Recovery After Surgery

Simple ways to improve healing

Surgery and recovery can take a lot out of you. The amount of time it will take to recover from surgery varies from person to person.

Factors that influence your timeline for healing include the type of surgery, your overall health, your support system, and your motivation to recover. What you do while recuperating after surgery can either speed up your healing or slow it down.

This article discusses what to do and what not to do after surgery. It answers questions about everything from managing post-surgical pain and caring for your incision to when you can resume driving and return to work after surgery.

Unfocused image of patient on bed in hospital
Cherayut Jankitrattanapokkin / EyeEm / Getty Images

What to Do After Surgery

What you do in the days and weeks after surgery can help speed healing. Here are 10 things to do after you should do when recovering after surgery.

Follow Your Healthcare Provider's Instructions

You won't get far without hearing this reminder, probably repeatedly. But healthcare providers have learned plenty from post-op patients who follow the instructions they like and disregard the rest. This is the wrong response because there is always a reason for a direction.

Some rules may cramp your style, such as being told not to take a bath, swim, or lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for the first few weeks after surgery. Rather than dig in and oppose your doctor, call and ask for the reason behind an instruction.

Keep Your Follow-Up Appointments

Post-surgical follow-up visits are commonly recommended at two weeks and six weeks after surgery.

At the two-week visit, your surgeon will remove stitches and staples, if any, and make sure the incision is healing properly. By the six-week visit, the incision should be mostly healed. If not, you may need another follow-up appointment.

However, patients do not always keep all of their follow-up appointments. If you're feeling good and your wound is healing well, an appointment may seem like an unneeded expense and waste of time. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Your healthcare provider will want to know how you feel and if your incision is healing well, but they also might look for additional things you may not be privy to, such as signs of infection. Your medications may also be adjusted, so it's important to keep your follow-up appointments.

Prevent Infection

Preventing infection is vital to ensuring an excellent outcome from your procedure. Washing your hands before touching your incision is one of the easiest and most important things you can do during your recovery.

Surgical site infections are rare and usually occur within 30 days of surgery. Still, it's worth asking your doctor what you can do to keep your skin up to the task of blocking infection.

Inspect Your Incision

Looking at your incision may not be your favorite thing to do, but it's important that you take a good look at it several times a day.

Is the incision pink or red? Is there wound drainage and, if so, what color is it? Are the stitches or staples intact? These questions are very important, and inspecting your incision will help you determine if your surgical site is continuing to heal or if it has become infected.

Signs of infection that warrant a call to your surgeon include:

  • Bleeding 
  • Drainage that is thick, tan, green, yellow, or foul smelling 
  • Increased redness, pain, or swelling 
  • Stitches or staples come out prematurely 
  • Wound appears dried out or dark

Care for Your Incision the Right Way

Many people go overboard in trying to keep their incisions clean. They want to scrub it and remove any scabs that form around it. Or they want to use alcohol or peroxide to keep the area free of germs. Unless your surgeon specifically instructs you otherwise, a gentle wash with soap and water is all the care that your incision needs.

It may be unsightly, but scabbing is normal around surgical staples. Removing them could slow the healing process. Similarly, soaking the incision can be harmful because it could weaken the incision line.

Many surgeons recommend showers instead of baths following surgery and often forbid swimming during the early stages of recovery. Check with your surgeon for special instructions.

Drink and Eat Properly

Many people lose their appetite after having surgery. They may feel nauseated, constipated, or just don't feel hungry.

But staying hydrated and eating a healthy diet after surgery can help promote healing and minimize common complications. What's more, drinking water soon after surgery helps to ease anesthesia side effects like throat pain.

It is important to make sure you get enough calories and nutrients when recovering from surgery. Inadequate nutrition is associated with an increased risk of post-surgical infections.

Eating Means Healing

It is hard to heal if your body doesn’t have the fuel it needs to get better.

