Undergoing surgery and being put under anesthesia can be a frightening experience. While the actual surgical procedure is handled by trained professionals, the recovery process afterwards largely depends on your own actions and care. It is crucial to follow all postoperative instructions from your doctor to avoid complications and promote healing. Here are some of the main things to avoid doing after anesthesia to ensure a smooth recovery.
Getting Up Too Quickly or Unassisted
The effects of general anesthesia can persist for several hours after your surgery is complete. The anesthetic medications cause drowsiness, confusion, and impaired coordination and balance. If you try to hop out of bed right after waking up from anesthesia, you may become dizzy and risk falling and injuring yourself. Allow your body time to regain awareness and strength before attempting to get up.
Have a nurse or caregiver assist you the first few times you get up. Move slowly and deliberately. Sit on the edge of the bed for a minute before standing up. Use a walker or cane if necessary for support. Take it one step at a time until you feel fully stabilized. Rushing this process can lead to falls, wheezes, and other complications.
Drinking Alcohol
It may be tempting to have a glass of wine or a beer the evening after your surgery, but alcohol should be strictly avoided. Alcohol interacts negatively with anesthetic medications and postoperative pain medications. This can intensify side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, and loss of coordination. It can also alter your perception, so you may underestimate pain or other symptoms that need prompt medical attention.
Additionally, alcohol acts as a blood thinner, increasing your risk of postoperative bleeding and impaired wound healing. It can also dehydrate you and disrupt electrolyte balance as your body is trying to recover. For optimal safety and recovery, avoid all alcohol for at least 48 hours after anesthesia.
Overexerting Yourself
It’s crucial to take it very easy in the hours and days after surgery to allow your body to heal. However, some people feel ready to return to normal activity as soon as they get home. Resist the temptation to jump back into your exercise routine, catch up on housework, run errands, or exert yourself physically in the early recovery period.
Overexertion can lead to increased swelling, bleeding, pain, and other surgical complications. Your activity should be limited to short walks around your house interspersed with ample rest periods. Don’t lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. Nap and relax as much as possible. Don’t overdo it just because the anesthesia has worn off.
Neglecting Pain Medication
It’s common to have postoperative pain, discomfort, or muscle soreness after anesthesia and surgery. Your doctor will prescribe pain medication to keep you comfortable during recovery. However, some people forego the medication because they worry about side effects or addiction potential.
Trying to tough it out without treating surgical pain is counterproductive. Untreated pain can hinder your ability to cough, breathe deeply, get out of bed, do postoperative exercises, and participate in physical therapy. This can impede your recovery. Take your pain medication as prescribed. Speak to your doctor if the dosage or type needs adjustment.
Not Passing Gas
A common side effect of anesthesia is postoperative ileus – temporary impairment of bowel function causing inability to pass gas or have a bowel movement. It’s important to get your digestive system moving again after surgery. Walking and moving encourages peristalsis to restart.
Avoid straining, but don’t ignore urges to pass gas. Let it happen naturally. If you go more than 24 hours without passing gas or having a bowel movement, speak to your doctor. You may need laxatives, stool softeners, or other interventions to get your bowels working properly again.
Failing to Clean Incision Sites
Keeping your incisions clean is crucial after surgery to prevent infection. This includes regularly changing dressings, gently washing the surrounding skin, and keeping the area dry. Avoid soaking the incision in water for a prolonged time. Pat it dry with clean gauze or a towel after washing.
Watch for signs of infection like increasing pain, swelling, oozing, redness, warmth around the incision, or fever. If you notice any of these, contact your doctor immediately. Don’t ignore incision care, as infections can be serious and delay healing.
Smoking and Vaping
Nicotine inhibits blood flow and can severely impair wound healing after surgery. Doctors recommend quitting smoking and vaping for a minimum of two weeks before and after surgery. If you simply can’t go tobacco-free, your doctor may cancel your procedure, as the risks will be too high.
If you smoke or vape immediately after surgery, toxins enter your bloodstream and travel directly to healing wounds. This dramatically escalates your infection risk. Avoid all nicotine and tobacco for as long as possible after surgery for optimal recovery.
Driving Too Soon
The impairments caused by anesthesia can make it dangerous to drive a vehicle in the hours or even days after surgery. Drowsiness, disorientation, blurred vision, and slowed reaction times all raise your risk for an accident.
Wait until your doctor gives you the green light before getting behind the wheel again. This may take 24 hours or longer. Don’t just assume you feel okay to drive. The anesthetic drugs can alter your judgment. Have a caregiver drive you until your doctor confirms you are cleared.
Traveling Right After Surgery
Some people have major travel plans scheduled for shortly after having an elective surgery. It may seem convenient to have your procedure then head straight to the airport or hit the road. However, this is typically ill-advised.
The motion and commotion from travel can be jarring to your body as you recover. You may have limitations on lifting luggage or mobility. Access to medical care may be limited if complications arise. At minimum, you’ll need to arrange for airport wheelchair assistance. Give yourself several days of rest before traveling.
Removing Bandages Too Soon
Dressings, bandages, and adhesive strips are applied after surgery to protect incisions and promote healing. While annoying, they need to stay in place for the full duration advised by your doctor. Prematurely peeling off dressings can disturb fragile stitches and tissue.
