After Surgery Is Completed

Speaking With The Surgeon

The surgeon will contact you in the Surgical Waiting Room. For your convenience and privacy, a family consultaion room is located outside the Recovery Room so that you may consult with the physician.

Post-Surgical Pain & After Surgery Instructions

Even minor surgery can cause swelling and injury to the tissue. Once you are at home, you may experience pain. This pain can effect the way you act and feel. Everyone responds to pain differently. It is important to keep your pain level low so that you are comfortable. This will help you heal more quickly. Your pain level is too high if you cannot walk, talk, or breath normally. Many children cannot tell you if they are in pain. Parents can monitor the pain level in their children by watching how they play, sleep, and talk, and by observing the look on their face.

Instructions

• Be sure to take your pain medication as directed to stay comfortable and heal more quickly.
• Do not drink alcohol or drive while you are taking pain medication.
• Ask your doctor before taking other medications.
• Constipation is a common side effect with many pain medications, so increase the fluids and fiber in your diet. A fiber diet includes wheat bread, graham crackers, cheese, brown rice, raw fruit and vegetables, and soups.
• Get plenty of rest to give your body time to repair itself.
• Listen to relaxing music. Relaxation tapes are also helpful.
• Try to get up and around and do as much of your own personal care as possible. However, if you are taking pain medication and feel sleepy or groggy, ask for assistance.
• You may be told to elevate an incision if it is on your arm or leg. This will help reduce pain and swelling.
• If the incision is on your chest or abdomen, hold a pillow firmly over your incision while coughing, and doing deep breathiung exercises, to reduce the pain. This "splinting" will alllow you to take deeper breaths, cough deeper, and help prevent lung infections.

Call Your Doctor If

• You have significant pain after following the above instructions and an hour passes since you took tour pain medication.
• You have side effects such as nausea, vomitting, or a rash.
• You have increased redness, swelling, bleeding, or pus-like drainage coming from the wound.
• You have a temperature over 101 degrees F.