Know What to Expect After Surgery
If this is your first surgery, speak with your doctor about what is going to happen afterward.
Where will you wake up? Where will you be taken afterward? When can your friends and family see you? When can you eat and drink again? Will you be fitted with a catheter or will you be allowed to get up immediately following surgery? This will minimize anxiety and put you on the road to recovery much quicker.
Your doctor should also speak to you about complications that can occur and what to look out for in the days after surgery. Don’t take this as a doom and gloom scenario as major complications are not very common.
However, as a lupus patient, there are specific ones, like blood clots, you need to make sure you know how to identify. You can also discuss ways to prevent these kinds of complications (such as pills, shots or even compression stockings) to minimize your risk.
Be Gentle With Yourself
Aside from preparedness, this is my number one tip for lupus patients. After the first surgery I had, I was so sick of lying in bed that when I began to feel better, I immediately began to take on far too much. This lead to me feeling a lot worse, and actually landed me back in the hospital.
Don’t take a page from my book. Instead, take things slowly. When the doctor says that normal recovery is two weeks, tack on an extra week or two.
During this time, avoid anything strenuous such as heavy lifting, intense workouts or activities that could potentially cause injury. Always assume it is going to take you a little bit longer to recover than a non-lupus patient.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you should lie in bed the entire recovery period. Your doctor may tell you to stay on bed rest with minimal activity for a few days, and of course you can tack on a couple of days as an added insurance. But after that, it is important that you get your body moving — in a gentle way.
Start out slowly — taking short walks around the neighbourhood, preparing small meals for yourself and your family, or doing one or two chores around the house that you usually do. Moving around helps prevent blood clots and improves blood flow, two very important aspects of recovery.
Keep Your Medication Routine Regular
Make sure that during your recovery process, you are very vigilant about both your lupus medication and anything else your doctor may have given you. If you find you are sleeping a lot during your recovery stage (which is perfectly normal after a trauma to your body), set alarms so that you can wake up to ensure your medication is being taken at regular intervals.
Don’t Be Surprised If This Triggers a Lupus Flare
Surgery is a trauma to the body, and any such trauma can bring about a lupus flare. It can be discouraging, especially if the surgery was meant to alleviate pain or a problem that you’ve been having for a while.
If this is the case, be sure you speak to your rheumatologist right away. This may mean that you will have to go on a short course of steroids or other strong medication to get your body back on track.
Listen to Your Body
Finally, listen to your body. It is best at determining its needs. If you feel exhausted, sleep, as your body is regenerating cells whilst you are sleeping.
If you feel thirsty, have plenty of fluids on hand. Don’t overdo it in an effort to speed up the recovery process. You will end up slowing it down in the long run.
