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After Your Surgery
Who do I call if I have questions about my recovery?
It is common to have post-operative questions. A qualified staff member at your Surgical Consultants office will gladly answer any concern you have as quickly as possible. For the phone number of your Surgical Consultants office click here.
If you feel you need immediate medical attention, call 911.
When should I call my doctor?
Call your Surgical Consultants office if your recovery is not progressing as discussed with your physician. We are always available to answer your questions. For the phone number of your Surgical Consultants office click here.
Who do I call after hours?
An on-call physician is always available for urgent concerns at your Surgical Consultants office phone number. For less pressing questions, leave a message in the general voicemail at either of our offices and your call will be returned on the next business day. For the phone number of your Surgical Consultants office click here.
If you feel you need immediate medical attention, call 911.
Do I need to come back after my surgery?
Your surgeon will inform you if a post-operative visit is needed. If so directed, contact your clinic office to schedule an appointment.
Who do I call for prescription refills?
Call your pharmacy for refills.They will contact your Surgical Consultants office for approval. Allow at least 24 hours for the prescription to be refilled. Surgical Consultants offices do not fill narcotic prescriptions after office hours, so please make requests for your medications during our weekday hours of 8 am to 5 pm. Be aware that certain pain meds cannot be called into a pharmacy and actually require a paper prescription. A change may be made in your pain med as you progress thru your recovery period or if you have side effects to certain meds.
--Pain meds are NOT refilled after 5pm on weekdays, and NOT AT ALL on the weekends, so please look ahead to prevent problems.
If your initial prescription was filled at the hospital following your surgery, you will need to contact your Surgical Consultants office to refill your prescription. For the phone number of your Surgical Consultants office click here.
How should my incision look?
Normally your incision will appear slightly swollen with light redness directly along the incision itself as it heals. It may feel like a bump or ridge as the healing/scarring happens, and over time (3-4 months) this bump or ridge feeling should slowly go away. In general, clear or pink watery drainage can be normal at first as your incision heals, but should decrease over time.
How do I know if my incision is infected?
Look at your incision for signs of infection, like redness around the incision spreading to surrounding skin, or drainage of cloudy or foul-smelling drainage. If you feel warm, check your temperature to see if you are running a fever.
**If any of these things occur, please notify the nurse at our office. We may need you to come into the office for an incision check.
How do I take care of my incision?
If you have a dressing in place – Starting the day after surgery, replace the dressing 1-2 times a day until there is no further drainage from the incision. At that time, a dressing is no longer needed. Try to minimize tape on the skin if irritation is occurring at the tape sites. If you have significant irritation from tape on the skin, please call the office to discuss other method of dressing your incision.
Small pieces of tape called “steri-strips” may be present directly overlying your incision; these may be removed 10 days after surgery unless otherwise specified by your surgeon. If these tapes start to loosen at the ends, you may trim them back until they fall off or are removed.
If you had “Dermabond” tissue glue used as a dressing (this causes your incision to look shiny with a clear covering over it) – This type of dressing wears off with time and does not require more dressings over the top unless it is draining around the glue as it wears off. Do not apply ointments or lotions over the incisions until the glue has completely worn off.
There is a piece of tape or a sticky “lead” still on my skin. Can I remove this?
Sometimes the sticky “leads” used for monitoring during surgery or for evaluation in the emergency department are not all removed while you are in the hospital. These sometimes have a tab or metal dot on them. You can easily remove these on your own, like taking off a band-aid. If there is a gel substance under the “lead”, simply wipe/clean it off with a washcloth or paper towel.
What can I do to minimize constipation (very hard stools, or lack of stools)?
Stay well hydrated. Increase your dietary fiber intake or take a fiber supplement –with plenty of water. Walk around frequently. You may consider an over-the-counter stool-softener. Your Pharmacist can assist you with choosing one that is stocked at your pharmacy. Constipation is also one of the most common side effects of pain medication. If you are using pain medication, be pro-active and try to PREVENT problems with constipation by taking the steps above BEFORE constipation becomes a problem.
Why am I having a hard time sleeping now that I am at home?
Many medications you receive while you are in the hospital can impact your sleep for a number of days after your surgery/hospitalization. Decreased level of activity and naps during the day may also make sleeping at night difficult. Try to minimize day-time naps, and get up frequently during the day to walk around your home during your recovery time. Sleep aides may be of some help, but are not recommended for long-term use.
I am having some back discomfort. What should I do?
This may be related to certain positioning that was required for your surgery, extended periods of time in bed, or other changes in your overall activity level. You may try ice, heat, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen to treat this temporarily. Note that many pain medications have acetaminophen in them and would state this on the prescription bottle. Be sure not to exceed the maximum of 4000mg per day of acetaminophen.
**If the pain you are having does not resolve, is severe, or is a flare of back pain you have had on other occasions prior to surgery, please contact your primary physician for further recommendations or for an appointment to be examined at their office.
Why am I having headaches?
Headaches can be caused by many things: caffeine withdrawal, use of pain meds, dehydration, high blood pressure, lack of sleep, over-activity/exhaustion, flare-up of usual migraine headaches. If you feel this is related to muscle tension (a band-like feeling around the head, or a pressure at the low-back of the head) you may try ice or heat to this area. You may need to drink more fluids (try electrolyte drink like Gatorade), rest, or take your usual migraine medications.
**If your headaches do not resolve, worsen, are accompanied by other symptoms, or if your blood pressure is high, please call your primary physician for recommendation and/or examination.
I am unable to urinate. What do I do?
A small percentage of people can have difficulty urinating initially after surgery. This includes being able to urinate only a very small amount at a time and feeling discomfort or pressure in the very low abdomen. This is called “urinary retention”, and is actually an urgent situation. Proceed to your nearest Emergency department for evaluation (not an Urgent Care Center). Sometimes the bladder does not work correctly after certain medications you receive during surgery, or related to certain procedures. You may need to have a catheter placed until your bladder recovers. When planning to go to an Emergency department, it may help to call the ER to let them know you are coming in for this problem after a surgery. This may help you get in quicker to be evaluated.
**If you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection, please contact your primary physician for the proper evaluation and treatment.
If you have other questions, please call the office Monday thru Friday between 8am and 5pm to discuss with the nurse or physician assistant. (952) 435-4140
There is a surgeon ON CALL on weekday evenings and over the weekend in case of urgent need only, and may be contacted at the same number.
If you are having an emergency, call 911 or proceed to your nearest emergency department.
Before your Appointment
Before your Surgery
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