POSTOPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS AFTER SURGERY
Immediate restrictions because of the anesthesia you have received you need to:
 Limit your activities for 24 hours
 Do not drink alcoholic beverages because they can sometimes exacerbate the effects of the
anesthesia.
 Start a clear liquid diet and advance to a regular diet if the clear liquid diet is well tolerated.
 Do not make any important or critical decisions
Contact our office (949-276-8050) if you experience any of the following:
 Excessive bleeding (i.e. soaked bandage)
 The pain medication is not controlling the pain
 The patient is unable to urinate after 8 hours following surgery.
 Patient is experiencing vomiting which persists overnight
 Fever greater than 101F
 Excessive redness or swelling around the incision
 Any drainage from the wound
NOTE: If you are unable to get in contact with Dr. Klause or her office, please go to the Emergency
Room.
Dressings
 If you have a clear covering for dressing (Dermabond), you can get the wound wet and it will fall
off in about 2 weeks.
 If you have a traditional gauze dressing, please keep it dry and remove after 48 hours.
 If you have visible sutures or staples, please apply antibiotic ointment of choice daily after the
dressing has been changed. These will be removed in our office in approximately 7-10 days.
Swelling
 Ice the wound for the first 48 hours if there is any sign of swelling.
 Apply to wound for 15-20 on and then 15-20 minutes off
 You can use any standard ice pack that you have at home or frozen green peas work
Open Wounds
 Care and dress as instructed
Drains
 Empty and record output daily as instructed
 Change dressing daily

It is OK to shower but make sure to change the dressing afterwards
Activities
 No heavy lifting greater than 10 pounds for 2-4 weeks for any hernia or deep abdominal surgery
 Light exercise is encouraged for any surgery as long as heavy lifting is not involved.
Follow-up Appointment
 Please call our office at 949-276-8050 to make a follow-up appointment within 7-10 days after
surgery
 If you are experiencing any complications or have questions, please call our office as soon as
possible. If you are unable to reach our office, please go to the Emergency Room.
RECTAL SURGERY
Immediate restrictions because of the anesthesia you have received you need to:
 Limit your activities for 24 hours
 Do not drink alcoholic beverages because they can sometimes exacerbate the effects of the
anesthesia.
 Start a clear liquid diet and advance to a regular diet if the clear liquid diet is well tolerated.
 Do not make any important or critical decisions
Contact our office (949-276-8050) if you experience any of the following:
 Excessive bleeding (i.e. soaked bandage)
 The pain medication is not controlling the pain
 The patient is unable to urinate after 8 hours following surgery.
 Patient is experiencing vomiting which persists overnight
 Fever greater than 101F
 Excessive redness or swelling around the incision
 Any drainage from the wound
NOTE: If you are unable to get in contact with Dr. Klause or her office, please go to the Emergency
Room.
Dressings
 Gauze placed during or after surgery can be removed when you get home
 If there is any oozing, you can replace the dressing.
Pain

Local anesthetic was injected during the procedure. This will help keep pain controlled for
approximately 3-4 hours. A prescription for pain tablets will be provided at discharge.
Wound Care
 Sitz baths should be taken daily or with every bowel movement
 Do not attempt to insert anything like a suppository into the rectum for 2 weeks.
Diet

Constipation should be avoided by using stool softeners of choice. These should be used in
sufficient amounts to be effective as they are harmless in excess.
BREAST SURGERY
Immediate restrictions because of the anesthesia you have received you need to:
 Limit your activities for 24 hours
 Do not drink alcoholic beverages because they can sometimes exacerbate the effects of the
anesthesia.
 Start a clear liquid diet and advance to a regular diet if the clear liquid diet is well tolerated.
 Do not make any important or critical decisions
Contact our office (949-276-8050) if you experience any of the following:
 Excessive bleeding (i.e. soaked bandage)
 The pain medication is not controlling the pain
 The patient is unable to urinate after 8 hours following surgery.
