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Once home, rest for the remainder of the day of your surgery. On the day after surgery, you may be up and about without any restrictions. Work can be resumed whenever you want to - walking and mild exercise will not be harmful, but fatigue is common after any surgery.
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Eat a well-balanced diet. Drink ample liquids throughout the day. Take a "bulk fiber supplement" such as Citrucel, Metamucil, Fibercon or Konsyl two times daily for the first three weeks.
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Move your bowels normally when you feel the urge. Straining should be minimized, but is not harmful. It is important to resume your normal habit of bowel movements. Narcotic pain medicine, as well as pain itself, will tend to make you constipated.If you have not had a bowel movement by 2 days after your surgery, take 2 tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia twice a day until your bowels move. If there is still no bowel action by 3 days after your surgery, call the office for further instructions.
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Apply an ice pack to the surgical area for 15 minutes out of each hour you are awake for the first 3 days after surgery. This will help with the swelling and the pain. Take a "sitz bath," soaking the anal area in plain warm water for 10-20 minutes, 3 to 4 times daily for the first week. After the first week, do this once or twice a day until healing has occurred. If a bath tub is not convenient, you may purchase a disposable plastic sitz basin, available at most pharmacies.
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Take pain medication as prescribed. There is no virtue in trying to "tough it out" without medication. If you can take ibuprofen or naproxen (such as Advil and Aleve), both available without a prescription, you will decrease the amount and length of time you will require narcotic pain medicine. Per office policy, there will be no refills of narcotic pain medication during the weekend
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After surgery, you may experience some difficulty in passing your urine. Attempting urination in a sitz bath, shower, or bath tub filled with warm water may ease this difficulty. If you are still unable to urinate, go to the nearest emergency room for treatment and placement of a urinary catheter.
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A loosely applied piece of gauze or a mini or maxi pad may be used to keep the underclothes from being soiled by drainage. There is no need to protect the area of surgery itself, however.
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After your surgery, the following may occur and should not alarm you:
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Drainage of bloody discharge or occasional passage of bright red blood (a tablespoonful or less)
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Swelling around the anus, soreness, burning, itching or dull aching
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Mild to moderate pain with bowel movement
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Mild fever or odor
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Heavy bleeding after anorectal surgery is very uncommon. If you think that you are bleeding excessively, call the office at any time 425-688-1916. You may be asked to return to our office or to go to an emergency room for evaluation and treatment.
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Avoid aspirin or aspirin-containing products for one week after surgery unless you have been given special instructions
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The office staff will call you two days after your procedure to make a follow-up appointment for two weeks after surgery and review your post-procedure course.