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CLICK HERE FOR INFO! |
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Cartersville Surgical Associates, PC
970 Joe Frank Harris Parkway
Cartersville, GA 30120
Phone: 770.386.1261
Fax: 770.386.3873
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Post op Instructions |
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Your surgeon will evaluate you prior to discharge from the hospital. Most of our patients will spend the night in the hospital following their cholecystectomy. However, if you are feeling well after surgery and you would like to go home the day of surgery, please let your nurse know and she will contact us so we can see you earlier in the day. The on-call physician will make evening rounds and will dismiss you if you are medically ready to be discharged from the hospital. Otherwise, most of our patients go home the morning following surgery. We make every effort to see our patients early in the morning, however there are times when we do not complete making rounds until early afternoon. Please let your nurse know if you are ready to be dismissed before we get by to see you on morning rounds. We will make every effort to facilitate a timely discharge from the hospital.
Most patients will be asked to resume their home medications after discharge. Your surgeon will review this with you prior to discharge.
You will be given a prescription for pain medicine at the time of discharge. If you would like for us to give you a pain medicine prescription after surgery so that your family members can fill this before discharge, please let your surgeon know at the time of the post surgical consultation in the operating room. (Your surgeon will discuss your operative course with your family members after surgery while you are recovering in the recovery room.) If you do not have any allergies or contraindications to non-steroidal medications, you may benefit from taking Motrin or similar medications in addition to the narcotic pain medicine for the first few days post-op. Please discuss this with your surgeon prior to discharge.
Immediately after surgery, you will spend a brief time in the recovery room, usually approximately 20-30 minutes. When you are fully awake, you will be transferred to a hospital room for the remainder of your in-hospital convalescence.
You will be able to drink clear liquids immediately post-op, and will be able to begin a regular diet after you are tolerating clear liquids. This dietary advancement is typically begun on the second meal after surgery. If you have nausea post op, you may want to continue with clear liquids until your nausea resolves. Fortunately, nausea is a relatively unusual post-op experience. Your surgeon will leave orders with the nurse to help with nausea if you do become nauseated. Simply ask your nurse to help you with this issue.
The incisions are usually closed in a subcuticular fashion with sutures which dissolve on their own after several weeks. You will also have steri strips placed at the time of surgery. These steri strips typically stay in place for 3-5 days post op. If you develop a blister around the steri strips, remove all the steri strips on the other wounds as well. This is usually an adhesive issue.
You will be able to shower the day following surgery. You should be able to ambulate at the time of discharge, however we do recommend relaxing around your home for the first couple of days post op. You may resume driving when you feel like you can control the vehicle safely, and you are off all narcotic medications. We ask that you do no lifting greater than 30 pounds for 4 weeks post-op.
In terms of dietary issues, expect to have some diarrhea or loose stools beginning several days post op and lasting for up to a month post op. Limiting your dietary fat consumption may minimize post op diarrhea. Most people have a sense of fecal urgency which occurs about 20 minutes after eating. This usually resolves completely by the end of the first month.
Your surgeon will see you one week after discharge in the office setting to examine your wounds and to assess your progress. The nurses will make your follow-up appointment prior to discharge. If the time given is inconvenient for you, please call the office to reschedule at a more opportune time for you.
It is very common to have some low grade fever for the first couple of days post op. However, if you have a temperature greater than 101 degrees, please let us know. The risk of wound infection is low, but should you develop redness around the incision, let us know so that we can evaluate the wound or start antibiotic therapy. The risk of wound infection is on the order of 3-5%.
If you develop jaundice or recurrent abdominal pain, please contact us so we can investigate these issues.
We are pleased that you have chosen Cartersville Surgical Associates for your surgical care. If you have any further questions or concerns, please let us know.
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