| Home
> Patient Education:
Discharge Instructions - Brain Surgery |
- Avoid strenuous activity such as lifting, pulling, or pushing.
- Gradually increase your activities and let comfort be your guide.
Walking is good exercise and can increase your endurance.
- Avoid running, jogging, or bicycle riding.
- As you become more active, you may experience an increase in discomfort,
including headaches, so do not become alarmed.
- Sexual relations may be resumed at your discretion.
- Do not drive an automobile, ride a motorcycle, or operate dangerous
machinery until you have been cleared to do so by your surgeon.
|
- If you have stitches that can be seen, avoid getting the incision
wet until the stitches/staples have been removed.
- If your incision has Steri-Strips, you may get the incision wet
five days after surgery. The Steri-Strips will then begin to curl
up and can be carefully removed.
- Puffiness or swelling about the incision or under the skin flap
is not uncommon, particularly if it occurs in the morning after sleeping.
This can be helped by elevating the head of your bed while sleeping.
|
- At the time of your discharge, you will be given a prescription
for pain medication. When this runs out, Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil,
or Bufferin taken as directed on the container should be sufficient
for pain control.
- You may be given a prescription for medications to help prevent
seizures. Please read the instructions on the bottle carefully and
refrain from changing your dietary habits significantly or consuming
alcohol without first consulting the prescribing physician. After
your discharge from the hospital, please notify any physician needing
to change your medications to control seizures and let that doctor
know the dose of your seizure medication.
- Please see our office policy regarding medications for further information.
|
You will be given an appointment for your next office
visit at hospital discharge. Please call our office if you develop any
of the following:
- Fever (over 100 degrees), chills or sweats.
- Drainage from your incision. (A small amount of puffiness and numbness
around the area of the incision is normal).
- New pain or weakness beginning after your discharge.
- If your call is after hours or on the weekend, please see the instructions
below.
|
- If you have what you feel is a true emergency at any time, please
present immediately to your local emergency room, where a doctor there
will evaluate you and contact us if needed. Due to the complexity
of neurosurgical procedures and treatment of neurosurgical problems,
effective advice regarding emergency situations cannot be given over
the telephone.
- Should you have a situation which is not life-threatening, but you
feel needs addressing before normal office hours or on the weekend,
please present to the local emergency room, where the physician there
will evaluate you and contact us if needed.
|
|
