What to expect after your surgery
As early as the evening following surgery, you should be able to sit in a chair or even walk around your bed. You will be expected to go to the bathroom and back to bed with minimal assistance. After many types of surgery, you will be drinking clear liquids immediately, and you will advance to a light regular diet the next day.
The need for pain medication varies a lot from person to person, but usually after a few doses of a narcotic pain medication, it will be possible to control discomfort with Tylenol or an equivalent. Prolonged use of narcotic analgesics (such as Percocet or Tylenol with codeine) should be avoided, as they cause severe constipation, which may be more distressing than the helpful. Avoid driving a car if there is any abdominal soreness that may prevent you from reacting quickly in an emergency, or if you are still taking strong pain medications.
You may return home with adhesive tape on your wounds. It is quite safe to shower with the adhesive tape. The tape will usually fall off on its own while in the shower. If need be, you may completely remove it yourself. Dissolving stitches are usually used, so there is nothing to remove except the tape. It is normal for a painless, firm bump to develop under each scar. These bumps just indicate sound healing and disappear in about two months.
You are encouraged to return to normal activities as soon as possible. It is vital that you get as much reasonable exercise as you can tolerate in the early postoperative period to stimulate the circulation and breathing. It is very difficult to disrupt any of the surgery, so do not be afraid that you will do yourself harm.