What is the recovery time after surgery for diverticulitis?

Depends: I have some patients playing golf in 2 weeks, some still call for pain meds after 4 weeks. In general, uncomplicated laparoscopic resection in the younger, healthier patients will yield the most rapid recovery. It is not uncommon for my patients to go home after 2-3 days.

Elective?Emergency?: Surgery for diverticulitis may be performed emergently (to treat an active episode) or electively (to prevent future episodes). In the former situation, one may be quite ill and the operation is usually "open" with a colostomy, all leading to a prolonged convalescence. When elective, this is usually laparoscopic and w/o a stoma; people are home in 2-3 days and back to work in 2-3 weeks.