Hypospadias surgery fixes a birth defect in boys where the pee hole isn’t at the tip of the penis. It’s a delicate surgery but heals quickly in about a week. Luckily, kids don’t worry much about the pain. They just go back to enjoying life. Parents play a big role in making sure their little ones feel comfy and cared for.
Here, we’ve given parents and patients easy-to-follow tips on looking after their babies after hypospadias surgery. Get in touch with the Dr. Apoorva Kulkarni pediatric hypospadias surgeon if you need more information regarding post-hypospadias repair instructions for the children. These are merely general instructions and may vary per patient.
Top home care tips post hypospadias surgery
To keep their child safe after hypospadias treatment, parents should follow these home care tips:
- Diet: After hypospadias surgery, kids can eat 2-3 hours after if they had sedation and epidural anesthesia. If they had general anesthesia, they might need to wait three to four hours before eating.
- Hypospadias Dressing Care: Soft gauze is placed on the penis after surgery to help it heal. Sometimes, there might be soakage of the dressing with urine if the child strains for any reason. The dressing may need to be changed if it becomes loose in the first 2-3 days, and later, it can be removed.
- Catheter Care: A tube is usually left in the repair site after hypospadias surgery. At our center, we often remove it after 7 days with good success. This tube helps drain urine into the diaper.
- Diaper Care: Double diapers are used until the catheter is placed. Parents might be given a urine bag for older kids. The inner diaper stays dry and prevents contact of urine with the dressing and is only changed if the child passes a motion. The catheter is left open into the outer diaper. The outer diaper needs changing when it’s full of urine.
- Medications: Prescribed antibiotics and other medicines are advised for few days after surgery till catheter is in place.
- Exercise and Play: Children are encouraged to walk around and play at home after surgery. Any other rigorous or outdoor activities should be avoided. Sleeping on the tummy is okay, and double diapers prevent pressure on the surgery site.
- Bathing: After removing the dressing, a short warm bath is allowed on day 7. Use something other than cotton for drying to avoid fibers sticking to the healing area.
- Pain Relief: An oral syrup containing pain medication is prescribed for the first few days post-surgery, to be given after feeding.
What’s the best time to call the doctor after discharge?
You can expect your baby to recover without any complications. The urine may appear pink after surgery for a few days. If you notice any of these things, call your doctor right away:
- Fever of 102° F or higher for more than 24 hours.
- Soakage of the dressing with urine or blood
- Catheter stops draining urine
- Excessive pain despite medications
- Urine leaks from the side of the catheter
- If the urinary catheter comes out
Remember that after the catheter is removed, it is common for some pain and discomfort to be experienced while passing urine. These pains should disappear within 1-2 days (24 to 48 hours). But if the pain reappears, get in touch with our team immediately. We advise you to do the same, even if your child has fever after discharge.
Conclusion
After your child’s hypospadias surgery, our guide is here to help you take care of them. If you notice any issues, don’t hesitate to tell the surgeon. Dr. Apoorva Kulkarni and our experienced team will explain the treatment and recovery process after the surgery.
At the time of discharge, parents will be explained regarding the double-diaper care required at home. Most patients can be discharged the day after the surgery, but some patients might require admission for 3 days post-operatively. We’ll inform you about the expected recovery time. Remember, hypospadias is treatable with a high success rate when done by a experienced pediatric hypospadias surgeon specialist. Feel free to contact us anytime for more info – we’re here to support you and your child.