If you’ve recently returned from hospital after surgery or an in-depth medical procedure, it’s important to realise that you need to take time to recover. Fall right back into your regular routine and you run the risk of infection, improper healing and the problem that caused the need for the surgery coming back.
So, if you happen to find yourself on the road to recovery, here are some post-surgery recovery tips you might want to consider.
Follow doctors’ advice
Follow your doctor or surgeon’s advice closely – listen to their advice and don’t hesitate to call or arrange an appointment with them if you are unsure about anything. They are trained medical professionals that know how the body reacts to stress and how it heals. Don’t do yourself a disservice by looking online for dissenting advice just because the doctor’s advice is inconvenient. Take it seriously and never second-guess them.
Diet and nutrition
Following a healthy diet is key to recovering properly after surgery. It’s likely you will feel exhausted so put your body back on track by following a healthy diet. This means cutting back on salty and sugary food and focusing on fruits, vegetables and protein as much as possible. Eat what you can, when you can but don’t overdo it as you probably won’t be able to exercise for a while. And don’t be afraid to ask your doctor for food advice. They might be able to point you in the direction of a professional nutritionist.
Review your operation
Sometimes there can be issues that occur post-surgery due to clinical negligence by the surgeon. It’s not something we like to think about but it can happen and the effects can be truly devastating physically, emotionally and financially if it means you can’t return to work. In this case, you may want to follow this up as soon as possible as you could have grounds for a clinical negligence case and the more time that passes, the harder it’s going to be to file a successful claim.
Stay hydrated
Hydration is key to health and recovery, make sure you drink the recommended 2 litres a day at least, as long as your doctor hasn’t advised you to reduce your water intake. We would also recommend abstaining from caffeine and alcohol while you recover as while they might offer some short term benefits they will only dehydrate you more in the long term.
Look after your incision
It can be quite emotionally draining to examine the source of your discomfort but you should be checking on your incision at least a few times a day. If it’s overly red or there is a lot of seepage then you might need to have it looked at. Remember to also only ever check your incision after thoroughly washing your hands. Otherwise, you could inadvertently cause an infection.
