Patient Education / For nurses / Patient handout
Patient handout · Perioperative / Pre & Post-OpRecovering After Surgery: Your Home Guide
Your body needs time and the right care to heal after surgery. These steps protect your lungs, prevent blood clots, and help your incision (surgery cut) heal.
Breathe deeply
- Use your incentive spirometer (breathing device) 10 times every hour while you are awake.
- Breathe in slowly and deeply. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then breathe out.
- Hug a pillow against your incision when you cough.
Walk often
- Walk several times a day. Go a little farther each day.
- Move your feet and ankles when you sit or lie down.
- Drink fluids and eat protein to help you heal.
Use pain medicine safely
- Take pain medicine on schedule, before pain gets bad.
- With opioid pain pills: no alcohol, no driving, and no sleep aids unless approved.
- Opioids cause constipation. Drink fluids, eat fiber, and take your stool softener.
- Lock up your pills. Take leftovers to a drug take-back site.
Care for your incision
- Wash your hands before you touch it. Keep it clean and dry.
- Shower when your surgeon says. No baths or swimming until cleared.
- Leave the tape strips on until they fall off. Do not put lotion or powder on it.
- Do not lift more than ____________ pounds until ____________.
Call your provider today if you have
- Redness, swelling, warmth, or pus at your incision
- A fever of 101 F (38.3 C) or higher
- One leg that is swollen, warm, or painful
- No urine for 8 hours, or a full, painful lower belly
Call 911 or your local emergency number if you have
- Sudden shortness of breath or chest pain
- Heavy bleeding that soaks your bandage
- A wound that opens. Cover it with a clean, damp cloth.
- Very slow breathing, or you are hard to wake up
This handout supports, not replaces, advice from your own nurse or doctor.
For nurses and nursing students: the teaching guide behind this handout →