue, at least the surgeon who yanked my appendix. I will discuss it with him on my follow-up visit, but could also consult with a sports medicine practitioner in the interim. At age 57, it might take a little longer for recovery than a younger person, but I have been training for tri all year and finished two sprints and an Oly distance.

I believe the rides have sag support, and the event is supposed to be the top one for Livestrong, being in Lance's home town. I need to discuss an away ride with my wife, but it would be a great getaway for us together if she accompanies me.

Has anyone been on that ride? I am thinking the 65 miler would be better for me than the 90 miler.

TC

[scrubadub]

Usually 6-8 weeks for recovery but most patients seem to do fine and start getting back into their normal routine after 2-3 weeks. Since your surgery was open and not laparoscopic it may be a bit slower but not by much. Sometimes the open incision isn't much bigger than the lap incisions which makes healing up faster. Just take it easy when you start riding again and listen to your body.

Disclaimer: I am not your surgeon (nor am I board eligible/certified yet), listen at your own risk, etc.

[dekindy]

I have heard several instances where incisions did not heal properly or even opened up. Just be thankful that even though your appendix was perforated and could have been much more serious, you are okay and just take it easy and not worry about competitions for the rest of the year. Don't push your luck. You have already dodged a bullet and need to focus your efforts elsewhere for awhile. There will be more than enough competitions to satisfy your appetite when you are ready.