If it doesn't seem to help, let the doctor know, but keep taking it until told otherwise. If you've been prescribed antibiotics, be sure to use them up, even if you're feeling better. If a medicine makes you drowsy, avoid driving or using dangerous machinery. You may use heat for pain or swelling. Do not sleep on the heating pad or hot water bottle.
Heat brings blood to the area or the surgery and helps it heal faster.
When you are allowed to bathe or shower, carefully wash the stitches or staples with soap and water. Then put on a clean, new bandage. Change your bandages any time they get wet or dirty. This will increase your energy level and promote faster healing. Unless instructed otherwise, drink 6 to 8 large glasses of liquid, such as water, juices, and milk, each day.