Protein is crucial for tissue repair and healing. Other nutrients that can promote healing after surgery include:

  • Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E
  • Minerals like copper, zinc, and selenium
  • Nitrate
  • Omega-3 fatty acids 
  • Vitamin D 

If you don't have much of an appetite, consider supplementing with high-protein nutrition shakes, such as Ensure.

How Long Does Post-Surgery Nausea Last?

Nausea and vomiting can occur for a few hours and even up to several days following anesthesia. If you're experiencing nausea or vomiting, let your healthcare provider know so they can help you treat it.

Cough and Sneeze Carefully

Who knew that coughing and sneezing the way you’ve been doing it your entire life isn’t the "right way" after some surgeries? It turns out that if you have an abdominal incision, you can do serious harm to your incision if you cough or sneeze the wrong way.

A new incision isn’t very strong, and a violent sneeze can cause a new surgical incision to open. It's crucial that you brace the incision, which means applying pressure to the area while you cough or sneeze. You can do this with your hands or by covering the area with a pillow.

Gentle pressure will help keep the sutures intact. Bracing gets easier with practice; it may even become second nature as you feel a cough coming on.

Know When to Go to the ER

Your post-op instructions should spell out when to seek emergency care. But in general, call your healthcare provider if you:

  • Are bleeding
  • Can’t keep food or water down
  • Have difficulty breathing
  • Have obvious signs of infection
  • Have trouble urinating

If you can’t reach your surgeon, your primary care healthcare provider or the emergency room should be your next stop. Better to err on the side of being cautious while you're recovering from surgery.

Control Your Pain

Keeping pain under control after surgery is crucial. Yet some people resist taking prescription pain medication.

However, not managing pain can lead to serious complications. If you're in too much pain to cough, you put yourself at risk for pneumonia. If you're in too much pain to walk, you're also at risk for pneumonia as well as blood clots.

Keeping your pain at a tolerable level will keep your recovery process moving along as it should.

If taking opioids concerns you, talk to your healthcare provider about other options for pain relief. Research shows taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers Advil (ibuprofen) and Tylenol (acetaminophen) together relieves pain as effectively as opioids.

Staggering doses of different pain relievers can also help prevent breakthrough pain. For example, alternate between Advil and Tylenol doses every three hours. Just be sure to keep a log of what you take and when.

A Warning About Combination Medications

If you were prescribed a combination opioid-analgesic tablet, use caution when taking OTC meds. Do not take Percocet, Oxycet, and Roxicet (oxycodone/acetaminophen) with Tylenol or Percodan (oxycodone/aspirin) with aspirin. Taking excessive doses of acetaminophen or aspirin can cause serious side effects, including liver failure.

Get Moving

Walking after surgery is one of the most important things you can do for your recovery. A quick walk around your home every hour or two can help prevent serious complications like DVT (deep vein thrombosis which is a blood clot) and pneumonia.

Walking is a gentle way to return to physical activity. It can also hasten your return to all of your normal activities.

What NOT to Do After Surgery

Just as some things can help to speed your recovery, other things can hinder recovery after surgery. Here are things not to do after surgery.

Recover Alone

Be open to accepting help from friends and loved ones after surgery—even if it is only a minor same-day procedure. If you live alone, arrange for someone to stay with you.

Complications can arise after surgery from anesthesia or the procedure itself. It is important to have someone with you who can call for help if you are unable.

Overdo It 

Doing too much too soon after surgery can make it harder to recover. Follow your surgeon's instructions and timeline for activities. You may be told to avoid multiple trips up and down the stairs, certain exercises or activities, or lifting more than 10 pounds.

You should also listen to your body. Pain and fatigue are signals to slow down. Your body needs rest to heal properly.

How Long Does Post-Surgery Fatigue Last?

Fatigue after surgery can vary. Anesthesia can cause grogginess for about 24 hours after surgery. Major procedures that require a hospital stay will cause fatigue for longer than minor outpatient procedures. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are unsure whether your fatigue is normal after surgery.

