This page is provided as a
resource for our surgical patients.
It is extremely important to follow our post-operative instructions. To
make it easy for you to refer to them, we've placed them on this website.
Please note, these are general instructions--if we've given you additional
instructions in person, please refer to those as well.
Below are
instructions for the following:
Post-Op
Instructions For Nail
procedures
Post-Op
Instructions For Wart excisions
Pre-Op
Surgical Instructions For Larger Procedures
Post-Op Surgical
Instructions For Larger Procedures
Post-Op
Instructions For Nail Procedures
-
Nail
procedures can bleed immediately after they're done. So go home
immediately after the procedure, and stay off your foot for the rest of the day.
-
We typically apply a tight bandage
immediately following nail procedures in order to diminish the likelihood of
bleeding following the procedure. Take this off 1.5 - 2 hours
following the procedure, and keep it covered with a simple band-aid.
If the toe does
bleed, you can reapply the tight elastic dressing for another hour, elevate
it (6 to 8 inches above your heart) and apply ice across the top of the
ankle.
Soak
the toe in salt water (Epsom salts or table salt is fine) twice per day.
Use a couple of tablespoons of salt to a liter of water. Soaking the
toe in salt water helps dry out the toe and speeds healing.
Whenever you
are not soaking the foot or bathing, it is important to keep the toe covered
with a Band-Aid throughout the healing process. Do not let it air
dry. Use a non-stick bandage that completely covers the wound.
Change the bandage regularly, preferably several times per day. When
you take off the dressing, you'll see a lot of drainage, and this is good.
All the drainage must be completely gone in order for the toe to heal.
The more often you change the dressing, the quicker the toe will heal.
The
anesthetic will typically wear off in 4 to 8 hours after the surgery, but
the foot may remain numb for 10, 12 hour or more. We had one patient
in 2006 who remained numb for 60 hours. So if you wake up tomorrow and
the toe is still numb, don't worry.
If we've done a
procedure with radiosurgery, it will take a week or two to heal.
Chemical procedures usually take three or four.
Return to the
office in about a week for a check on your healing.
Contact The
Office If...
Post
Op Instructions For Wart Procedures
-
Wart excisions tend
to bleed, so go home
immediately after the procedure, and stay off your foot as much as possible.
-
Keep the foot
elevated 6-8 inches above your heart.
-
The
anesthetic will typically wear off in 4 to 8 hours after the surgery, but
the foot may remain numb for 10, 12 hours or more. One patient in 2006
remained numb for 60 hours, so if you wake up tomorrow and can't feel pain,
don't worry.
-
(Assuming you can
take these drugs), take two over-the-counter Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) at
each meal. Half way between meals, take Tylenol. These should
help with any pain.
-
A small amount of bleeding and
drainage (roughly 1-2 inches in diameter) oozing into your dressing is
normal post-operatively. It should not be actively expanding, though,
and it should be pretty much dry by the next day. If significant
bleeding occurs, please call us.
-
Do not remove
the dressing we've applied. We will change the dressing at your
first post-operative visit 1-3 days after the procedure.
-
Keep the foot
dry at least until the first post-operative visit. At that time we will
instruct you when you may get the foot wet.
-
If the foot
gets wet accidentally, let us know.
-
Healing time
varies, depending upon the size of the wart.
Contact The
Office If...
Pre-Op
Surgical Instructions
Surgical fees are
partly covered by MSP for the surgery, but in most cases there will be
additional costs. These costs are usually reimbursed by your extended benefit
program or government agencies like WCB, ICBC, RCMP, Indian Affairs, MSSH, and
DVA. Costs for the
materials will obviously vary, based on the materials used for each
procedure.
Please arrive
at Dr. Schumacher's surgical suite on time or slightly before you are
scheduled for surgery.
So long as
the procedure is done under local anesthesia, you may eat before the
surgery. Do not drink excessive amounts of liquid pre-operatively,
as you will not be able to use the rest room during the procedure.
Wash your
foot thoroughly with soap and water the night before the surgery.
Remove all
nail polish prior to the day of surgery.
Do not shave
any hair at the surgical site.
Do not use
aspirin, ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications for
a week before the surgery unless pre-approved by Dr. Schumacher.
If you take
any medications, please continue to take them as usual the day of surgery
unless Dr. Schumacher instructs otherwise.
Please make
arrangements to be driven to and from the surgical suite on the day of the
surgery.
In addition,
after some types of foot surgery, you may not be able to drive for several
weeks post-op.
If instructed
to do so by our office, please bring crutches at the time of the surgery.
If you don't have any, we can provide you with some--but contact the office
ahead of time to make sure we have some in stock.
Before the
procedure, discuss with Dr. Schumacher any travel plans you may be
considering after the procedure.
Any family or
friends waiting for you while you have the surgery performed can wait in our
waiting room. We have a TV there, up-to-date magazines. There's
a Starbucks and Guildford Town Centre Mall a short distance away.
Post-Op
Surgical Instructions
-
Do not remove
the Bandage. The dressing we applied was put on in a sterile
fashion. If you remove the dressing, you only tend to contaminate the
wound, and increase your odds of infection. If you have a lot of
pain post-operatively, however, swelling may have occurred and the
dressing may now be too tight. In this case, you may loosen the
outer portion (the brown elastic portion) of the dressing. If you
have a cast on instead of a dressing, call the office.
-
Keep the foot
completely dry. Water is not sterile. If the foot gets wet,
the odds are much greater that you will develop an infection.
-
Stay off your
feet as much as possible. The most common complication with any foot
surgery is swelling. If you are on your feet, your odds of having
post-operative swelling go up, and this only slows healing.
-
Keep your
foot elevated whenever possible. It is best to keep your foot
elevated 6-8 inches above your heart after surgery. This will
decrease your odds of getting post-operative swelling. Put a pillow
under your knee, so it stays bent slightly. This will keep your knee
from being strained. Don't put your foot higher than 8 inches above
your heart, though, as this can make it harder for the blood to pump into
your foot (which you need to heal).
-
Apply ice for
the first 48 hours. Apply ice for 15 minutes per hour. Protect
your foot from getting wet by using a plastic barrier of some sort around
the ice.
-
Take all
medication as directed. We usually prescribe Ansaid or Toradol for
pain, but we may prescribe other medications, depending upon the patient
and procedure. We usually ask you to take these with meals for
pain. You can take Tylenol between meals for additional pain
relief.
-
If you have
any problems, call us. You may either call Dr. Schumacher at the
main office in Surrey (604.589.5234), or if it's after hours, call him at home
(604.589.5238).
If Dr. Schumacher is unavailable, call one of the
Vancouver Hospital residents. Their phone numbers are on your
post-operative instruction sheet.
-
If this is an
emergency and you cannot get in touch with us for any reason, go to
the nearest hospital emergency room.
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