Before surgery, it is important to ask your doctor and nurse for advice on what to do during the postoperative period and what precautions to take a few days before surgery. Learn more about pre- and postoperative care.
Especially when recovery is done at home, it is important to know exactly how and when to make the dressing, what the diet should be, rest and return to work and exercise, since usually these cares vary depending on the surgery to which it was performed. Out.
However, some general precautions should be followed after surgery, including:
The dressing protects the surgical scar from infections and should preferably be changed in the clinic or hospital, as recommended by the nurse, however, if this is not possible, see how to make the dressing at home: How to make a bandage.
The person should check if the dressing is dirty or if the scar smells bad and releases pus, as they are signs of scar infection and, if so, should immediately go to the emergency room. In addition, you should also be aware of possible signs of inflammation such as redness, pain and swelling in the scar area.
Also, if the dressing is not waterproof, it is important not to wet it during bathing, protecting it because water entering the scar can cause an infection of the wound.
What needs to be eaten during postoperative use are easily digested, in small amounts and with little fiber to reduce the volume of stool and so that the patient does not have to strive to evacuate.
The first meal after surgery should be liquid because the patient must still feel nauseous due to anesthesia. A vegetable soup whipped in a blender or fruit juice with shredded biscuits can be a good option.
As for water, it is important to drink water as long as you are thirsty because at first it can be difficult to get up to urinate, although wearing a diaper is a good option.
On the second day after surgery, food no longer needs to be liquid and it is necessary to invest in healing foods to facilitate recovery, good examples are yogurts, meats and fruits rich in vitamin C such as strawberries.
You should avoid eating frying, fatty foods, condiments, pork or sweets, to make recovery faster, and you should avoid drinking alcohol and smoking.
In some surgeries, your doctor may recommend that the individual follow a specific diet during recovery or even for life, so it is essential in these cases to consult a nutritionist, in some cases the liquid or pasty diet is recommended.
Generally, after surgery, rest is recommended to prevent the scar points from coming out and the scar from opening, and your doctor should indicate how long the person needs to rest, depending on the surgery.
During this time, the individual should not make any effort, lift weights, drive, have sex or exercise until the doctor discharges him; However, if you stay more than 3 days in bed, you should perform breathing exercises to prevent lung infections.
Usually, a month after surgery, you can resume your activities, such as working, driving, having sex, and doing light exercises, such as walking.
More intense exercises, such as playing football, biking, swimming, weights, or other gymnastics exercises, can usually only be resumed 3 months after surgery, but it is your doctor who should indicate when to return to activities.
After surgery, at discharge, your doctor usually prescribes pain relievers, such as acetaminophen, so in case of pain that doesn’t go away with medication, and also in cases of fever greater than 38 degrees C, diarrhea, shortness of breath or shortness of breath, the person should report symptoms to the doctor or go to the emergency room.
Generally, before the patient’s departure, the doctor makes an appointment 2 weeks to 1 month after surgery in order to observe the patient and evaluate the course of the postoperative, it is very important not to miss this consultation.
To prevent blood clots, read: How to prevent thrombosis after surgery.