This document provides post-operative recovery instructions for patients who have undergone an inguinal hernia repair surgery. It details guidelines for diet, bowel care, medications, wound care, activity levels, and signs that should prompt contacting the surgeon. Patients are advised to resume normal diet and activities as tolerated, take pain medications as needed, and schedule a follow-up visit within 10-14 days to remove sutures if needed.
This document provides post-operative recovery instructions for patients who have undergone an inguinal hernia repair surgery. It details guidelines for diet, bowel care, medications, wound care, activity levels, and signs that should prompt contacting the surgeon. Patients are advised to resume normal diet and activities as tolerated, take pain medications as needed, and schedule a follow-up visit within 10-14 days to remove sutures if needed.
Original Description:
Inguinal hernia repair post operation care and pre operation care
This document provides post-operative recovery instructions for patients who have undergone an inguinal hernia repair surgery. It details guidelines for diet, bowel care, medications, wound care, activity levels, and signs that should prompt contacting the surgeon. Patients are advised to resume normal diet and activities as tolerated, take pain medications as needed, and schedule a follow-up visit within 10-14 days to remove sutures if needed.
This document provides post-operative recovery instructions for patients who have undergone an inguinal hernia repair surgery. It details guidelines for diet, bowel care, medications, wound care, activity levels, and signs that should prompt contacting the surgeon. Patients are advised to resume normal diet and activities as tolerated, take pain medications as needed, and schedule a follow-up visit within 10-14 days to remove sutures if needed.
• No restrictions, you may resume your regular diet. • Advance your diet as you can tolerate, starting with bland (non-greasy, non-spicy) food, in small portions, that is easy to digest for first 2-3 days. • Drink plenty of fluids (> 2 Liters per day) to keep well hydrated as your body is recovering (juices, water, broth, sports drinks). • Having surgery and narcotic pain medications can cause your bowels to slow down, and can cause constipation. You should start taking a stool softener (Colace or generic Ducosate Sodium) 100mg twice daily (available over the counter), starting the day before your surgery. • If you go more than 2-3 days without a bowel movement, you should take 2 Tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia (available over the counter) 3 times per day until your first bowel movement, and then stop.
Medications
• Pain medications o You will be given a prescription for pain medication (narcotics); it is important to take these, as instructed, to keep your pain controlled. o The most commonly prescribed narcotics include: Percocet, Oxycodone, Norco, Vicodin, Tylenol with Codeine, or generic versions of these. o The narcotic pain medication can make you sleepy and dizzy – you should not drive a vehicle while taking narcotics, and you should not drink alcohol while taking them. Narcotics can also cause nausea in some people so it is best to take them with food. Some people may have itching with narcotics; unless you have a rash, this is not an allergic reaction, just a side effect. You can take Benadryl to help with the itching. • Regular Prescription Medications o You may resume your regular medications immediately after surgery (either in the evening after surgery or the following morning), unless told otherwise by the surgeon. o If you were given antibiotics, take them as instructed to completion.
General Wound Care
• Keep the dressings clean and dry for first 48hrs (no showering). After 48hrs, you may remove the outer bandages over your incisions and you may shower; wash and dry wounds gently with soap and water; no dressing needed after first 48hrs.
SCL Health Medical Group | Good Samaritan General & Trauma Surgery 300 Exempla Circle, Suite 400, Lafayette, CO 80026-3396 P 303-689=6560 F 303-689-6550 SCLHealthMG.org • No soaking in tub or pool for 2 weeks following surgery. • If you have staples on your incision, they will be removed at your follow up appointment. • If you have steri-strips (white paper tapes), leave these on until they fall off on their own. • If you have “skin glue” over the incisions, this will wear off in about one week; do not try to scrub it off. • If you have surgical drains in place after surgery, your nurse will instruct you on how to take care of this (sometimes you will have more than one drain). • You may use ice over the incisions for the first 24hrs, 30 min on/ 30 min off while awake, to help with pain relief. • Some bruising and soreness is expected around the incisions. Remember we had to cut through the muscles. One to two weeks after surgery, you may notice a firm ridge under the incision. This is normal healing, called the “Healing Ridge,” and it is the scar tissue forming in the several different tissue layers. This will resolve over a few months. • **For inguinal (groin) surgery in men, you can expect bruising and swelling of the surgical area as well as on the scrotum and penis; do not be alarmed, this is expected and will resolve with time. You can wear a jock support or supportive underwear, or you can use a towel or small pillow placed under the scrotum, to elevate the scrotum, which will help decrease the swelling.
**If you are a smoker, you should quit smoking to help with your overall health and recovery and with your wound healing.
Activity
• You may resume normal activities as you feel you are able. You should be up walking around your house several times per day after surgery. This improves circulation and helps prevent complications after surgery. Walking outside and doing stairs are acceptable, and you can increase your activity as you can tolerate. • Use a small pillow, hug it against your abdomen, to help brace your incisions if you need to cough or sneeze, and to do deep breathing exercises. • Roll to one side and use your arms to push yourself up when getting in/out of bed or a chair, in order to not use your abdominal muscles. • No lifting more than 20 pounds (or lesser weight that forces you to use your abdominal muscles) and no aerobic exercise (other than walking) until your follow up office visit (about 2 weeks after surgery). Further restrictions will be discussed at that time. • You may return to work or school as you feel you are ready, with lifting restrictions in mind if you have a labor-intensive job. • NO DRIVING FOR 24HRS AFTER SURGERY AND WHILE TAKING NARCOTICS. You may drive when you feel that you can safely operate the vehicle (think about turning or stopping suddenly, maybe take a test drive in a safe area first).
SCL Health Medical Group | Good Samaritan General & Trauma Surgery 300 Exempla Circle, Suite 400, Lafayette, CO 80026-3396 P 303-689=6560 F 303-689-6550 SCLHealthMG.org
**Call the surgeon's office: (303-689-6560) if you experience any of the following:
(If you call after hours or on the weekend you will get the answering service and you will speak to the doctor on-call)
• Temperature higher than 101. • Any chest pain or difficulty breathing. • Redness (more than a ¼ inch around the wound)/drainage/bleeding/pus from wound(s) or IV sites. • Increased pain at incisions. Some pain is expected but should get progressively better over about a week. • Worsened abdominal pain or vomiting or increasing abdominal distension (bloating). • Any other concerns or questions regarding your surgery or recovery. • **If you have difficulty urinating after surgery, call the surgeon’s office; you may need to go to the Emergency Room if you are unable to urinate.
Follow-up Visit
For follow up appointment, call our office at 303-689-6560, to make an appointment with your surgeon within 10-14 days. Please call with any concerns regarding your surgery or recovery.
SCL Health Medical Group | Good Samaritan General & Trauma Surgery 300 Exempla Circle, Suite 400, Lafayette, CO 80026-3396 P 303-689=6560 F 303-689-6550 SCLHealthMG.org
