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1. When you get home from the hospital, go to bed. If you happen to have a mechanical hospital bed, elevate the head of the bed 60 degrees and the foot of the bed 30 degrees just like in the hospital. Otherwise, get a reading pillow (with arms), turn it upside down, push it against your head board and stack regular pillows against it to elevate your upper body and flex your hips to take tension off of the wound. Or, you can sleep in a recliner. Don't sleep on your stomach or your side for the first week.

2.You don't need to cleanse your wound for the first 48 hours you are home, unless we tell you otherwise. Leave your abdominal binder in place during this time. Beginning on post-op day number three, you can remove the binder to cleanse suture lines and drain sites with 1/2 strength hydrogen peroxide using gauze or Q-tips twice a day. ( dilute the peroxide with tap water or normal saline, two parts to one, to make it 1/2 strength).

3. Apply antibiotic ointment (Bacitracin, Neosporin, Polysporin, etc.) to incisions and drain sites after each cleansing, and place fresh sterile gauze over wounds and around drains. Re-use the fluffy sheet cotton and put the binder back in place.

4. Empty your drains twice a day and record the output separately on a sheet of paper that you should bring with you to the office. Total the output (in cc's not ounces) every 24 hrs. This helps us determine when to pull your drains out. Refer to the drain care sheet for instructions on how to empty, recharge and strip your drains. If your drain has no output (zero), or if alot of fluid leaks out where the drain tube enters your skin, call our office.

5. It is alright to get out of bed (with assistance if possible), but only to go to the bathroom, sit in a chair for awhile or shuffle to another part of the house. Remember, for the first week you need to walk bent over at the waist as if you were trying to read something written on the floor.

6. Most patients require narcotics for pain control for the first several days. After the first week, you should be able to get adequate pain relief from extra strength tylenol. Avoid aspirin, Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Aleve, etc.), or any aspirin-like compound for three weeks after surgery. If you are not sure about a particular medicine, ask your pharmacist or call us. If your pain is so intense that narcotics won't touch it, call our office.

7. You will not be able to shower or take a tub bath until 48 hours after the drains are removed. A sponge bath will have to do until then.

8. Avoid strenuous physical activity for six weeks. This includes any aerobic activity - working out, jogging, riding a bike, riding a horse, etc. Avoid any activity that will cause you to strain. Don't lift anything heavier than a glass of milk during this time. (vigorous walking is O.K. after four weeks. Don't drive for three weeks.

9. After two or three weeks massage wound twice a day with Vitamin E oil to help scar soften & fade.

10. Avoid direct sunlight on healing wound. If you go to a tanning bed, wear tape or bandaids over your incision.

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