hey all!

this is another question i should have asked while i was there, but of course i didnt.

When can we take a shower??? Do we change bandages or just leave the ones the dr put on..on?

can anyone advise?

I showered the day after I returned home from the hospital (two days post-op). However my insicions were closed with Dermabond (glue) not bandages.

I had staples and bandaids. I got to shower the next day and changed the bandaids. Boy did I ever feel better after that. You just cannot soak the sites in water. Also I had to use antibactrial (sp) soap.

Just make sure your steri-strips don't come off. Be careful when you're washing around them and you'll be fine.

I have the liquid bandaid over incisions and the doctor said I could take a shower 48 hours after because that is that liquid bandaid requirement. I do have some tiny stitches of course.

well I got into the shower the next day...just dont soap up the area of the steri-strips if you have them.

You can shower, but don't take a bath! I couldn't take a bath or go swimming for 7 weeks!

I agree with what everyone is saying, but I'd still check with your doctor first. It's really key to get the incisions healed properly without infection. If you have steri-strips you might have a different answer to the shower question than someone who has staples.

Just got home today frome yesterdays band procedure. Have steri strips which the doc said to shower in without problem. They will come off or almost come off in about 5 days.

I was told to shower every day. To take my bandages (not the steri-strips) off after 2 days, and then to let the steri-strips fall off when they did.

How long before the strips are supposed to fall off? I am two weeks post op and not all of them have came off yet. Should I still just wait for them to fall off on there own?

Eh, I kinda peeled my strips off myself at 12 days, if they seemed ready to go. Most were, one wasn't...I gave it a couple of more days and then took it off

I showered before leaving the hospital. I would simplyuse my head. As you have been told, no soaking, in the tub, pool, hot tub, anything for minimally 6 weeks he told me, I waited lots longer!! I was stitched, and was just told not to scrub the incisions, just to let the water run over them. I would not use highly scented shower gels or anything. I didn't think about it prior, so had made no plans-had nothing different on hand to shower with, so I used my granddaughters Baby wash---it worked fine.

Getting me and my hair clean---made me feel ten times better instantly!!

Kat

I have steri-strips which were covered in bandaids. My dr told me to take off the bandaids the day after surgery and take a shower, and do not scrub the incision sites for three weeks.

I had steri strips with band aids over them and only took baths until after my post op when he removed the steri strips. I wanted to shower super bad but have had enough surgeries to know that it is hard to shower and keep those steri strips and stuff on, so I washed around them and just did baths. I had someone wash my hair in a sink.

This topic should be covered in your discharge papers. Usually, like everyone else already said, you can shower pretty much right away. Just no baths.