Medications:
- You can take all your medicines that you were taking before your procedure. Do NOT drink alcohol before, during, or after the surgery while taking pain medication.
- Also take the new medications you were given after your procedure. Be sure to follow the instructions for how to take your medicines. These instructions usually include what time of the day to take your medicines and whether to take them during a meal or on an empty stomach.
- For Pain: It is OK to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) for mild pain. If this is not enough, you may take your prescribed pain medicine as directed. DO NOT take Tylenol (acetaminophen) at the same time as taking your prescription pain medicine.
- For Constipation: Prescription pain medicines frequently cause constipation. This means it can be hard to use the restroom. You may take over-the-counter stool softeners to help prevent this problem.
- For Birth Control: Certain birth control products work by changing body chemicals called hormones. Some examples include Birth Control Pills, Skin Patches, Implants, and certain IUDs. The medicines you may have received while in the hospital can stop those birth control products from working. To avoid getting pregnant, use an additional birth control product that does not affect your hormones. Some examples include condoms and spermicides. Use these additional products for the next 31 days if you wish to avoid becoming pregnant.
Eating and Drinking:
- Resume usual diet as tolerated. Start with water first, if you aren’t nauseated, you may advance your diet. No alcoholic beverages today.
What to Expect During this Time:
- It is normal to have a slightly sore throat for a few days following your procedure. This should go away within 24-48 hours. You may use a throat lozenge or cough drop for temporary relief.
- Having surgery may cause temporary body aches, tiredness, nausea, and light-headedness. These should also go away within 24-48 hours after surgery.
- For your procedure, an IV was inserted into your arm or another part of your body. It is normal to see bruising where the IV was placed. If you have swelling or discomfort, a cold compress may be helpful. If you develop redness, warmth, or oozing where the IV was placed, please contact your physician.
- The medicines you received during your procedure may slow your ability to think and react. Do not drive anything, operate machinery, or sign important legal documents today.
What to Expect During this Time:
- Keep incision clean, dry, and covered until 1-week post op visit.
- Blood spotting on the dressing is not unusual. If there is mild bloody drainage, reinforce the dressing with dry 4x4 sterile gauze pads. Do not remove the steri-strips. You may change the dressing 48 hours after surgery, then daily or as needed.
- You may shower after surgery if the dressing is covered with plastic and kept dry for 1 week after surgery. DO NOT soak in the bathtub or swim until you have been seen at your 2-week follow-up appointment.
- Walk as much as you can. We recommend walking 10-20 minutes 3-4 times a day.
- To minimize pain and swelling, you may use ice on the incision. Ice on 2 hours, then off 2 hours.
- The pain will decrease over several days or longer. Do not hesitate to use prescribed pain medication as directed by your surgeon. Once the pain is getting better, slowly decrease the dose of the pain medication. The pain medication may cause drowsiness, nausea, itching, and /or lightheadedness.
- Pain medications may be prescribed for 4 weeks after surgery. If you are not decreasing the amount of pain medication taken daily by your 6th week after surgery, you will be referred to a pain management doctor to control your use of pain medication.
- Avoid long car rides (no more than 30 minutes without a break), no use of a riding lawn mower.
- No driving while on narcotics (pain medication).
- No NSAIDS (Ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve, ASA, Voltaren, Celebrex, etc.) for 72 hours after any fusion surgery.
- If given a brace or binder to use after surgery, wear it until your follow up appointment.
- A nurse will call you in the next few days to discuss your recovery and answer any questions you may have. If you have questions before our nurse calls, please contact your physician or call MHP Surgical Care (317-398-1226) to speak with one of our nurses. After hours, you may call the MHP Medical Center (317-392-3211).