It is important to move in your bed to avoid pneumonia, blood clots, and muscle strength loss. Start these exercises as soon as you wake up and continue them during your hospital stay.

Anti-embolism stockings or intermittent compression stockings

Regardless of the type of stockings, by squeezing your legs slightly, they improve blood circulation in them to prevent blood clots formation. You may be asked to wear them until you can walk regularly. If you don’t have stockings, you will be encouraged to move quickly.

Movement upon waking up

You will be encouraged to change positions frequently and to get up very often. Gradually, you should increase the progression of the following activities:

• Getting up and sitting in a chair
• Taking short walks in the room
• Walking in the corridor at least 3 times a day.

Leg exercises

These exercises help blood circulate in your legs. Repeat each exercise 4 to 5 times every half hour while you are awake.

• Make circles with your feet to the right and left
• Wiggle your toes and bend your feet up and down
• Stretch your legs horizontally

Deep breathing and coughing exercises

These exercises will help you breathe deeply to avoid lung problems such as pneumonia. These exercises can be done with or without a spirometer (a device that allows you to see the amount of air inspired and the improvement of your breathing). You will be shown how to do them.

If there is no device

For example, without the device, sitting or semi-sitting, place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest, then:

• Exhale slowly through your mouth
• Inhale through your nose, inflating your stomach, and hold for 3 seconds
• Exhale slowly through your mouth
• Repeat 8 to 10 deep breaths every hour. These activities help prevent circulatory (phlebitis) and pulmonary (pneumonia) complications. Mobilization also promotes the evacuation of intestinal gas and reduces abdominal bloating.

Immediate goals after surgery

In the room on the evening of the surgery:

• Drink fluids, including protein drinks like Ensure and Boost if you tolerate them. Your intravenous (IV) will be removed if you drink enough.
• Get up and sit in a chair alone or with the help of the nurse.
• Do your breathing exercises.
• Do your leg exercises.

Day 1 goals

Breathing

• Do your breathing exercises.

Activities

• Sit in the chair for meals.
• Walk along the corridor and try to stay out of bed.

Pain control

• If your pain exceeds 4 out of 10, inform your nurse.

Eating and drinking

• Eat normal foods if you tolerate them. It is highly likely that you will not have bowel movements, and they will only resume 3 to 4 days after your surgery.
• Drink fluids. It is important to hydrate regularly (water, juice, tea, herbal tea, including protein drinks like Ensure and Boost) to promote urinary drainage.

Your hygiene

• At all times, it is important to clean the site where your catheter exits (penis) with water and soap and to keep your tube free of secretions (crusts). If necessary, a nurse will assist you with your hygiene care.

Tubes and drains

• For most patients, the drain is often removed before discharge.
• For some, they may need to keep it until follow-up. If so, your nurse will teach you how to care for your drain when you return home.

Your dressing

• A dressing will cover your wound and the outline of abdominal drains. It will be changed the day after surgery. If there is no drainage, the abdominal wound will be left open to air.

Planning discharge

Your urinary catheter

You will leave the hospital with a catheter in your urethra and a collection bag attached to your thigh. This apparatus is a bit uncomfortable but invisible under clothing and not very bothersome. You will also have a drainage bag for the night.

Before you leave, the nurse will teach you how to care for it, and a request will be made with your CLSC to remove your catheter at the prescribed time. This procedure is not painful and lasts only a few seconds.

Your staples

If you have staples, arrangements will be made with your CLSC to remove them seven days after your surgery. Steri-strips will then be applied to close your wound if necessary.

Your dissolvable stitches

If the surgeon used dissolvable stitches to close the wound, they will disappear on their own after 4 to 6 weeks. Keep the Steri-strips on for 15 days after the operation.

Your follow-up appointment

You will receive an appointment for follow-up with a member of the urology team approximately 1 month to 6 weeks after your surgery.

Instructions, care, and hospital contacts

You should receive a document summarizing your care and the instructions to follow once you return home, as well as the telephone contacts of your surgeon and your care team if you have any concerns.

Some patients will need to inject low molecular weight heparin for a month to prevent phlebitis. If so, you will be explained the procedures to follow.

Before leaving the hospital

Make sure you understand:

• Your medications and how to take them.
• Your physical exercise program.
• Your diet.
• The restrictions imposed on you.
• How to clean your catheter.
• How to clean your drain.
• Which symptoms should prompt you to call your doctor or go to the emergency room.
• The date and location of your follow-up appointments.
• How to prevent falls at home.