How long to heal internally after surgery

Walking after surgery is one of the most important things you can do after having a procedure. It may seem like a simple thing, but a quick walk every hour or two can help prevent serious complications like deep vein thrombosis DVT and pneumonia. Walking can also help prevent one very common and annoying side effect of anesthesia—constipation. Walking is a gentle way to return to physical activity and can help promote a return to regular activities.

Talk to your surgeon about when you can return to more strenuous activities, such as running and contact sports. Swimming should wait until your wound is completely closed. Recovering from surgery shouldn't be complicated, but it will take some time and energy along with a willingness to follow the instructions provided by your surgeon.

A surprisingly large number of people do not follow those instructions and then wonder why they are having pain, healing slowly, or both. Your healing body needs time to heal and won't tolerate being rushed, but being smart may lead to shorter recovery and a quick return to your normal activities.

Anesthesia can also cause grogginess for about 24 hours after the surgery. Beyond that, it depends on the type of procedure. Major procedures that require a hospital stay will cause fatigue for longer than minor outpatient procedures. Nausea and vomiting can occur for a few hours or up to several days following anesthesia. If you're experiencing nausea or vomiting, let your healthcare provider know so they can help you treat it. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.

The benefits of enhanced recovery after surgery programs and their application in cardiothoracic surgery. Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. Patient engagement with surgical site infection prevention: an expert panel perspective. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. Normal diet within two postoperative days-realistic or too ambitious? Son D, Harijan A. Overview of surgical scar prevention and management.

J Korean Med Sci. Gan T. Poorly controlled postoperative pain: prevalence, consequences, and prevention. J Pain Res. Merits of exercise therapy before and after major surgery. Interviewer: You just had a surgery. You might be wondering when can you get back to your life, the things you enjoy doing, your activities?

We're going to find out next on The Scope. Announcer: Health information from expects, supported by research. Interviewer: How long after surgery until you can kind of get back to your life the way it was before surgery? That's a question a lot of people have. We're with Dr. Jeff Campsen. He's a surgeon at the University of Utah Hospital. So, when can you get back to your life after surgery? Jeff Campsen: Well, it depends on the type of surgery you have.

Anytime you have some sort of incision that goes intra-abdominal, you have to heal that incision. Depending on your state of health, it can be shorter or longer. An average time length that a lot of people say with an abdominal incision is about one to two months or even just six weeks to where you really want to let it heal and you try not to put too much pressure on your abdomen during that time.

Interviewer: Is it the skin that's the issue, that that's going to break apart, or is there muscular things underneath that need to heal as well? Jeff Campsen: That's exactly right. It's the deeper tissues, what's called the fascia.

The fascia needs to heal, and that's what you would get a hernia through. The skin heals fairly quickly, but the deeper tissues take a little bit longer to heal. That's what takes one or two months. Those tissues are basically what make up your abdominal wall.

They're sewn back together, but then the stitches that we use, the deep sutures, will only hold up so long. Most of the time over time they get absorbed, so it's really your body reforming that abdominal wall.

Interviewer: Oh, so after surgery there's multiple stitches. There's the stitches inside of me, and then the stitches I see on my skin. Wound Dehiscence: When an Incision Reopens. Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D. Symptoms Risk factors Complications Prevention Treatment Takeaway Wound dehiscence occurs when a surgical incision reopens either internally or externally.

What are the symptoms of wound dehiscence? Why would my wound reopen? Which complications are associated with wound dehiscence? How do I prevent wound dehiscence? How is dehiscence treated? Read this next. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Surgical Wound. Depression after surgery is not uncommon and can slow recovery. Feelings of depression can make it challenging to engage in the business of getting better, and should be reported to the primary care provider.

Complications : That is the word that every surgery patient dreads, but it is, unfortunately, a reality for some patients. There are many issues, expected and unexpected, that can slow recovery. Identifying complications, such as a wound infection, quickly can make an enormous difference in how much they impact the recovery process. Is it possible or reasonable to make a full recovery? What exactly is a full recovery? The idea of a full recovery is typically understood as functioning as well as prior to surgery, or better.

That expectation may not be reasonable, a better definition might be reaching your best possible level of function after surgery. Some surgeries are not performed for a cure, but to improve pain, remove infection, or slow a disease process. For example, imagine a patient who has a severe infection in their foot that is both painful and life-threatening. The problem is not being controlled by antibiotics or wound care , and the infection is threatening to move to the rest of the body.

For this patient, a return to good health without an infection, and a well-healed incision may be considered an outstanding outcome and a complete recovery. Your surgeon is the one individual who can most accurately estimate the length of time your recovery will require. They are knowledgeable about the current state of your health, the details of the procedure that is being done, your age and all of the other factors that together will determine your recovery time.

Even so, that time frame is an estimate, a most likely scenario based on what is known about your health combined with practical experience.

Unforeseen complications will extend the time it takes to fully recover after surgery. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Your Privacy Rights.