What can you eat with acute appendicitis?

Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
Updated on May 12, 2025
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During an acute appendicitis attack, you must not eat or drink anything, and it's important to choose surgical treatment actively. Currently, laparoscopic appendectomy is commonly used. This method leads to less bleeding during surgery and quicker recovery afterward. In the postoperative recovery period, you can gradually eat some liquid foods such as rice soup, vegetable soup, and egg custard. Normal diet can be resumed after three days post-surgery, and eating nutritionally rich foods can help speed up recovery and improve physical condition. Regular care is required for the surgical incision, and stitches can generally be removed about a week later.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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What is acute appendicitis?

Acute appendicitis refers to the acute inflammation occurring in the lumen of the appendix, which is caused by the narrowing or blockage and subsequent infection of the lumen. The primary symptom is abdominal tenderness and rebound pain, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and fever. During the acute phase, blood tests often show an elevated white blood cell count. The main treatment is surgical removal of the appendix, with laparoscopic appendectomy being the commonly used method. This is also a minimally invasive approach to appendicitis treatment. Postoperative care is important, and it is advised to fast on the day of the surgery. Once gas passes through the rectum, a liquid diet may be resumed.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Causes of Acute Appendicitis

The causes of acute appendicitis mainly include two types: one is the obstruction of the appendiceal lumen, and the other is infection within the appendiceal lumen. The appendix is a tube that communicates with the cecum. If it is blocked by fecoliths or fecal masses, it can lead to increased pressure inside the appendiceal lumen, damage to the mucosa, and bacterial invasion causing infection, which directly leads to acute inflammation. At the same time, gastrointestinal dysfunction can also cause spasm of appendix muscles and blood vessels, leading to blood supply disturbances. Irregular lifestyle habits, overeating, and engaging in vigorous activities after meals can all trigger acute appendicitis.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
43sec home-news-image

What can you eat with acute appendicitis?

During an acute appendicitis attack, you must not eat or drink anything, and it's important to choose surgical treatment actively. Currently, laparoscopic appendectomy is commonly used. This method leads to less bleeding during surgery and quicker recovery afterward. In the postoperative recovery period, you can gradually eat some liquid foods such as rice soup, vegetable soup, and egg custard. Normal diet can be resumed after three days post-surgery, and eating nutritionally rich foods can help speed up recovery and improve physical condition. Regular care is required for the surgical incision, and stitches can generally be removed about a week later.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Anesthesia methods for acute appendicitis

The anesthesia method for acute appendicitis is related to the type of surgical treatment. If laparoscopic appendectomy is chosen, general anesthesia is usually required. If a traditional McBurney point incision is used for appendectomy, spinal anesthesia is primarily chosen. Additionally, after anesthesia, gastrointestinal function will be somewhat restricted. Until there is no gas or bowel movement from the rectum, patients should not eat after surgery. Only when the rectum starts to pass gas, indicating that gastrointestinal function is beginning to recover, can the patient begin to consume soft foods.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
47sec home-news-image

Early symptoms of acute appendicitis

The symptoms of the early stage of acute appendicitis primarily include vague abdominal pain, initially across the abdomen, then transitioning around the belly button, and after several hours, shifting to the lower right abdomen where the pain becomes localized. The early symptoms of acute appendicitis are not typically distinctive, with the onset being quite sudden, accompanied by severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever. Based on these typical clinical manifestations, diagnosing acute appendicitis is not difficult. Clinically, the main treatment is the surgical removal of the appendix, with laparoscopic appendectomy being the more common practice nowadays. This method involves less bleeding during the operation and a quicker post-operative recovery.