After Your Surgery

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Aftercare Instructions

Now that your surgery is complete, it is important to follow all aftercare instructions given to you by your surgeon’s office. Following these instructions is very important for obtaining optimal results from your surgical procedure. If you have any questions regarding the care of: your surgical site, bandages, post-operative medications, post-operative garments, etc. please contact your surgeon’s office, as their staff is best equipped to give you accurate information regarding all required aftercare.

Below is a generic list of instructions related to all surgical procedures where you receive anesthesia:

Do NOT stay home alone for the first 24 hours after surgery. Be sure that you have an adult caregiver with you for the first 24 hours following your surgery. Anesthesia medications affect everyone differently and it can sometimes take several hours for these medications to be out of your system.
Do NOT sign legal documents for the first 24 hours following surgery/anesthesia
Do NOT drive a car or operate heavy machinery for 24 hours following anesthesia or while taking narcotic pain medications and/or muscle relaxers.
Do NOT drink alcohol for at least 1-2 weeks following surgery. Do NOT mix alcohol with your muscle relaxer and/or narcotic pain medication.

Diet: Advance your diet slowly, as tolerated. It is a good idea to avoid any spicy, greasy, or acidic foods in your first meal following surgery. If you are not nauseated following your first meal, you may resume your normal diet.

Anytime you go under anesthesia, you are put at risk for developing blood clots. We take precautions during your stay at Inspire to help prevent blood clots from forming. To help prevent blood clots once you are home, be sure you are getting up and moving around every 2-3 hours for 5-10 minutes each time. Do this routinely until you are back to your normal activity level. Your caregiver may need to wake you up periodically to facilitate this activity.

Symptoms of a blood clot can include pain and swelling in one or both calves, sudden appearance of small red spots on your skin, chest pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, blood sputum, mental confusion, and increased heart rate. If you think you may have a blood clot or are experiencing any of these symptoms, call your surgeon’s office IMMEDIATELY. If you are unable to reach anyone at your surgeon’s office, call 911 and proceed to the nearest emergency room.

Reasons to Contact Your Surgeon

PLEASE RESERVE THE AFTER HOURS NUMBER FOR EMERGENCY CALLS ONLY!

IF A QUESTION ARISES THAT IS NOT EMERGENT, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR CONTACT AT YOUR SURGEON’S OFFICE OR CALL THEM DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS.

Please notify your surgeon as soon as possible if you experience any of the following:

Signs of infection: Temperature above 101.5, or fever associated with severe chills, pus, redness, or significant swelling around surgical incision.
Persistent vomiting not relieved by prescribed nausea medication
Pain not relieved by post-operative pain medications or pain that is well controlled that suddenly worsens
Bleeding that does not stop – it is normal to have a some blood on your bandage post-operatively but if your bandage becomes completely saturated with dark, red blood and the bleeding continues despite applying firm pressure – you need to contact your surgeon’s office. If you begin to feel woozy, or lightheaded you may need to seek immediate medical attention.
If you are unable to urinate within 8 hours of leaving the surgery center. This means – your bladder feels full but you are unable to urinate. Before calling try the following:
1. Turn on water from faucet and let it run
2. Place hand in warm water
3. Pour warm water over your genitals
4. *note: if you had a catheter in during your surgery (most surgeries lasting longer than 4 hours and some abdominal surgeries) you may have a burning sensation the first couple of times you urinate after surgery. Please call if the sensation persists.