The short version
- Walk every 1 to 2 hours in the days after surgery. It is the single best thing you can do. [1]
- Alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours as needed after abdominal surgery. [1]
- Lifting limits and pelvic rest vary by procedure. Check your timeline below.
- Keep increasing water and protein for up to 2 weeks after surgery. [2]
- Your 2 week and 6 week visits are already booked. They are in the blue folder. [1]
Your own discharge papers come first
Everything on this page is taken from the standard printed instructions this office gives patients. If the papers you were handed at discharge say something different, follow those. They were written for your operation. When the two disagree, call the office at 817-759-7065 and let us settle it.
After laparotomy or laparoscopy
The printed instructions for abdominal surgery. Each procedure page links its own.
Your recovery timeline
Choose the procedure you had. Every number in these timelines is transcribed from the discharge instructions this office gives patients.
Pain and gas
After abdominal surgery, alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours as needed. You may take up to 600 mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours and up to 650 mg of Tylenol every 6 hours. Prescription pain medicine is for breakthrough pain. [1]
Abdominal bloating and gas pain are common for several weeks after laparoscopic or robotic surgery and go away in time. Take simethicone, sold as Gas-X, after meals as needed. [1] Walking helps more than any medicine.
After vaginal, cervical, or vulvar procedures, cramping and soreness are normal and usually respond to ibuprofen or Tylenol. [3][4][5]
Bowels and bladder
Straining with a bowel movement is the thing to avoid after every one of these operations. Take a stool softener twice a day as needed and drink plenty of water. Prune juice, apple juice, or Miralax can be added. Use whichever over-the-counter stool softener works best for you. [1]
Trouble emptying your bladder, or burning when you urinate, is on the call-the-office list for every procedure. [1] Do not wait it out.
Incisions and dressings
- Wash incisions with warm soapy water. Keep them clean and dry. [1]
- Robotic incisions closed with surgical glue: keep the glue on until 2 weeks after surgery. [1]
- All other dressings may be removed on day 7. [1]
- A negative pressure dressing, which is purple foam with a battery pack, will beep and lose suction when it is finished, usually 5 to 7 days after surgery. Then you may peel it off and discard it along with the battery pack. [1]
- After vulvar surgery, cleanse the area at least once daily with a sitz bath and pat completely dry, and check daily for redness, swelling, or the wound opening. [5]
Driving, lifting, and pelvic rest
| No lifting over | For | Pelvic rest | Strenuous exercise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laparotomy or laparoscopy | 15 to 20 lbs | 6 weeks [1] | 12 weeks [1] | Until your physician clears you. No core exercise for 6 weeks. [1] |
| Cone biopsy | 20 lbs | 4 weeks [3] | 4 weeks [3] | Avoid for about 3 to 4 weeks [3] |
| D&C and Smit sleeve | 20 lbs | 2 weeks [6] | 2 weeks [6] | Avoid for about 2 weeks [6] |
| Vaginal procedure or CO2 laser | 20 lbs | 1 week [4] | 1 week [4] | Avoid for about 1 week [4] |
| Vulvar procedure | 20 lbs | Until healed [5] | Until healed [5] | Until healed. Avoid squats and lunges. [5] |
Driving: never the day of surgery, never while taking prescription pain medicine, and never if soreness slows your reaction time. [1][3][4][5][6] After laparotomy or laparoscopy, no driving for the first 1 to 2 weeks. [1]
Bleeding and discharge
Some vaginal spotting is normal after all of these procedures. Use pads, not tampons, and change them regularly. [3][4][6] After laparotomy or laparoscopy, vaginal spotting or bleeding can be normal for up to 12 weeks. [1]
If biopsies were taken from the cervix or vagina, a mustard-colored medicine called Monsel's solution may have been applied to stop bleeding. When it mixes with blood it makes a brown discharge that looks like coffee grounds. That is normal. [3][4]
Call if you feel a sudden gush of blood, or if you fill more than one pad an hour. [1][3][4][6]
Follow-up visits
Your 2 week and 6 week follow-up appointments were scheduled in the office on the same day your procedure was scheduled. If you are unsure of the date or time, check the blue folder you were given after your consult. If you cannot make it, call 817-759-7019 and we will reschedule. [1]
When to call
When to seek care right away
Call the office now, or go to the emergency department, if you have:
- A fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
- Chest pain or shortness of breath
- Nausea and vomiting you cannot get on top of
- Increased pain, swelling, redness, or drainage from an incision
- Bleeding through more than one pad an hour
- Vaginal discharge with a foul odor
- Trouble emptying your bladder, or burning when you urinate
- Increasing swelling in one leg
A fuller version of this list, including what counts as an emergency, is on the when to call page.
After laparotomy or laparoscopy
The printed instructions given after abdominal surgery. Other handouts are linked from each procedure page.
Sources
- Vasques DR. Post Laparotomy or Laparoscopy Instructions. The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Fort Worth, TX. Patient handout supplied by the practice. pdfs/after-laparotomy-or-laparoscopy.pdf
- Vasques DR. Pre Operative Instructions. The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Fort Worth, TX. Patient handout supplied by the practice. pdfs/before-surgery-instructions.pdf
- Vasques DR. Post Cold Knife Cone Procedure Instructions. The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Fort Worth, TX. Patient handout supplied by the practice. pdfs/after-cone-biopsy.pdf
- Vasques DR. Post Vaginal Procedure (CO2 laser, biopsies) Instructions. The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Fort Worth, TX. Patient handout supplied by the practice. pdfs/after-vaginal-procedure.pdf
- Vasques DR. Post Vulvar Procedure Instructions. The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Fort Worth, TX. Patient handout supplied by the practice. pdfs/after-vulvar-procedure.pdf
- Vasques DR. Post D&C and Smit-sleeve Placement Instructions. The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Fort Worth, TX. Patient handout supplied by the practice. pdfs/after-dc-and-smit-sleeve.pdf
Reviewed by DeEtte R. Vasques, DO, MBA · September 2026