If you have ever had an accident or a change in your birth plan that results in a cesarean section, you will have a lot of healing to do. To be able to get through surgery in one piece, you need to think about the advice that your doctors will give you to keep you healthy. Whether you gave a small surgery or a big one while asleep, you need to look at the things that you could be doing to ensure that you come through it in one, healthy piece.
Going straight back to work after surgery is a mistake. You need to work with your medical team to come out of surgery healthily. Not only that, but you need to ensure that you choose the right medical team to help you when you have an injury or need help. You are putting your health in the hands of the doctors and you want to avoid needing a medical malpractice attorney if possible. The thing is, you can have the best team, but you’re only going to heal well if you get through post-surgery time without making the following post-surgery mistakes.
- You’re doing too much. Post-surgery can come with a range of complications. You don’t have to worry about things going wrong, however, if you are following the post-surgical notes that your doctor has told you to follow. If you have had major surgery, the chances are that your external cuts will heal faster than the internal ones. That means that you might not realize you’re doing too much until you’ve overexerted yourself and hurt yourself as a result. Even things like coughing too hard can damage internal sutures, and you need to give your body time to rest, recover and heal on the inside and out.
- You’re not doing enough. As opposed to the above, you might actually be staying too still after surgery. Rest and recovery are both important but while you might not be desperate to get up and move, you need to think about slowing yourself down being a hindrance. Unless you have been advised, you need to get up and move your body. If the doctor tells you to move within 24 hours, get up and move. Getting back to the you that you were before the surgery takes some time. Sitting still for too long can be a hindrance, not a help, and it’s a fine balance to get better.
- You’ve gone back to work. The people who operate on you will tell you when you should go back to work and if you go back sooner, you’re going to slow your recovery. Even if you think that sitting around isn’t going to hurt you, it could! Sitting for too long can be a detriment to your healing, and if you’re working a manual job, you have to wait to go back when your surgical team tells you to! When you are ready to go back, work out a plan with your employer to go back to lighter duties until you’re ready.
- You don’t take your medications. Delaying your post-surgery recovery by not taking the medications in the order your doctors told you to do is a problem. You’re going to need to take the medications on the schedule you were told to take because even if you skip one round of medications, you are putting your health at risk. You don’t need to be in pain, and if you keep up with the medicine while your body is healing, you will recover faster and feel better for it. If there are medicines being taken for previous health conditions, then you should talk to your medical team – they won’t put you on painkillers with contraindications.
- You don’t eat properly. A big part of recovery is in fuelling your body. You can’t recover and repair properly without the right calories and hydration. Before surgery, you often need to fast for several hours and your medical team will hydrate you intravenously. It also helps your digestive system to relax when you fast before surgery. However, once the surgery is done and you need to recover, you need fuel and that means healthy fats, all food groups, and little and often! It’s the support your body will need to get better.
- You’re not drinking enough. We just mentioned hydration and it’s one of the most important things for your organs and your muscles to repair after surgery. Staying hydrated is an absolute must for a good recovery. It’s always a good idea to rehydrate as much as possible (safely) as you recover because if you don’t, your body cannot refuel and feel good in the same way. Even a minor surgery can cause long-term issues, and that means that you need to be fully and properly hydrated. Without water, you’re going to find it harder to recover.
- You aren’t attending rehab. If you have had an operation that requires you to go to see a rehabilitation team, then you need to attend those appointments as a matter of importance. You will need these to help you to get better faster, and your surgeons will have detailed a plan for you to ensure that you are able to recover properly. From joint replacements to organ transplants, you have a whole range of surgeries that need rehabilitation help.
- You don’t care well for your wounds. After most surgeries, you’ll have a nurse visit you at home to check on your incisions and ensure that you are looking after your wounds. They’ll help you to change dressings and remove any stitches necessary for removal. The wounds left on your body do not need to open up post-surgery and the right wound care is going to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
- You’re trying to be too independent. We get it. You need to recover but you don’t want people helping you – you’re an independent individual and you’re certain about that, too. Instead of trying to do everything yourself, give in to the help. Let people help you to get to and from the bathroom and let people help you to eat and move. From the team of nurses and physiotherapists to your surgical team and your family, take the help offered to you. People will want to cook and clean for you at home, and you should let them do it so you can recover properly.
- You’re ignoring the signs. Recovery isn’t a straightforward thing. You will find that you might encounter complications and you know you can hire an attorney if the complications are related to the surgery going wrong and whether your body is refusing to respond properly. If you notice oozing around the surgical sites or you notice hot, redness near the site, you need to speak to your team and get that fixed as soon as possible. Wounds that heal are lovely but abscesses and infections can still develop.
It’s normal to feel tired and sore after surgery. Your hospital should give you all of the information that you need to recover well from your wounds and what to look for, but you need to keep up with it all. You need to keep the wounds clean and your house needs to be ventilated properly. If there is any discomfort that doesn’t feel altogether normal, you need to think about how you can make a difference to your recovery and healing. You don’t want to develop an infection – so listen to the doctors and understand what they’re saying to you. Don’t hinder your healing.