After Surgery: Taking Care of Yourself

By Dr. Kathleen Ruddy

One of the most effective treatment methods for breast cancer is surgery. However, breast surgery requires high technology and specialists. Moreover, postoperative care after breast surgery requires careful steps to avoid any complications. In many cases a patient is released from the hospital with drain tubes after surgery and a set of instructions on how to take care of the wound and what risk factors to avoid. Some helpful information has been compiled below.

Take Proper Care of Drain Tubes

After surgery a patient will be released with drain tubes attached to the body with an incision near the main surgical wound. The tubes are designed to drain any fluids near the wound and avoid opening up of the wound to drain such fluids. Taking proper care of drain tubes after surgery involves:

a) Ensuring there are no kinks in the tube. This will require you to keep the tubes straight at all times.
b) Empty the bulb when it is 2/3 full or as instructed by a healthcare provider.
c) Clean hands thoroughly before emptying the drain tubes.
d) After emptying the bulb, place it on a flat surface. Flatten it, remove air, and close the stopper.
e) Keep the drain tubes slack to avoid any pain at the incision.

Keep Dry

Keep the wound and the bandages clean and dry. Do not take a shower or go swimming until your doctor allows these activities. Sponge bathing is recommended to stay clean.

DID YOU KNOW?

Drain tubes after surgery are used to drain water, pus, blood, and other body fluids from the wound area. The fluids, if left to accumulate, can lead to infection. The tubes are mainly used in breast surgeries but can also be used in other surgeries such as lymph nodes surgery and even in treatment of fractures such as Bennett’s fractures.

Change Bandages Regularly

Change the bandages around the wound once every 24 hours. Ensure the stitches are intact and that there is no excess bleeding. Also observe the coloring of the area surrounding the wound while changing bandages. Any weird coloring like extended redness should be reported to a doctor immediately. For an easy change of the bandages have someone assist you.

Take Prescribed Medications

Take any medications prescribed after the surgery. Make sure you follow all of the instructions for the medications. Sometimes you might require some refills. Some commonly prescribed medicines include painkillers and antibiotics. Avoid any medicine that was not prescribed by your doctor.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Even though your appetite will be off for few days after the surgery make sure to eat. Light foods such as soup are ideal for the first few days. After this period eat a balanced diet with a large amount of fruits and vegetables. Remember you have a wound that needs to heal.

Rest

The quickest way to recovery is to rest. Relax and rest as much as possible. This is the time to sleep as much as possible. Avoid strenuous or stressful activities and situations as much as possible while you still have the drain tubes.

Exercise

If permitted by your doctor, non-vigorous exercises may help. Walking, for instance, may be ideal for your postoperative care. The hands might be experiencing some tingling and numbness after the surgery and this is the best exercise for them. Be sure to get plenty of fresh air.

Avoid Driving

If taking any pain medications use of machinery or driving should be avoided. Speak to your doctor before resuming these activities even if no longer take the medications.

Go for Follow Up Appointments

Never miss a follow up appointment after surgery. It does not matter how you are feeling, get some assistance and go for the appointments. Such appointments are vital in detecting anything abnormal such as developing anemia, or infections at the drain site, among others.

Call Your Doctor

Call your doctor if you notice any side effects such as dizziness, severe pain not relieved by medication, heavy bleeding, fever, excessive drainage from the wound, depression, allergies to medication, or a bad odor from the wound.

Proper care after any surgery is as important as the surgery itself. Thus the need for careful follow up and postoperative care. Following the above steps will go a long way in ensuring smooth recovery with or without drain tubes. However, doctor’s instructions should be followed at all times. Open communication between the doctor and the patient should be encouraged to assist the doctor in detecting any developing issues, including post operative depression or site infection. Moral support coupled with the above steps will lead to quick recovery.

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