Resist the temptation to detach before follow-up. Bandages also preserve sterility of wounds and absorb drainage. Leave them be other than during authorized washing. Your doctor will change them during scheduled visits after inspecting how healing is progressing.
Eating Too Much Too Soon
Anesthesia can diminish appetite for a day or so after surgery. Additionally, overeating is risky until bowel function resumes. However, once hunger returns, it’s important not to overdo it with big, heavy meals.
Start with clear liquids and bland foods like broth, jello, crackers, apple sauce, toast, rice, bananas. Avoid greasy, sugary, spicy or heavy items. Don’t load up your stomach before it is ready. Chew thoroughly and eat small, frequent portions until bowel movements have returned to normal.
Skipping Follow-Up Appointments
It’s crucial to show up for all scheduled follow-up visits so your doctor can monitor your progress, assess for complications, and modify recovery instructions as needed. Sometimes patients start feeling better and conclude they don’t require further medical oversight.
While you may be healing well, complications like infections can arise at any time after surgery. Missed appointments also delay removal of stitches, drains, and casts. Don’t make assumptions – complete the full course of recommended postoperative care for optimal safety and outcomes.
Not Realizing Recovery Takes Time
Many factors affect the recovery timeline after surgery, including the type of procedure, your general health, risk factors, and more. Some minimally invasive outpatient surgeries have shorter recovery periods of days to weeks. Major operations may require months of recuperation.
Don’t get frustrated or lose hope if your progress seems slow. Setbacks are common and don’t mean you aren’t healing. Adhere to all instructions and attend physical therapy if prescribed. Talk to your doctor if you feel unable to meet postoperative goals. Recovery from surgery cannot be rushed.
Using Straws
Drinking through a straw creates suction that can disturb clots and tissue healing in the mouth and throat after oral or dental surgery. The American Dental Association advises avoiding straws for at least 24 hours after anesthesia.
Additionally, if stomach or intestinal surgery was performed, straws can cause unwanted ingestion of air leading to gas pain and bloating. Sip drinks normally for the first day or two after surgery to allow the inside of your body to heal.
Submerging Incisions
Doctors usually advise keeping incisions clean and dry while healing is in progress after surgery. That means avoiding full submersion in water like baths, swimming, hot tubs, lakes, and pools. Brief, careful showers are okay, but no soaking.
Water can harbor bacteria that could infect vulnerable surgical wounds. Water pressure and chemicals like chlorine may also irritate incisions. Keep wounds sealed in dressings and avoid wiping with harsh washcloths. Gently pat dry after washing without disturbing stitches.
Lifting Heavy Objects
Almost any surgery requires avoiding strenuous lifting for a period during recovery. How long depends on the location and extent of your procedure. Lifting even small weights uses core muscles that need time to heal postoperatively.
Follow all restrictions from your surgeon. Restrain kids and pets from jumping on your lap. Don’t carry laundry baskets or groceries. Wait for help changing bedsheets. Never attempt to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds without your doctor’s prior consent. Patience prevents problems.
Douching or Using Tampons
Gynecologic, bladder, or bowel surgeries warrant avoiding douching, tampon use, and sometimes sexual intercourse during the healing period. Inserting anything into the vagina or rectum can introduce bacteria and disturb sensitive tissue and stitches.
Follow all restrictions shared by your surgeon. Use sanitary pads instead of tampons for menstruation. Refrain from penetrative intimacy until cleared at follow-ups. Improper internal use could compromise your recovery from anesthesia and surgery.
Not Getting Enough Rest
Rest and sleep are essential after surgery to allow your body to direct energy toward healing. However, some patients have trouble sleeping due to postoperative discomfort. Others push their limits attempting to resume normal activity.
Don’t ignore fatigue after surgery. Nap frequently and sleep longer at night. Take all prescribed pain medications so you can rest comfortably. Avoid screen time and stimulating activities before bed. Enlist help with household obligations like childcare. Prioritize plenty of rest.
Forgetting to Take Prescribed Medications
From pain relievers to antibiotics, certain medications are often prescribed as part of the postoperative recovery process. However, patients may forget when to take them after discharge, become confused about dosages, or neglect to fill prescriptions.
Carefully follow medication instructions to prevent problems like uncontrolled pain or infection. Set phone alarms for dosage times. Have a caregiver assist with organization and reminders. Keep a chart listing the purpose and schedule for each medication.
Removing Drains or IV Lines
Some types of surgeries require temporary drainage tubes, intravenous lines, or other apparatus that protrude from the body. Though awkward, resisting the urge to detach these before directed is extremely important.
Premature removal can lead to dangerous bleeding or other complications requiring prompt emergency care to stabilize. Leave all drains, lines, and tubes in place until the scheduled time a nurse or doctor removes them after assessing your status.
Conclusion
Following doctor’s orders after surgery is imperative for effective healing and prevention of complications. Avoid getting up unassisted, driving, traveling, exercising, lifting, nicotine, and alcohol in the recovery period. Attend all follow-ups, take medications as directed, and don’t overexert yourself. While the restrictions can feel tedious, they are temporary and in your best interest. Be patient, smart, and careful after anesthesia for the best results.