What To Expect: Before and After Surgery

 Printable full text version
 Discuss on the Message Boards

AFTER YOUR SURGERY

RECOVERY ROOM
When the operation is over, you will wake up in "recovery". The nurses will be closely monitoring you and other people who have just had surgical procedures. You'll have the IV in your arm providing your body with the fluids you need. A catheter will be in your bladder to drain urine into a container next to the bed, so you won't need to get up to go to the bathroom.

While in recovery, the nurses will check your vital signs, circulation and motion in your limbs frequently. Vital signs that are monitored include your pulse, blood pressure and temperature. You will have sequential compression devices (SCDs) on your legs that will help to increase circulation and promote proper blood flow.

You may feel cold because of the anesthesia, so be sure to ask the nurse for a warm blanket if you need one. Your parents may or may not be able to see you in the recovery area, depending on the hospital's policy. After some time in recovery, you will be moved to the Intensive Care Unit. (ICU)

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)
The ICU is a unit where the nurses will watch you closely. You will be attached to a monitor so the nursing staff can observe your heart rhythm and breathing. There is a possibility that you will need a machine to help you breathe, but most patients have an oxygen mask or oxygen tubes in their nose.

After your surgery, your surgeon may order spirometry. The incentive spirometer is a small piece of equipment is used after surgery to gauge the amount of air you are taking into your lungs. During surgery, the anesthesia you are on relaxes everything in your body including your lungs. After the surgery, your lungs are fatigued and won't want to inhale and exhale deeply enough. The incentive spirometer helps to exercise your lungs and prevents any breathing complications that could occur. The nurses will teach you how use the incentive spirometer. You will need to cough, breathe deeply as well as move your arms and legs often to prevent complications.

The nurses will turn you every two hours to prevent sores on your skin. Your incision will be covered by a large dressing that will be removed after a few days. A drainage tube is inserted into the bone graft incision to remove any excess fluid. The drainage will stop as you heal and the tube will be removed.

Depending on the surgery you've had, you may have chest tube inserted to keep the lungs expanded during the beginning of your recovery process. The tube is connected to a container that makes a bubbling sound. The doctors and nurses will continually monitor the breath sounds in your lungs and daily x-rays will be performed to help the doctor decide when the tube should be removed.

You will receive medication from the nurses through your IV. Some patients may get medication through a Patient Controlled Analgesia Infuser (PCA). This will allow you to press a button that will deliver doses of pain medication through your IV. Your doctor will choose which medication works best for you, so if your pain is not relieved by the medication you're on make sure to let the nurse know. You will use the PCA for a few days and then you'll begin taking medicine by mouth.

Your doctor and nurse will also listen to your stomach and let you know when the anesthesia has worn off your intestines, so you can begin drinking sips of water or clear liquids.

You will most likely be out of ICU and into a regular room within a day or two after surgery.

TIPS FOR RESTING COMFORTABLY
  While lying on your side, you can prevent strain on your back muscles by keeping the spine straight, tipping the hips
      slightly back for balance, bending the upper leg, placing one pillow between your legs and the other to support your upper
      arm. You should try to stay in this position for two hours at a time for comfort and to prevent lung complications.
  To prevent muscle strain while on your back, place a pillow under your knees.
  "Logrolling" is a way of turning your body without twisting your spine. Your nurse will help you and teach you how
      to turn. Make sure to keep the spine straight, like a log, while turning. Don't twist at the shoulders or hips. The nurse
      will use a turn sheet to help you and you can help by reaching for the side rail when the nurse is turning you.
      The turn may be made more comfortable by placing a pillow between your legs.

Back to: "ADMISSION DAY"

Next: "THE FIRST FEW DAYS"