Bengals QB Joe Burrow’s appendix ruptured ahead of surgery, leading to slower return
Joe Burrow’s appendectomy turned out to be much more severe than we initially thought.
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback revealed on Wednesday that his appendix had actually ruptured last month, which prompted the surgery to have it removed.
"It wasn't normal appendicitis that you hear about," Burrow said, via ESPN’s Ben Baby. "I didn't really feel much. Just getting checked out and had some discomfort so we thought we'd get it checked out. Turns out I had it. So we had to get it fixed."
Burrow was initially expected to miss just a few days while recovering after the July 26 surgery, as an appendectomy is a standard procedure that doesn’t usually sideline players for long.
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Yet it wasn’t until Sunday that Burrow had his first official practice with the team this fall. He wasn’t allowed to throw the ball again until two weeks after the surgery, and he planned to participate in team drills at practice for the first time on Wednesday.
Having to just watch practice from the sidelines — sometimes he did so from a medical cart — was incredibly tough.
"You're in a hospital for however many days and you start to feel like a sick person," Burrow said, via ESPN. "So you want to get back out with the guys and feel healthy again."
Burrow is fresh off leading the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI last season, where they fell to the Los Angeles Rams. He threw for a career-high 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns last season.
The 25-year-old said he isn’t going to play in any preseason games. Instead, he’s focused on getting back to normal ahead of their season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I think it will be OK,” Burrow said, via ESPN. “We have a good plan as far as nutrition and weight room and all that stuff. I feel good right now and just going to keep feeling better.”
