Post-surgical Care

Caring for Your Body After Surgery 

Waiting for, and then undergoing, surgery can be very stressful. Afterwards, your important healing period begins.

Because you may spend only a short time in the hospital, it’s likely you’ll return home with your surgical site still needing careful attention. That can cause additional worry, even when you receive a full briefing from a nurse or doctor before your discharge.

This look at the simple basics of how to care for your body after surgery will help you feel more confident about managing your recovery.

Post-surgery Care Basics

After any surgery, the wound must be kept clean to prevent infection. Patients will typically have a sterile bandage placed on the wound and may have a drain inserted to prevent body fluid from collecting at the surgical site. This should help minimize swelling and pain and allow for quicker healing.

Patients may have more than one drain. Each drain consists of a collection tube, which is stitched to your skin so it does not fall out. A small plastic plug at the end of the tube allows the fluid to be emptied. The color of the fluid may be dark red at first because of the large amount of blood cells in the area. Gradually, the color should change to pink-tinged and then finally a yellow straw color. The amount of drainage may vary. The more active you are, the more fluid will be produced. Gradually, the fluid will decrease.

Notify your surgeon if: 

• You have a fever of 100.5° F or above or chills.
• There are increased areas of redness around the insertion site.
• There is increased swelling around the insertion site.
• There is drainage from the wound itself — that is, the incision site and not the tubing.
• The fluid is cloudy and has a bad odor.
• The drain is collecting thick yellowish or green fluid.
• The drainage bulb does not stay flat after being emptied.
• The wound edges begin to separate.
• Pain is not relieved by your pain medication.
• Your drainage is increasing instead of decreasing, or you have a sudden increase in drainage.

Drain Removal

The surgeon will remove your drain(s) during a follow-up office visit. This usually occurs when the drainage is reduced to 20 to 50 cc (1 to 3 tablespoons) in a 24-hour period or 4 weeks after surgery, whichever comes first. When the drain is removed, you may feel a pulling sensation with a moderate amount of pain only lasting a few seconds. A small bandage will be placed over the drain site. This will need to be watched for infection for the next several days.

Do not swim or soak in a tub for 2 days after removal, but you may shower. The site should close within 3 to 4 days. You may notice some fluid oozing from the site until healing occurs.