McConnell
Colorectal Center

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Office Locations

Phoenix:

Office Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM
6245 N 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Phone: 602-253-4271
Fax: 602-253-4273
Map & directions

Glendale:

Office Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM
20325 N.51st Ave Ste 102
Glendale, AZ 85308
Phone: 602-253-4271
Fax: 602-253-4273
Map & directions

Patient Forms	Appointments
Insurance	Pathology Results
Billing	Advance Medical Directives
Pre-Op Care Instructions	Emergencies
Post-Op Care Instructions	Medical Disclaimer and Policies
Prescriptions	Terms of Use Policies

Post-Operative Care Instructions

These are instructions for post-operative care following your outpatient rectal operation. It is important that you read and follow these instructions for best results:

1. When you return home from surgery, we suggest that you consume liquids or light food (soups, Jell-O, etc.) if your stomach feels okay.

2. Keep the dressing that was placed on the wound during surgery in place for 4-6 hours. Keep an ice bag on the anal area for the first 4-6 hours following surgery. This will help reduce the amount of swelling. After that time, remove the dressing.

3. You may have a small amount of bleeding and/or drainage. THIS IS NORMAL. You can have some minimal bleeding up to three months after the procedure. Rarely, if the dressing is saturated with blood, place a thin pad and sit on a frozen hotdog or peas. Reexamine the area for bleeding. If you have more than a cup of clotted blood from your rectum, at any time, call me or my nurse. If you can not reach either of us go to the nearest emergency room so that we can determine if the bleeding will require additional treatment.

4. If the dressing is dry or only has a few spots of blood, you may begin taking hot baths every four hours for 15 minutes per bath during the first 24-48 hours following surgery. (The only dressing needed between these baths is a Kotex mini-pad or sterile gauze.) This will help decrease the pain. If you have little or no pain, take the hot baths only after stooling to keep the area clean.

5. If you do not have kidney problems or an allergy, the medication you have been prescribed is Toradol. You are to take one pill every six hours until you have used all of them. You will be given a total of 12 pills. These pills are for pain and swelling. So even if you have no pain, take them every six hours.

6. If you have pain, take 1-2 tablets of your other prescription pain medication every 4-6 hours. Take the first tablets as the local anesthetic wears off. DO NOT wait until the pain is severe before taking the pain medication. It is best to take the medication with food or liquids. DO NOT drink alcoholic beverages while taking the pain medication.

7. If the pain is severe and not well controlled with other medications, you have been provided a prescription of either a cream preparation or a patch or possibly both prescriptions. The patch is to be used as directed and is left on for three days. The cream can be applied around the anus or near the incision up to four times per day.

8. If the pain is increasing and you are having fevers, chills or sweats, call me or my nurse.

9. It is important that you urinate the evening of the day of surgery. DO NOT wait until your bladder feels uncomfortably full. If you cannot urinate normally, try to do so either in the shower or bath tub. This will not hurt the wounds. DO NOT over hydrate yourself trying to urinate; drink only your usual amount of liquids.

10.  If you have not urinated even by sitting in the tub or any other method within six hours of your procedure, immediately call me or my nurse.

The Day after Surgery:

1. Eat a regular diet, as tolerated, including plenty of oatmeal, fresh fruits and vegetables.

2. Take a hot bath after your bowel movements but not longer than 10 minutes. (Remember that the only dressing needed between these baths is a Kotex mini-pad or sterile gauze. A small amount of bleeding and/or drainage is normal).

3. On the day after surgery, begin to take Metamucil, Konsyl or an equivalent bulk stool softener. Take one tablespoon twice a day, morning and evening. If you have had a large bowl of oatmeal you do not need to consume the Metamucil or Konsyl.

4. If your stools are too hard, you may substitute a 240 mg capsule of Surfak stool softener for one of the doses of Metamucil and increase your fluid intake.

5. If you do not move your bowels on any given day, take 2 or 3 tablets of Senokot at bed time. If you go two days without a bowel movement, or feel as though you need to have a bowel movement, take a plain Fleet Enema.

6.  If you are having diarrhea, add more fiber to your diet or take some Kaopectate.

General Instructions:

1. DO NOT drive if you are taking the narcotic prescriptions for pain following surgery, and DO NOT drive if you feel weak or lightheaded or are taking pain medication more often than every six hours.

2. NEVER mix pain medication with alcohol.

3. Except for your pain medication prescription, all medications listed above (Metamucil, Konsyl, Surfak, plain Fleet Enema, Senokot and FiberCon) are available at your local drug store without a prescription.

Other Tips:

1. No rubbing - only pat to clean or apply medications.

2. The local injection will last for approximately two hours.

3. As soon as you return to your home, eat and then take pain medications. Sit in the sitz bath or the tub, using only warm water (no less then four times a day).

4. Have the first bowel movement on the sitz bath if necessary. After cleaning, you may use a warm flow hair dryer for total drying.

5. Keep the anus clean and dry.

6. The first two days after surgery, take pain medications as often as they are prescribed.

7. AVOID narcotics if possible. These are constipating: Vicodine, Codeine, Percocet.

8. There are two refills on medications. If per chance you need a refill, call the office (602) 253-4271 Monday - Friday from 8 am - 4 pm.

9. If you have some difficulty in urinating, this is not unusual. Sit in a hot tub and run warm water over the palms of your hands. If the difficulty persists, call the office.

10. Some bloody discharge is normal for up to two weeks to three months. Use the light day pads.

11. There will be some irregularities in the skin tissue around the area of surgery. This is swelling, not hemorrhoids, and will be resolved in six weeks.

12. Remember: After surgery return to a regular high fiber diet that includes oatmeal, fruits and vegetables. DO NOT think soups and Jell-O are OK - they are not. Diarrhea and thin stools are as bad as hard stools and sometimes worse.

13. Drink plenty of juice and liquids - at least 6-8 glasses of water a day.

14. Senekot-S is for constipation. If you are taking the narcotics regularly, take one capsule a.m. and one capsule p.m. Take stool softeners ever day until you see Dr. McConnell in the office.

15. Take one teaspoon of mineral oil in juice every evening until you see Dr. McConnell.

16.  Call to schedule an appointment for a follow-up visit in two weeks.

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If you have any questions or concerns you may call Dr. McConnell at 602-743-3546 or her nurse, Kim, at 602-373-5760.

We hope to make this experience as pain free and as simple as possible.

Click for printable Post-Operative Instructions (pdf document)