Surgical Recovery 411

Upon leaving the hospital after surgery, you should receive guidelines as to how to begin the first phase of recovery. You should be instructed on how to care for your incision: changing bandages, applying any prescribed topical creams, and bathing. Your doctors and/or nurses should also explain to you your medication needs following surgery, including your pain medication schedule. Keep in mind that each individual will recover differently and at a different rate, but following your healthcare providers' recovery plan should optimize the recovery process. Eating healthily and getting sufficient rest while gradually increasing physical activity throughout your day is crucial. However, don't push yourself too hard too quickly and pace yourself. Schedule unfinished activities for the next day if need be. In other words, try to find a balance between increasing daily physical activity and getting enough rest to heal.

The general recovery process varies with intensity and level of invasiveness of your surgery. Outpatient surgeries (like a hand surgery) are much less invasive than inpatient (open heart or spine surgeries, for example). Areas of concern for the most invasive surgeries are receiving adequate rest, controlling pain while allowing movement and coughing (helps prevent blood clotting, complications from lack of exercise, and respiratory issues), progressing toward a normal diet from the clear liquid diet directly following surgery (must also monitor constipation contributed to by pain medications), actively participating in physical/mental therapy as needed, and preparing patients for life after leaving the hospital (provide equipment/facilities to promote patients' security).

The next post will examine cardiovascular surgeries more specifically. A description of the procedure(s), the causes, common and rare symptoms, conventional and alternative treatments, prevention, potential treatments and research being done, and FAQ's about the condition. If you'd like to request a post on a specific surgery, just leave a comment! Best of health to all.

Improve Your Own Healthcare

I'm a pre-med college student on the road to becoming a physician and want to help empower others in their healthcare needs along the way. Surgery is the area in which I am most interested. Most importantly, I am here to help you but also to learn more of the surgical field myself within my present focus of surgical recovery concerns. If I cannot determine an academic answer to your question, I will find out from a creditable physician and/or pharmacist.

The RateADrug link above, a company for which I am currently interning, provides you access to a rapidly growing, user-generated database on medications, side effects and alternative treatments. However, this database addresses the efficacy of all drugs, not just ones related to surgical procedures. Please explore this site and evaluate your own treatment plan (more links to the right) by taking a survey of your medication and then comparing (please reference me at end of survey: Amber, your PPREP intern). So let's get started!

I'll begin posting my own findings on surgical recovery treatments, and you start jumping in with questions, comments, and/or contradictions! Let the improved healthcare begin...