 Patient is experiencing vomiting which persists overnight
 Fever greater than 101F
 Excessive redness or swelling around the incision
 Any drainage from the wound
NOTE: If you are unable to get in contact with Dr. Klause or her office, please go to the Emergency
Room.
Dressings
 Please remove the dressing after 48 hours.
 If you have visible staples or sutures, you must call the office at 949-276-8050 for an
appointment to remove them in 5-10 days.
 If you have sutures under the skin, they will dissolve and do not require the patient to remove
them. The tape across the wound will fall off in approximately 2-3 weeks.
 If you have a skin sealant (no staples, sutures or drainage), this will fall off in approximately 2
weeks.
 Shower after the dressing is removed. Pat the wound dry and keep it clean. Cover with a dry
dressing if needed for comfort.
 If you have an open wound, please care and dress the wound as instructed.
Miscellaneous
 Swelling and bruising and are not unusual. An ice pack may help during the first 24 hours.
 Avoid heavy lifting (more than 10 pounds) for approximately 4-6 weeks after the surgery.
 Please don’t drive until seen and cleared in the office.
 If you have a drain, please care for it as instructed. Call the office at 949-276-8050 if the output
is less than 30cc’s a day.
Follow-up Appointment
 Please call our office at 949-276-8050 to make a follow-up appointment in 2-3 weeks after
surgery.
 If you have a drain, you need an appointment in the office in 1 week.
 If you are experiencing any complications or have questions, please call our office as soon as
possible. If you are unable to reach our office, please go to the Emergency Room.
ABDOMINAL SURGERY
Immediate restrictions because of the anesthesia you have received you need to:
 Limit your activities for 24 hours
 Do not drink alcoholic beverages because they can sometimes exacerbate the effects of the
anesthesia.
 Advance to a regular diet as tolerated (start a clear liquid diet and advance to a regular diet if
the clear liquid diet is well tolerated)
 Do not make any important or critical decisions
Contact our office (949-276-8050) if you experience any of the following:
 Excessive bleeding (i.e. soaked bandage)
 The pain medication is not controlling the pain
 The patient is unable to urinate after 8 hours following surgery.
 Patient is experiencing vomiting which persists overnight
 Fever greater than 101F
 Excessive redness or swelling around the incision
 Any drainage from the wound
NOTE: If you are unable to get in contact with Dr. Klause or her office, please go to the Emergency
Room.
Dressings
 Please remove the dressing after 48 hours.
 If you have visible staples or sutures, you must call the office at 949-276-8050 for an
appointment to remove them in 5-10 days.




If you have sutures under the skin, they will dissolve and do not require the patient to remove
them. The tape across the wound will fall off in approximately 2-3 weeks.
If you have a skin sealant (no staples, sutures or drainage), this will fall off in approximately 2
weeks.
Shower after the dressing is removed. Pat the wound dry and keep it clean. Cover with a dry
dressing if needed for comfort.
If you have an open wound, please care and dress the wound as instructed.
Miscellaneous
 Swelling and bruising and are not unusual. An ice pack may help during the first 24 hours.
 Avoid heavy lifting (more than 10 pounds) for approximately 4-6 weeks after the surgery.
 Please don’t drive until seen and cleared in the office.
Follow-up Appointment
 Please call our office at 949-276-8050 to make a follow-up appointment in 2-3 weeks after
surgery.
 If you are experiencing any complications or have questions, please call our office as soon as
possible. If you are unable to reach our office, please go to the Emergency Room.
HERNIA SURGERY
Immediate restrictions because of the anesthesia you have received you need to:
 Limit your activities for 24 hours
 Do not drink alcoholic beverages because they can sometimes exacerbate the effects of the
anesthesia.
 Advance to a regular diet as tolerated (start a clear liquid diet and advance to a regular diet if
the clear liquid diet is well tolerated)
 Do not make any important or critical decisions
Contact our office (949-276-8050) if you experience any of the following:
 Excessive bleeding (i.e. soaked bandage)
 The pain medication is not controlling the pain
 The patient is unable to urinate after 8 hours following surgery.
