Going Home

Your doctor will send you home after you meet all of the conditions showing that you will be safe and comfortable, including:

• Tolerating the recommended diet
• Passing gas or moving bowels
• Pain control with pain pills
• No signs of an active infection

When You Are Discharged

• Ask the doctor any questions you may have about your recovery.
• Your Care Management Team will confirm any arrangements for home health or other services after discharge.
• Your nurse will attempt to make a follow-up appointment with your surgeon.
• Your nurse will go over your written discharge instructions.
• Your Healing Partner should be present to review the instructions with you and the nurse.
• You should have comfortable clothing for your trip home.
• You will likely have prescriptions that will need to be filled at your pharmacy

Your recovery will continue at home; you will need to do these things at home.

• Eat healthy foods – You will probably feel better if you have several small meals instead of 3 big meals.
• Take your pain medicine as prescribed.
• Spend most of your day out of bed, either walking or in a chair.
• Keep using your incentive spirometer and doing your deep breathing exercises.
• Remember that hand washing is still important while you are recovering at home.
• Do not start smoking again.
• Keep your incision clean and dry.
• Your doctor will want to see you after surgery – make that appointment and keep it.
• Your surgeon may send you home on blood thinning medication.

Call Your Doctor If…

• You have increasing abdominal pain or bloating.
• A fever more than 101 degrees.
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting lasting longer than 4 hours
• Diarrhea lasting longer than 2+ hours
• Shaking or chills
• Increasing redness around the incision
• Excessive bleeding
• Foul smell/drainage