Sign out
How can you care for yourself at home?
Activity
- Rest when you feel tired. Getting enough sleep will help you recover.
- Try to walk each day. Start by walking a little more than you did the day before. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk. Walking boosts blood flow and helps prevent pneumonia and constipation. At first, avoid hills, and try to stay on flat ground. You can climb stairs, but try to limit how often you do this. When you do climb them, do it slowly, and pause every few steps.
- Avoid strenuous activities for 6 to 8 weeks, or until your doctor says it is okay. This includes bicycle riding, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise.
- For 6 to 8 weeks or until your doctor says it is okay, avoid lifting anything that would make you strain. This may include a child, heavy grocery bags and milk containers, a heavy briefcase or backpack, cat litter or dog food bags, or a vacuum cleaner.
- You may shower if your doctor says it is okay. Empty the catheter bag before you start. When you shower, keep the catheter taped to your leg. Do not take a bath until your doctor or nurse has removed the catheter.
- Ask your doctor when you can drive again.
- Avoid riding in a car for more than 1 hour at a time for the first 3 weeks after surgery. If you must ride in a car for a longer distance, stop often to walk and stretch your legs.
- You will probably need to take 3 to 5 weeks off from work. It depends on the type of work you do and how you feel.
Diet
- You can eat your normal diet. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt.
- Drink plenty of fluids (unless your doctor tells you not to).
- You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common. Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fiber supplement every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.
Medicines
- Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. The doctor will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines.
- If you stopped taking aspirin or some other blood thinner, your doctor will tell you when to start taking it again.
- Take pain medicines exactly as directed.
- If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
- If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
- If you think your pain medicine is making you sick to your stomach:
- Take your medicine after meals (unless your doctor has told you not to).
- Ask your doctor for a different pain medicine.
- Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics when your urinary catheter is removed. Take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics.
Incision care
- If you have strips of tape on the incision, leave the tape on for a week or until it falls off.
- If you had stitches, your doctor will tell you when to come back to have them removed.
- Wash the area daily with warm water and pat it dry. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the area with a gauze bandage if it weeps or rubs against clothing. Change the bandage every day.
- Keep the area clean and dry.
Ice and elevation
- To help with pain and swelling, put ice or a cold pack on your groin for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin.
Other instructions
- You will have a urinary catheter for 1 to 2 weeks. Your doctor or nurse will tell you how to care for it.
- Be sure the catheter is securely taped to your thigh and attached to the large drainage bag when you are at home. Use the smaller leg bag only when you go out.
- A little urine leakage around the catheter is normal. You can place an incontinence pad in your underwear to absorb urine leaks.
- Do not have an enema or use a rectal thermometer for 3 months, or until your doctor says it is okay.
When should you call for help?
Call 911 anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:
- You passed out (lost consciousness).
- You have chest pain, are short of breath, or cough up blood.
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
- You have pain that does not get better after you take pain medicine.
- You have loose stitches, or your incision comes open.
- You have signs of infection, such as:
- Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness.
- Red streaks leading from the area.
- Pus draining from the area.
- A fever.
- You are unable to urinate.
- You are bleeding from your incision.
- You are sick to your stomach or cannot drink fluids.
- You have symptoms of a urinary tract infection. This may include:
- Pain or burning when you urinate.
- A frequent need to urinate without being able to pass much urine.
- Pain in the flank, which is just below the rib cage and above the waist on either side of the back.
- Blood in your urine.
- A fever.
- You have signs of a blood clot in your leg (called a deep vein thrombosis), such as:
- Pain in your calf, back of the knee, thigh, or groin.
- Redness or swelling in your leg.
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if you have any problems.
Current as of: October 25, 2024
Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
