Take your pain medicine regularly as your doctor told you to. This will help keep you comfortable.
Surgery can sometimes make you constipated, which might make your pain worse. To help with this, eat foods high in fibre and drink plenty of fluids (about 2–3 litres a day). If you're still having trouble, your doctor can give you a mild laxative to help.
You should try and walk upright without stooping. You may feel tired, but gentle exercise will speed up your recovery. Ideally you should go for a walk – gradually increasing the distance. This will also reduce the risks of clots forming in your legs.
As you get better, slowly start doing more exercise. Cycling and swimming are okay but try not to lift heavy things or doing intense workouts for about six weeks. This gives your belly muscles time to heal and helps prevent a hernia, which is when tissue pushes through the wound.
You will need to take a blood-thinning injection to help prevent blood clots in your legs. Your doctor will show you how to inject it yourself.
You should not drive for 3-4 weeks after surgery because you may not be able to stop quickly in an emergency.
You can usually go back to work after 4 weeks, but if your job involves a lot of physical activity, you might need more time to heal.
You can have sex again whenever you feel ready and well enough.
Contact your doctor or medical team right away if you notice ongoing redness, swelling, or fluid leaking from your wound. Also, let them know if you feel like you have a fever, bad cold, or flu, as these could be signs of an infection.

Related topics for further reading