SUB-URETHRAL SLING: POSTOPERATIVE PATIENT INFORMATION
You have undergone a sub-urethral sling procedure to provide support to the urethra. The goal of this sling procedure is the correction of stress urinary incontinence.
Careful adherence to the following instructions is imperative to a safe and satisfying
result. Patience, realistic expectations, and positive attitude always help expedite a
Your normal diet and medications can be resumed immediately. A healthy and
balanced diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables and fiber will facilitate healing and help
prevent bowel difficulties. Bathing and showering are permissible. Most daily activities
can be resumed as well; in fact, walking and stair climbing are desirable and
beneficial. Any non-strenuous activity is permissible as long as pain is not
experienced—if it does not hurt, it can be done. If you do experience pain with
activities, it is a signal to ease up. In order to maximize your chances for long-term
cure of the incontinence, it is important to avoid lifting heavy objects, strenuous
exercise, tampon placement, and sexual intercourse for about four to six weeks.
Additionally, it is extremely important to avoid straining with bowel movements. In
general, you can resume work within a week or so, even sooner if you have a
* Pediatric Urology Diplomates of the American Board of Urology
Prior to being discharged, you will be given a prescription for antibiotics and pain
medicine. It is important to complete the course of the antibiotics in order to avoid a
urinary or pelvic infection. The pain medication can be used on an as needed basis. It
should be noted that narcotic pain medications have many side effects including
nausea, constipation, and a general feeling of being "unwell." If you are experiencing
such symptoms, it may be beneficial to switch to an over the counter anti-
Vaginal, pubic, groin, and pelvic discomfort are to be expected for several weeks.
Vaginal spotting of blood is typical for several weeks and it is therefore recommended
that you wear a pad until this resolves. The stitches used for the surgery will normally
dissolve within 6 weeks, and until that time, they may feel sharp, similar to whiskers,
and the stitches may also cause a yellowish vaginal discharge that persists until they
dissolve. The tiny incisions in the groin area are closed with Dermabond, a skin
Most patients are able to urinate satisfactorily within a few hours of the sling;
however, a small percentage of patients will encounter voiding difficulties for the first
day or so after the procedure. If you are unable to void by several hours after the procedure, you will be sent home with a urinary catheter which can generally be
removed within a day or so. Bladder function may take several days to several weeks
to fully normalize. Slow flow, incomplete emptying, frequency and urgency are common for the first week or two after a sling procedure.
The combination of undergoing a surgical procedure, anesthesia, and pain medication
often leads to acute constipation. It is thus recommended that you immediately start
on a stool softener such as Colace 100 mg twice daily, in an effort to avoid
constipation. Remember, the more pain pills you take, the more likely you are to
develop a bowel problem. Therefore, you have to carefully consider the benefit of the
pain pill versus the bowel side effects. If you have not moved your bowels on the
Colace regimen by the day following surgery, you may take one bottle of Magnesium
Citrate. If you still have not moved your bowels by the day after taking the Magnesium Citrate, you may use a 10 mg. Dulcolax rectal suppository, which may be
repeated within one hour if no response. All of the aforementioned are available
It is imperative that you be followed carefully in the post-operative period. Most
patients are seen approximately 2 weeks after their surgery, again at 6 weeks after their surgery, and one year following the surgery. Please call the office for a follow up
visit, specifying that it is a "post-operative" office visit. At the time of the visit, an
examination of the operative site will be made to check the progress of the wound
Jason A Boch DMD LLC Jason A. Boch, DMD DMSc Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology Patient Name:__________________________________________________________________ Name of Parent (if patient is a minor):_______________________________________________ Home Address:_________________________________________________________________ Home phone #:_______________________ Work phone