How to Prepare for Surgery Part 2: Aftercare from Hospital to Home

Before I get into the meat of this post, if you haven’t read up on how to prepare for surgery prior to your operation, check out “How to Prepare for Surgery: What You Should be Doing Beforehand” prior to reading this handout. 

Whether you are coming up on a surgery or you have already had one, this handout will provide helpful information to ease your road to recovery. In this article I will discuss how to navigate immediate post-op care in the hospital as well as what to do when you go home.

The following text is a bit lengthy, however I have found it all to be very valuable to my patients over the years. 

During your hospital stay

You’ve just woken up from surgery and you’re feeling a bit groggy. Maybe you’re hungry or need to use the bathroom. The nurse comes in to see how you are doing and to make sure all your needs are met. A little while later, your physical therapist comes in to do their eval and to get you moving. You may not be so sure if your body will be able to hold you and that makes you nervous. It is absolutely ok to feel this way, and everyone working in the hospital or surgical center is aware of this. The key is to take your time and to communicate how you feel. 

There are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable during this time. You are not required to only wear a hospital gown or anti-slip socks, you can wear pants and shoes if you like. I always recommend bringing a pair of comfortable shoes with good grip on the bottom that are easy to get on without having to bend over. This will not only provide your feet more warmth and security, but you will also be walking in a familiar shoe. You may also want to consider bringing a pair of baggy pants or shorts with elastic in the waist. These are much easier to put on than most other types of bottoms, and wearing something on your legs will also give you a sense of security. Bathrobes are also a great option for this. It’s all about being comfortable. 

A fluffy blanket and some familiar, easy to eat snacks are also good to bring. The hospital will definitely have all of this, but having something familiar is comforting and can help put you at ease a bit more. Since covid, I have noticed that hospitals are requiring that only pre-packaged snacks in the original packaging be brought with the patient. This may have changed, but double check on this in case you are wanting to bring your homemade food. 

It is incredibly important to get up and walk after a surgery. Walking helps kick our digestive system on again, preventing constipation and all the discomfort that comes with that. It helps prevent clots from forming in the legs, and it prevents pneumonia from developing. Demonstrating to the hospital staff that you are capable of walking safely and independently increases your chances of going home as opposed to going to a nursing facility. So, make sure you are getting up with the physical therapist and nurses as often as possible. 

Going Home

Now you have been discharged and you are setting off for home. There are a few things I have found to be helpful for people getting in and out of their cars post-surgery. One is a portable handle for additional support that fits in the door latch. These can be easily found under a search for “car door handle for elderly”. I like these because they go right where you will need another hand hold and they are sturdy. Much better than trying to hold onto the door and having it close on you while you’re still making your way to your seat. 

If you have cloth seats, you will want a plastic bag or a sliding sheet on the seat. This is so that you can turn on the seat without your clothing sticking to the upholstery. The idea is that you are sitting down on the seat with your legs still outside of the car and then swinging your legs into the car once you are seated. This is much more stable and therefore safe, and this method will be more comfortable on the knees/hips/back. 

You are Home

Finally, some time to rest and recover. Sleep is so important for healing; it is the time when our bodies do the most work. I will encourage you to sleep when you need to. Don’t try to fight it or to keep on with your usual chores, you will only feel worse and will most likely prolong your recovery. If you are reading this before your surgery, now is the time to talk with your friends/family about who will take on the chores. It is also worth preparing food ahead of time or buying some easy to heat meals. Don’t try any new foods if you have a sensitive digestive system, you will already have enough change in your body to address. Your focus for the first few weeks is to heal, and cleaning toilets or running out to the grocery store is not conducive to this. 

This next paragraph might sound counter to what I just wrote, and that is: movement is healing. If you are awake, moving every hour will help with healing. Getting up and walking around for five minutes will improve blood flow, thus flushing out inflammation and bringing in nutrients to your cells. It also helps prevent clots from forming in your legs, which can then travel to your lungs and send you back to the hospital. Movement prevents muscle atrophy and loss of range of motion. Being sedentary can lead to muscle wasting very quickly, which will only prolong healing. Lastly, getting upright and moving maintains our balance. If we spend too much time in a reclined position, our brains will adjust where we appreciate our center of gravity to be, and this can lead to falls. Leaning back becomes the new “upright”, and being upright can feel like we’re falling forward. The takeaway here is to move often.

What else is important to do?

Drink plenty of hydrating fluids. This includes water, tea, and electrolyte drinks. Be careful of how much sugar is in your fluids though, there are a lot of popular electrolyte drinks that have as much sugar as soda. Sugar is inflammatory, so consuming too much can actually increase inflammation in your body. Hydrating appropriately will help flush out cellular waste/inflammation and will also keep your blood moving well to bring nutrition to your healing cells. My favorite electrolyte drink is Ener-C, not to be confused with another brand called Emergen-C. 

Do your physical therapy. Those exercises prescribed to you will help tremendously with your healing process. If you are struggling to get them done, please talk with your physical therapist about what is limiting you and they will brainstorm ways to accomplish your goals. 

Get some sunshine. Sitting in the sunshine for 10 minutes, preferably in the morning, will not only lift your mood but it will also help your body heal. Because this can be tricky to accomplish, I would suggest investing in a light therapy lamp. Buying an inexpensive one will do the trick. The idea is to spend some time sitting close to it to mimic being in the sun. How long you do it depends on your personal needs, but there are plenty of guides online to explore. This is not the same as a grow lamp or an LED. Light therapy lamps provide a full spectrum of light appropriate to human needs.

I believe that your recovery will go well if you implement even one of these tips. Your body knows what to do, so why not give it the best possible chance?