Microsoft word - discharge-instructions-web.doc

DISCHARGE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOWING UFE

Activities:
What a relief to finally have the UFE procedure behind you! For the first several days following the procedure
many women describe feeling like they have the flu … achy and tired. For the first week, you are encouraged to
take it easy with no heavy lifting, no vigorous exercise, and no sexual intercourse. If you typically use tampons,
please use another means of feminine protection for the first month following UFE. You should feel a little
better each day and will likely return to your usual activities in 7-10 days, if not sooner. Remember, the
pain/discomfort you may experience represents the process of fibroid degeneration (which is good as it means
the fibroids are dying) and pales in comparison to the pain after myomectomy or hysterectomy. If you overdo it
your body will tell you and it may set you back for a day or two.
Don’t drive a motor vehicle within 24 hours of your procedure. After that driving is okay as long as you are not
taking Vicodin.
What to Watch For:
Call your Interventional Radiologist (not your gynecologist) at 889-5749 with any problems or questions. If you
need an immediate response but get our voicemail, hang up and call our answering service at 455-3503 and ask
them to page your Interventional Radiologist. In particular, CALL IF you have a temperature greater than
100.5° or pain that is not being relieved by the medication. It is not unusual to develop a vaginal discharge,
sometimes even a mini-period, and you may pass small fragments of tissue. Call if you develop a green or
yellow vaginal discharge. The groin puncture site may bruise and be sore for a few days, but it should not be
extremely painful or develop a large knot. Call if you develop calf pain, swelling, or shortness of breath. If
you need to go to an Emergency Room it is recommended to go to the one at the hospital where your procedure
was performed. Please call your Interventional Radiologist before going to an Emergency Room.
Medications:
Motrin, 800-mg, three times per day for seven days … take it for the full seven days, at a minimum. It is okay to
take it longer than 7 days if needed. Take it with food or Maalox to protect your stomach. It does not matter
what form of ibuprofen (the generic name for Motrin) you take, as long as you take 800-mg three times daily.
The over-the-counter ibuprofen (Advil and others) is usually 200-mg per tablet, so you could take four at a time.
If you have pain that the Motrin does not relieve, add Vicodin (a mild narcotic + tylenol). You may take as
many as two pills every four hours, but you do not have to take it at all if you so wish. You are taking too much
if it makes you extremely drowsy. The Vicodin is a supplement to the Motrin, NOT a substitute for it. Don’t
hesitate to take both, if needed. Do not drink alcohol or drive while taking the Vicodin!
The Vicodin can make you constipated, which you really don’t want to happen. When you fill the other
prescriptions, purchase a box of Miralax, an over-the-counter laxative. Take one dose two times a day until
your bowel function has returned to normal. Do NOT take any iron supplements for the first ten days after UFE
as they aggravate the constipation. If you develop constipation despite the Miralax you may use a Fleets enema
or Dulcolax suppository, available over-the-counter at your pharmacy, if needed.
Follow-Up:
If not already arranged following your UFE, please call 889-5749 to schedule a follow-up appointment with your
Interventional Radiologist at one of our offices.
Call our office in three months following the UFE to schedule a brief follow-up appointment. Contact our office to schedule a follow-up MRI of the pelvis in six months following the UFE, to see how your uterus and fibroid(s) have responded to the procedure. Please schedule this appointment at the same hospital where you had your pre-UFE MRI. Congratulations …. you are well on your way to life after fibroids!

Source: http://www.ufecenter.com/pdfs/discharge-instructions.pdf