Please read these instructions carefully. Proper healing and infection prevention depend on them.

1. Your surgical drain

You went home with a drain to remove excess fluid and limit swelling.

• Duration: Typically 3 to 5 days.

• Recording output: Measure and write down the fluid in the bulb. Empty it when half full, or at least twice a day. Record the amount in mL and the time. Bring this record to your removal appointment.

• Antibiotics: You were prescribed Keflex (cephalexin). Take it for as long as the drain is in place.

• Removal: We remove the drain in the office. Do not remove it yourself.

2. The device — leave it alone for now

• Do not use it. Do not inflate, deflate, or cycle the device until you are taught how at your 6-week appointment.

• Shape is not a concern. Your penis may look swollen, bruised, or somewhat stiff even with the device deflated. This is normal.

• The pump: You will feel it in your scrotum. Do not squeeze or manipulate it while healing. You will be shown how at your 2-week follow-up.

3. Pain management

Stay ahead of the pain rather than chasing it. For the first two weeks:

• Alternate ibuprofen and Tylenol (acetaminophen) every 3 hours while awake. Each medication works out to every 6 hours.

  • 9:00 AM — Ibuprofen

  • 12:00 PM — Tylenol

  • 3:00 PM — Ibuprofen

  • 6:00 PM — Tylenol

• These two medications do not interact and are safe to take on this schedule.

• Breakthrough pain only: If you were prescribed oxycodone, it is intended only for pain the ibuprofen and Tylenol schedule does not control. It is a narcotic. Do not drive while taking it.

4. Swelling and positioning

Significant bruising — including purple and black discoloration — and swelling of the scrotum and penis are expected.

• Support: You must wear tight-fitting underwear — supportive briefs or a jockstrap.

• Elevation: Whenever possible, position the penis pointing up toward your belly button. A small towel or gauze in your underwear will hold it there. This drains fluid away from the penis and reduces swelling.

• Ice: Apply to the scrotum and penis, never directly against skin. 30 minutes at a time, every 3 to 4 hours.

5. Incision care and hygiene

• Showering: Daily with soap and water starting the day after surgery. You can shower with the drain in — pinning it to a lanyard or shoelace around your neck keeps it from hanging and pulling.

• Let soapy water run over the incisions and drain site. Do not scrub. Pat dry with a clean towel.

• Baths: Do not sit in standing water — bath, pool, lake, or hot tub — for the first 2 weeks.

• Surgical glue: Flakes and falls off on its own in 2 to 4 weeks. Do not pick at it.

6. Medications and bowel care

• Blood thinners: You may restart all prescribed blood thinners 72 hours (3 days) after surgery, unless you were told otherwise.

• Preventing constipation: Pain medication and anesthesia cause constipation, and straining to have a bowel movement puts real pressure on your repair. Take the prescribed stool softener every day for as long as you are taking pain medication.

7. Activity restrictions

• No sexual activity until cleared, typically 6 weeks.

• Lifting: Nothing heavier than 10–15 lbs — about a gallon of milk — for 4 weeks.

• Driving: Not while taking oxycodone. You may drive once you are off narcotics and can stomp on a brake pedal without hesitating.

When to contact the office

Call immediately if you experience:

• Inability to urinate — a full bladder you cannot empty

• Fever over 101.5°F

• Signs of infection: spreading redness, warmth, or pus-like drainage

• Severe swelling or rapidly increasing bruising

• Uncontrolled pain despite following the medication schedule

• Any part of the tubing or implant components visible through the skin