Going Home After Your Sling Surgery UHN Information for patients and families Read this booklet to learn: • how to care for yourself • how to take car...
Going Home After Your Sling Surgery UHN Information for patients and families Read this booklet to learn: • how to care for yourself • how to take care of your wound • what problems to look out for • who to call to if you have any questions
The sling surgery should help reduce your urinary incontinence (leaking of urine). Follow these instructions when you get home.
What can I eat and drink after my surgery? You can go back to eating and drinking what you normally would when you return home. Start by having fluids and soups on the day of the surgery. Then try to eat your usual meals the next day. If you feel nauseated (sick to your stomach) or you are vomiting, you can buy anti-nausea medicine such as Gravol from your pharmacy without a prescription. Take the anti-nausea medicine as directed and drink liquids until the nausea passes.
How much activity and exercise can I do? When you go home, rest on the first day. The next day you can slowly go back to most of your usual activities. For the first 6 weeks after your surgery: • Do not lift anything heavier than 5 pounds. For example, do not carry groceries or lift children or pets • Do not do any tiring activities like: exercises jogging playing sports like golf or skiing gardening shovelling snow • Do not have sex. • Do not walk up and down the stairs a lot. • Do not strain during a bowel movement. Your surgeon will tell you when it is safe to go back to your usual activities. 2
When can I drive again? Do not drive a car for 2 weeks.
When can I take a shower? You can shower 48 hours after your surgery. When you shower, remove the bandage carefully. After your shower, pat the incision (cut) sites gently. Do not take baths for 3 to 4 weeks after your surgery.
How should I care for my wound? • Leave the bandage (dressing) on for the first 48 hours after your surgery. • Always keep the bandage clean and dry. • Remove the bandages 48 hours after your surgery. Do not put the bandage back on. • If there are steri-strips under the dressing: leave them on for 7 days. Then remove them and throw them away. If they start to peel off before the 7 days, remove them and throw them away. • Your incision site may have 1 or 2 stitches. The stitches will fall off on their own. • To keep wounds clean, always wear clean underwear.
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How do I cope with my pain? Pain is normal after this surgery and should get better with time. • We may give you a prescription for pain medicine. Take it to a pharmacy to get it filled and follow the instructions on the bottle. • Take the medicine as soon as you feel pain. Do not wait until the pain gets bad. • After the first day take less and less pain medicine until you do not need any pain medicine at all. You can also change your medicine to Extra Strength Tylenol if you are only having a small amount of pain. Always follow the instructions on the bottle.
What if I am constipated? Pain medicine can make you constipated. If you have not had a bowel movement in 3 days or if you have trouble having a bowel movement, then you may be constipated. To prevent constipation: • Drink about 3 to 5 glasses of water every day. Each glass should be about 8 ounces or 1 cup. • Eat foods that are high in fibre like bran and fruit. • If you have not had a bowel movement for 3 days, take Milk of Magnesia and follow the instructions on the bottle. You can buy this from your pharmacy without a prescription.
Other medicines Your doctor might give you a prescription for other medicine like antibiotics. Fill the prescription and follow your doctor’s instructions for taking the antibiotics until you have finished the entire bottle. If you get hives, itchiness or redness, stop taking the antibiotics and call your surgeon or family doctor right away.
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If you normally take other medicine every day, take them as usual unless your surgeon gave you different instructions.
How do I care for my catheter? You may need to use a catheter to drain your bladder after you get home. The nurse in the unit will teach you how to care for the tube and give you an instruction booklet. Please follow the instructions on the ‘Foley Catheter Care’ pamphlet. The nurse will also give you the supplies you need. Your surgeon may arrange home care for you if the catheter needs to stay in longer than 2 days. If your surgeon arranges home care for you, it should begin as planned by your home care nurse. They will call you when it is set up for you. If you have any of these symtoms: • Call your surgeon • Call 416-340-3155 and ask to speak to the Urology Resident on call • Go to the nearest emergency room • Your temperature rises above 38 °C or 101 °F and you feel chills • You have blood in your urine (pee) • You are not able to urinate after 8 to 12 hours and feel bloated in your lower belly • It burns when you urinate • You have pain in the side of your back or lower belly • Your urine smells bad or strange • You have pain, redness or swelling in your calf or leg • Your incision (cut) site is red or painful, even after taking pain medicine
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Will I need a follow-up appointment? You must have a follow-up appointment with your surgeon. Call your surgeon’s office to make an appointment if one is not made for you. Please bring your health card (OHIP) to your appointment.
Special instructions for you: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ For more information visit our website at www.uhn.ca or www.uhnpatienteducation.ca
