Recovery Information

It has been well documented that patients recover most successfully from surgery when they can quickly become mobile and return to their home environments. It is our goal to get you in a comfortable place for rest and recovery as soon as we can.

Following surgery, you will be transferred to our recovery room for monitoring. The length of your stay will be determined by the type of anesthesia you received, and our nurses will evaluate your readiness for discharge before sending you home. You may feel sleepy for 24 hours after surgery. This is normal due to the medications you received both during and after your surgery. An adult should drive you home and stay with you for 24 hours following surgery. Rest should be your main focus at this time.

Managing Your Pain

It is important to us that you are as comfortable as possible. Good pain relief can help you be more active and promote your recovery. We suggest that you “stay ahead of your pain” by taking pain medications as your physician prescribes. When pain medication is taken correctly, your pain is more level and manageable and you will avoid a rebound effect.

What can I do to get good pain relief?

• Openly talk to your doctors and nurses about your pain
• Point to where the pain is located
• Describe how the pain feels: aching, throbbing or burning
• Rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning no pain and 10 the worst pain you could imagine
• To understand our pediatric patients, the nursing staff may use the graphic below to provide comfort and relief:

When To Call Your Physician Or Seek Medical Care

If any of the following occur, call your physician immediately. In an emergency, call 911.

• Temperature of 101 degrees or higher, and/or chills
• Nausea or vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours
• Increasing drowsiness
• Worsening pain not relieved by pain medication
• Increased swelling around the incision
• Redness around the incision that is spreading
• Bright red blood or discharge coming from the wound.