- A responsible adult MUST drive you home and stay with you for at least 24 hours.
- The effects of the anesthetic may remain for 24-48 hours. You should remain in bed with help to the bathroom for at least 24 hours.
- Positioning is very important after abdominal surgery. You should lie in bed with three pillows under your head and back and two pillows under your knees. Lying flat with strain your incision.
- You may have liquids after surgery if desired. A regular diet should be enjoyed the day following surgery.
- Take medications exactly as directed. ALCOHOL is strictly prohibited. It is important to have food in your stomach before taking medications. If you should become nauseated or develop a rash, please call the office. Resume regular medications unless your doctor directs otherwise. Remember, you will need to avoid ASPIRIN and ASPIRIN-CONTAINING products for two weeks after surgery.
- You will need to walk bent over for about a week or two or until your doctor instructs you otherwise in order to minimize the stress on your incision.
- You may have special stockings on when you go home. These should be removed for 30 minutes every day and should be worn until your doctors directs otherwise.
- Take 5 to 6 deep breaths every hour while awake for the first 48 hours. If coughing occurs, splint the abdomen with a pillow. This will decrease the discomfort.
- The day after surgery you should get up out of bed and walk around the house. Do this several times daily and gradually increase your activity as tolerated. Strenuous exercise should be avoided for 6 weeks. Make sure you stay bent over in beach chair position while walking.
- The abdominal dressing should stay in place until directed otherwise by the doctor. Sponge bath only. You may not shower until all drains have been removed and your doctor has approved.
- You will experience swelling and numbness for weeks to months that will gradually subside. Bruising should disappear in 10 to 14 days.
- Fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, or unusual pain in the operated area, especially if one-sided, should be called to the attention of the staff immediately.
- The incisions are covered with glue and/or Steri-strips. These will stay on for a couple of weeks. Do not remove them until they begin to come off. The glue and/or Steri-strips will stay on even with showering, and come off on their own over the next several weeks.
- It is extremely important to not strain your body for several weeks. Stay bent over and avoid stretching the incisions. Do not lift over 5 pounds (roughly a gallon of milk).
- It is common to have numbness about the mid- to lower abdomen for several weeks to months. Feelings of sharpness, burning, or other sensations are common in the healing process. You may have bruising and swelling which should subside over the first 1 to 3 weeks.
- You must use your judgment and call the office immediately if you are concerned about a possible complication.