Stay in Bed Too Long

It is important to get up and moving after surgery, even though it will be painful at first. Walking around is important to prevent blood clots, muscle atrophy, and other post-surgical complications.

That said, getting out of bed can be a challenge in the days after surgery—especially if your abdominal muscles were cut.

To make it easier, roll on your side, hang your legs over the side of the bed, then use your arms to push you up to a sitting position. Ask a nurse or caregiver for help or to spot you until you feel steady on your feet.

You should aim to get up and walk around a bit at least two or three times a day, starting the morning after surgery. The movement will help to improve circulation and relieve post-surgical constipation.

Forget to Take Meds as Prescribed

After surgery, you may be prescribed pain medication, antibiotics, blood thinners, or other medications. Be sure to take your medication according to your aftercare instructions.

For some medications, like antibiotics, you will need to finish the full prescription. Others, like opioid pain relievers, may be prescribed on an as-needed basis, which you may not need.

Keep a log of what medications you take and when you last took them. It is important not to take larger or more frequent doses.

If you are unsure about the dosing schedule, experience serious side effects, are unable to manage the pain at the prescribed dose, or have other questions, talk to your healthcare provider.

Avoid Using the Bathroom

Moving your bowels after surgery is often challenging for a number of reasons.

Anesthesia and opioid pain medications can slow movement in the digestive tract. Air and gasses used during surgery can become trapped, causing gas pain. If your surgery involves an incision in your abdominal or lower back muscles, bearing down can be difficult.

The longer you avoid using the bathroom, the more painful it can become. Be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and keep things moving. If you are struggling to poop, your surgeon may recommend a stool softener or laxative.

Skip Rehab         

Depending on the reason for surgery, your healthcare provider may prescribe rehabilitation as part of your recovery. Post-surgical rehab may include:

  • Cardiac rehabilitation
  • Neurological rehabilitation
  • Occupational therapy
  • Physical therapy
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation

Rehab may include a stay in an inpatient facility, visits to an outpatient center a few times a week, or in your home. In-patient rehab, the most intensive type, is usually covered by Medicare or private insurance following a hospital stay.

Drive Too Soon

While you may be eager for life to return to normal after surgery, don't get behind the wheel too soon. The amount of time you will need to stay in the passenger seat depends on the type of surgery and other factors.

At the very least, you shouldn't drive for at least 24 to 48 hours after conscious sedation or general anesthesia. If you are taking narcotic pain medication, do not drive until you no longer need it.

The amount of time you'll need to wait to drive will depend on the type of surgery:

  • Abdominal surgery, including C-sections: At least two weeks up to six weeks or longer
  • Arm or shoulder surgery: One to three months, depending on your pain levels and if you need to use a sling
  • Back surgery: At least six weeks
  • Leg or hip surgery, including joint replacements: As fast as one week for the left leg (with an automatic transmission) or as long as a month for the right leg (which does the driving and braking)

Return to Work Too Soon

You may be eager to get back to work after surgery, but it is important to follow your surgeon's instructions. How quickly you can return to work will depend on the type of job and the extent of your surgery.

Even a minor laparoscopic procedure will require taking time to heal. At the very least, you will need the day after surgery off. More involved surgeries can require several months of recovery, especially if you have a physically demanding job.

When surgery is a medical necessity, workers are typically eligible for short-term disability. Temporary disability benefits vary from state to state but usually cover a portion of your salary for up to six months.

For more information about temporary disability after surgery, talk to your employer's human resources department.

Summary

Following your healthcare provider's post-op instructions and keeping your follow-up medical appointments are vital to your post-surgery recovery.

Other steps are important, too, such as caring for your incision, eating and drinking properly to regain your strength, and controlling your pain.

Recovery after surgery can take a while. Avoid doing too much, listen to your body, and rest when you need to. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to your surgeon's office for guidance.

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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Additional Reading

By Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN
Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She has experience in primary care and hospital medicine.