 Patient is experiencing vomiting which persists overnight
 Fever greater than 101F
 Excessive redness or swelling around the incision
 Any drainage from the wound
NOTE: If you are unable to get in contact with Dr. Klause or her office, please go to the Emergency
Room.
Dressings
 Please remove the dressing after 48 hours.
 If you have visible staples or sutures, you must call the office at 949-276-8050 for an
appointment to remove them in 5-10 days.
 If you have sutures under the skin, they will dissolve and do not require the patient to remove
them. The tape across the wound will fall off in approximately 2-3 weeks.
 If you have a skin sealant (no staples, sutures or drainage), this will fall off in approximately 2
weeks.
 Shower after the dressing is removed. Pat the wound dry and keep it clean. Cover with a dry
dressing if needed for comfort.
 If you have an open wound, please care and dress the wound as instructed.
Miscellaneous
 Swelling and bruising around the incision or in the scrotum area is not unusual. An ice pack may
help during the first 24 hours.
 Avoid heavy lifting (more than 10 pounds) for approximately 2-4 weeks after the surgery.
 For pain related to surgery, you may use a prescription pain reliever if one was prescribed to you
or you may use Tylenol for mild discomfort.
Follow-up Appointment
 Please call our office at 949-276-8050 to make a follow-up appointment in 1-2 weeks after
surgery.
 If you are experiencing any complications or have questions, please call our office as soon as
possible. If you are unable to reach our office, please go to the Emergency Room.
GALLBLADDER REMOVAL SURGERY
Immediate restrictions because of the anesthesia you have received you need to:
 Limit your activities for 24 hours
 Do not drive a car or operate machinery until OK’d by your doctor.
 Do not drink alcoholic beverages because they can sometimes exacerbate the effects of the
anesthesia.
 Advance to a regular diet as tolerated (start a clear liquid diet and advance to a regular diet if
the clear liquid diet is well tolerated).
 You may notice cramps and / or loose stools with fatty meals. This can last as long as 3 months
but should improve and get resolved after that.
 Do not make any important or critical decisions
Contact our office (949-276-8050) if you experience any of the following:
 Excessive bleeding (i.e. soaked bandage)
 The pain medication is not controlling the pain
 The patient is unable to urinate after 8 hours following surgery.
 Patient is experiencing vomiting which persists overnight
 Fever greater than 101F
 Excessive redness or swelling around the incision
NOTE: If you are unable to get in contact with Dr. Klause or her office, please go to the Emergency
Room.
Dressings
 Please remove the dressing after 48 hours.
 If you have visible staples or sutures, you must call the office at 949-276-8050 for an
appointment to remove them in 5-10 days.
 If you have sutures under the skin, they will dissolve and do not require the patient to remove
them. The tape across the wound will fall off in approximately 2-3 weeks.
 If you have a skin sealant (no staples, sutures or drainage), this will fall off in approximately 2
weeks.
 Shower after the dressing is removed. Pat the wound dry and keep it clean. Cover with a dry
dressing if needed for comfort.
 If you have an open wound, please care and dress the wound as instructed.
Miscellaneous
 Swelling and bruising around the incision are not unusual. An ice pack may help during the first
24 hours.
 Avoid heavy lifting (more than 10 pounds) for approximately 2-4 weeks after the surgery.
 Use your Incentive Spirometer given to you at the hospital as instructed for 2 days.
 For pain related to the surgery, you may use a prescription pain reliever if one was prescribed to
you or you may use Tylenol for mild discomfort.
Follow-up Appointment
 Please call our office at 949-276-8050 to make a follow-up appointment in 2-3 weeks after
surgery.
 If you are experiencing any complications or have questions, please call our office as soon as
possible. If you are unable to reach our office, please go to the Emergency Room.