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![](/images/spacer.gif"){kind=spacer}  What To Expect: Before and After Surgery
THE FIRST FEW DAYS AFTER YOUR SURGERY  Expect to feel tired and weak in the days following your surgery. Hospital visits with family and friends should be short because you need your rest. Your back will probably be super sore, but you will still be takingpain medication. Make sure to notify the nurse as soon as your pain is returning without allowing it to get to severe. The medication you are taking may make you feel drowsy or woozy.
Your IV will provide you with nourishment for the first few days since you will not be able to eat solid food right away. Gradually, you'll be able to start eating regular foods, but since you have not been eating and you have not been active, there is a possibility that you will become constipated. The nurses can give you a laxative if needed.
As your recovery progresses and you feel stronger, your back will start to feel better and your pain will decrease. Once you are eating regular foods, the IV in your arm and catheter in your bladder will be removed. Although you will feel much better at that point, keep in mind that your body has been through a lot and will need more time to completely recover. EAT RIGHT TO GET BETTER
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You will be turned every two hours while you are recovering. You will be able to help the nurses turn and change your position as you get stronger. You will also continue the incentive spirometer lung exercise in addition to coughing and breathing deeply, to keep your lungs working well while you are in bed. You may also still get blood drawn for routine tests and x-rays performed while in your regular room. 
It is important for you to eat the following nutrients:
Protein, found in foods like meat, cheese, eggs, fish, and beans.
Vitamin C, found in foods like oranges, strawberries, grapefruit, broccoli and tomatoes.
Calcium, found in milk, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and shellfish.
Iron, found in raisins, spinach, greens, and liver.
You'll also need to take supplements, like iron and a multivitamin.
Back to "AFTER YOUR SURGERY"