Post operation care

Dear all, i thought i'd create a post to share my experience and also learn from those of you who have done the surgery either through laparascopy or laparatomy. I noticed that i had difficulty in making sure whether i am doing the right things at home after getting discharged. I wish to share what i have learned so far and hope to know what experiences you have had or if you could clear some my doubts below. For my case i ended up having bilateral cysts of 2 types, 1 a dermoid and the other endometriosis. I had an excellent Dr and the surgery went well. He advised me though that there is no guarantee that these cysts will not return and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it from recurring.

Anyways back to post op care:

1. Basic rule of thumb is to put yourself first before everyone else after an operation. Do not lift, push or pull anything heavy. The measurement of what heavy means given in one internet resource is nothing heavier than a 3 pint kettle.

2. I had diarrhea after my surgery for days maybe because my bowel was being assisted by the continous drips i was getting that made it easy but more frequent than normal loo visits. I was given carbon pills and the dr stopped the nurses from giving me cocoa drink that has traces of milk in it. Still i was going to the loo quite often while in the hospital but when i got home, i started constipating until now. Have to drink as much water as possible, prune juice, peppermint tea, etc. I am a bit worried though as i have been straining myself in the toilet to let go and read somewhere that it can cause adhesions. If there is no other way, be sure to take something to help like lactulose or other kinds of stool softener that doesn't cause your bowels to cramp.

3. Walk, walk and walk

4. I had non dissolvable surtures and had to wait for 2 weeks before being able to take a proper bath. Even so the area of the incision has to be pat dry and not rubbed, be kind to the area until it is completely healed. I have started applying bio oil as well but i am not sure if it is too early after 3 weeks.

5. Few days after returning hope and finishing my antibiotics course, i had fever the day before going back to hospital to remove the bandage and stitches. By this time, i couldn't wait to just get everything out as i had itchiness as well but the Dr said that it's a good sign that shows you are healing. I made sure i told the Dr i had fever the previous day and he took another blood test to confirm for any infection. The next day i got a call saying that i am indeed having an infectiin and i should start on the antibiotics prescribed for the next 5 days.

6. Last night i started having night sweats (i still hv my ovaries) so thats a new thing happening and not sure yet if its good or bad

7. You will feel the incision area becoming hard and lumpy and according to other medical internet links after googling abdominal incision care, this condition is considered normal and its part of the healing process

8. Its okay to feel tired, your body is using the energy to heal. Watch your food and prioritize on fruits, vegetables and protein either from fish or chicken. Avoid red meat at all cost as it can contribute towards cysts recurrences at a faster speed. Also avoid soya.

So roughly thats what i am experiencing at the moment, some of which i am still quite unsure about how to care like whether it is okay to strain a little to let go and dealing with the lumpy skin around the incision area - when is it okay to start massaging? Etc.

Hope what i have shared will also help you on your road to recovery.

Take care.

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