When to contact Doctor During Post-Surgery Recovery

Once you have been discharged from the hospital after surgery, you will need to know when your recovery has changed from a normal recovery to one that may need medical intervention.

If you have any of the following symptoms in the weeks following surgery, be sure to call your surgeon or family physician for further instruction. You may be asked to report to the emergency room, or your physician may feel that your symptoms can be managed at home.

Call your doctor if you have:

• A temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
• increased pain or tenderness near the incision
• poor pain relief
• signs of infection:
  1. increased swelling
  2. redness
  3. increased drainage
  4. increased warmth
  5. pus
  6. foul smell
  7. bleeding at the incision
  8. incision coming apart
• changes in circulation:
  1. increased numbness
  2. inability to feel or move fingers or toes
  3. pale blue, white or abnormally cold fingers or toes
• nausea (upset stomach) or vomiting (throwing up) that won’t stop
• increased tiredness
• a generally worse feeling than you had when you left the hospital
• problems urinating
• severe constipation or severe diarrhea
• a concern about any other symptoms that seem unusual