For life-threatening symptoms - including difficulty breathing, chest pain, fainting, signs of stroke, severe allergic reaction, uncontrolled bleeding, or any rapidly worsening condition - call 911 immediately or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not wait for an office callback and do not drive yourself.
For urgent postoperative concerns, call the dedicated after-hours number printed on your discharge instructions. Examples include bleeding that does not stop with the measures your surgeon prescribed, rapidly increasing swelling, severe or worsening pain not controlled by the prescribed plan, inability to urinate, fever at or above the threshold in your discharge instructions, spreading redness, foul drainage, persistent vomiting, new calf pain or swelling, or any concern that feels urgent.
Website forms, ordinary email, text messages, voicemail, and social media may not be monitored continuously and must never be used for emergencies. These general instructions do not replace the surgeon-specific discharge plan.
