Hernias are common among both men and women. An abdominal hernia occurs when an organ or tissues protrude through the abdominal wall. Most abdominal hernias are treated with surgery.
If you have undergone abdominal hernia surgery, then this article is for you. Dr. Gregory Dumanian is a hernia specialist. Here, he uses his expertise to provide five tips for easier abdominal hernia recovery.
1. Follow Your Surgeon’s Instructions
The easiest and best way to recover from any surgery is to follow your surgeon’s instructions. Physicians provide post-surgery instructions for the benefit of the patient. If your surgeon tells you to do something, or to refrain from doing something, follow their instructions. If you have questions about your abdominal hernia recovery, contact your surgeon or doctor.
2. Create a Recovery Plan
Before your abdominal hernia surgery, you should create a recovery plan. A recovery plan ensures that you have everything in place to help you heal. Consider the following when creating your recovery plan:
- Where will you recover after your surgery? Different surgeries have different healing requirements. Consider where you plan to recover after your surgery, including where you are going to sleep and where you will spend your days.
- How will you allocate your recovery time? Recovery involves rest and patience. If you have a busy and active lifestyle, you should plan on slowing down as needed.
- How will you eat? This may sound silly but it’s important to have healthy and easy-to-prepare meals after surgery. You may not be feeling your best so you may not be able to prepare complex meals or go out to eat like you usually do. If you don’t have someone helping you, you should plan your meals ahead of time.
- Plan on who will drive you to the hospital and the doctor’s office. How would you get to the hospital if there is an emergency?
- Move as much of your work schedule to be completed before surgery, or else a week or two after surgery via the internet.
3. Alleviate Constipation Early
Constipation following surgery is a very common problem. It is a common byproduct of taking narcotic pain medicines such as oxycodone. Unfortunately, constipation can impact your recovery. You can take steps to alleviate constipation by doing the following:
- Drink water
- Eat fiber-rich foods
- Take short, slow walks
- Take the stool softeners as prescribed
4. Take Care of Your Body
Your body responds to how you take care of it. After abdominal hernia surgery you should be especially kind to your body and do the following:
- Stay positive
- Drink water
- Rest
- Care for your incisions as directed
- Walk as allowed
- Exercise per your surgeon’s instructions
- Use your arms and legs when getting up from a sitting or lying position, rather than trying to engage your core abdominal muscles
5. Seek Medical Care If Needed
Sometimes recovery doesn’t always go as planned. If you have issues after your abdominal hernia surgery, you should seek medical care immediately. Prompt medical attention can help avoid serious complications. You should seek medical care for any of the following:
- New swelling in the surgery site
- New redness in the surgery site
- Inability to keep down fluids, with emesis (vomiting) being particulary worrisome
- New difficulty breathing
- New calf tenderness or foot swelling
- Symptoms of an allergic reaction such as new face or lip swelling
- Pain that doesn’t subside with pain medication
- Nausea that does not seem related to one of your medicines
- Diarrhea requiring multiple trips to the bathroom
- The inability to drink fluids
- The inability to pass stools or gas
Schedule a Consultation
Dr. Dumanian is an experienced and patient-focused hernia surgeon. If you have questions about hernia surgery, call (312) 695-6022 today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Dumanian.