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Recovering from Surgery
Household jobs
The sort of movements that can cause discomfort are bending or stretching (e.g. reaching high or low shelves), lifting heavy weights (including small children), and pushing or pulling (such as vacuuming or mowing the lawn). Similarly, standing for long periods (eg. washing up or cleaning vegetables) can be tiring.
If help is available for the first one or two weeks after discharge it is very useful.
Sexual relations
There is no rule about the time at which you can resume your usual sexual relationships. As a rough guide, by the time you are ready to go back to work this activity can be resumed, although some people will feel ready earlier.
Ask for advice if your operation is related to this area or if you are concerned about resuming your usual contraceptive methods (especially the pill).
Work and exercise
The time at which you can return to work depends on both the type of operation you have had and what the job is. It is better to feel completely well before you return as many people feel tired and find concentration difficult to start with. More specific advice can be given either by the hospital staff or your local surgery.
If you take regular exercise, swim or attend a gym ask your doctor for advice for when you can resume these activities.
Driving
The time at which you can safely start driving varies a great deal with the type of operation you have had. Ask for specific advice from your care team, but do remember that your movement and strength must be up to coping with an emergency stop as well as normal driving. Also some drugs affect concentration especially strong pain killers.
