Do's and Don'ts After Surgery
The following instructions consist of do's and don'ts to help you recovery after your
surgery. These guidelines are not meant as rigid rules, but as suggestions coming from our experience
with patients whom we have discharged from the hospital over the years. As a general rule, common sense
is a good guideline. For example, there is no reason why you cannot walk up and down stairs, even if
you have to take a rest in the middle.
The basic rule is: do what feels good and comfortable. This particularly holds true for the
amount of daily walking, which is strongly suggested. Everybody is different and comes to surgery
with a different set of lung functions. This will dictate how much a person can walk after surgery.
Do's
- Shower daily and wash incision and drain sites. Use Ivory soap. Let the water stream run over
the incision and drain sites. Leave the incisions uncovered. Where the chest tubes used to be,
the drain sites may drain for several days, and therefore may need a Band-Aid. Wear comfortable,
clean clothing. Particularly suitable is cotton clothing, especially if drainage is still an
issue.
- Walk as much as you feel able to. Stop when you are short of breath, rest, and then continue.
You may not see a daily increase, but over a week's time you should see an increase in the
distance that you are able to walk. Fatigue and tiredness are expected. It is entirely normal
that you may have to take a nap in the morning or in the afternoon. Avoid spending prolonged
periods of time lying down during the daytime hours.
- Eat foods you find appealing. You may find that your appetite is not nearly as good as it was
before you had your surgery. This is entirely normal. You may eat smaller portions and you may
increase the frequency of your meals. We suggest that you weigh yourself twice a week and that you
keep a record of your weight. If you notice that you gain 2-3 pounds over a 24- to 48-hour period,
call us because you may be retaining water. It is normal to lose up to 10% of your weight after
surgery. Patients often notice that their appetite has changed, as well as their taste buds. This
is also normal.
- As long as you are taking pain medication, particularly narcotics, you should consider taking a
stool softener or laxative. These medications have a tendency to render one constipated, which
may lead to a vicious cycle where one feels constipated and nauseated with an increase in
pain.
- Do take your pain medications as needed. In the beginning, you should take your medications on
a regular basis as they were prescribed. Often, you receive two types of pain medication, one
of which should be taken constantly to produce a steady level of analgesia (pain relief). The other
medication is given for "breakthrough" pain or the peaks, which you take as needed depending on
your daily activities.
Remember, a good night's sleep is worth a lot and makes the next day much easier. Therefore,
taking a pain medication at the time one goes to bed is a reasonable approach.
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Don'ts
- If you were a smoker, do not restart. If your environment-your apartment or house-still contains
curtains, linens, and furniture full of smoke and tobacco odor that can give you the urge to smoke
again, please have them cleaned. The overwhelming majority of people who develop lung cancer in the
United States do so because of smoking. If you have difficulty stopping your smoking habit, or if
you live with family members or house-partners who smoke, please call us and we can help you
through a smoking cessation program.
- Do not lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for about 4-6 weeks. Remember that your recovery
overall takes about 10-12 weeks.
- Do not drive until your surgeon says that you can. Generally, at about 3 weeks you will be allowed
to drive locally.
If you have any concerns or questions, call us at 631-444-2981. If, by chance, none of the people
that you met during your hospital stay answer, and you are connected with HealthConnect, they will
be able to direct your call to one of the team members-namely, Eileen, Sunday, or April-and they will
get back to you shortly.
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