One of the main advantages of keyhole surgery is the recovery time tends to be short and most people can leave hospital a few days after the operation.
If the appendix is operated upon promptly, most patients can go home within 24 hours. With open or complicated surgery – for example, if you have peritonitis – it may take up to a week before you're well enough to go home.
For the first few days after the operation you're likely to experience some pain and bruising. This improves over time, but you can take painkillers if necessary.