Recovering at home
Expect to be discharged from the hospital four or five days after your general surgery. To be sent home, you will need to be safely walking, eating and drinking a regular diet, and passing gas and/or stool.
The day you are discharged from the hospital, you will be given:
- Information on how to care for your incision(s)
- Information and supplies for your ostomy and/or drain
- Medications for pain and related prescriptions
Schedule soon
Call to schedule a post-operative visit 1 to 2 weeks following your surgery. If you have staples in your wound, they will be removed during your post-operative visit.
Engaged recovery resources
Ways to prepare for your homecoming
- Make advance support plans with friends and family so that you have the help you need with meals, bathing, laundry, and cleaning when you come home from the hospital.
- To help prevent infection, have plenty of clean sheets, towels, and comfortable clothing so friends and family can concentrate on YOU and not chores.
- Be sure you have a stock of food for when you come home from the hospital. Prepare and freeze some meals before your surgery that are easy to reheat.
- Make sure that your bathroom is easy to access. Think about where you would like to spend most of your time recovering.