What happens after surgery?

Some hospitals have an enhanced recovery programme for certain types of surgery. This is designed to help you recover from surgery as quickly as possible.

Research has shown that the sooner you can get out of bed and start walking, eating and drinking after having an operation, the shorter your recovery time will be. Depending on the type of surgery you had, a physiotherapist may show you specific exercises to help your recovery.

You may have some pain after surgery. You can control pain with painkillers. Managing pain is important to help you move about soon after surgery, and to make sure you can take deep breaths. This helps to reduce some possible complications of surgery. If your painkillers are not working well for you, tell your nurses.

The type of pain control you need will depend on the operation you have. If you have a small operation, you may only need tablets afterwards to control the pain. Painkillers can also be taken:

By the time you go home, your pain will be controlled by tablets. You will be given painkillers to take at home, and told how often you should take them.

We have more information about pain and painkillers.

Your nurse will give you anti-sickness (anti-emetic) injections or tablets to help control any sickness. This is important to help you eat and drink normally as soon as possible after your surgery. If you still feel sick, tell your nurse.

You will be encouraged to get up soon after your operation. The ward staff can help you with washing and going to the toilet. Once you are moving about more freely, you will probably be able to manage this for yourself.

The wound is closed using clips or stitches. These are usually removed by a practice nurse at your GP surgery after you go home. Some surgeons use dissolving stitches that do not need to be removed. They dissolve completely when the area has healed. While you are in hospital, the nurses and doctors will check your wound to make sure it is healing well.

Before you go home, the nurses will give you advice. They may:

• explain how to keep the wound clean
• tell you if and when any dressings should be changed or removed
• tell you not to remove the dressing yourself – some dressings are only removed at a hospital appointment
• give you a letter for your practice nurse or district nurses.

The nurse might also ask you to check your wound or the area around the dressing (if you have to keep the dressing on). This is to check there are no signs of infection and that it is healing well. You may have a district nurse who will do this.

Signs of infection can include:

• heat, redness, pain, swelling or a change in colour over the wound, around the scar, or both
• fluid coming from the wound (discharge)
• a temperature above 38°C or above 100.4°F (a fever)
• feeling shivery and shaky
• feeling generally unwell.

If you have any signs of infection, contact your doctor or nurse straight away. You may be given a hospital number to call.

Your nurse or doctor will look at the wound and may take a swab to send for testing. They may prescribe antibiotics to treat an infection.

We have more information about infection.

Scars are likely to be:

• red if you have white skin
• darker if you have dark skin
• firm and slightly raised
• itchy at first.

Over time, scars will flatten and fade. Everyone’s skin heals differently. If you have dark skin or fair, freckled skin, scars can take longer to fade.

Some complications will depend on the type of operation you have. Your doctor and nurse will talk to you about these before you have surgery.

The most common, general complications after surgery are:

• a wound infection (see above)
• bleeding from the wound – tell your nurse or doctor if you have any bleeding from your wound
• a chest infection – tell your nurse if you have a cough, green or yellow mucus, shortness of breath or a high temperature
• developing a blood clot – tell your doctor or nurse straight away if you have pain, redness or swelling in a leg or arm, breathlessness or chest pain.

The nurses and doctors will monitor you for these symptoms. Tell them straight away if you have any of these symptoms or feel unwell.

The time it takes you to recover depends on:

• the operation you had
• any complications you may have had
• your general health.

It is important not to expect too much of yourself too soon. For many people, recovery is likely to be gradual.

You may have lots of different emotions after you go home. You may feel ready to get on with your life and make plans. But there may be days when you feel less positive, or feel the physical effects of your surgery.

If you need further treatment, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone treatment, targeted therapy or immunotherapy, it will not start until a few weeks after your operation.

There are also things you can do to help your recovery:

• follow the advice you were given by your healthcare team
• keep up with any exercises you were asked to do
• eat healthily
• get enough rest
• do some gentle exercise and try to build it up gradually.

You may have new challenges to cope with, depending on the operation you had. This may be a change to how a part of the body works or looks. Or you may have to get used to eating differently than you did before your operation. It takes time to adjust to these changes and find out what is now normal for you.

After a few weeks, you will go back to the hospital to see your surgeon for a check-up.

You usually see your surgeon and clinical nurse specialist (CNS) a few weeks after your operation.

It is natural to feel anxious before your appointment. Taking a family member or friend with you for support can help. They can also help you to remember what was said. It is a good idea to write a list of your questions and concerns before the appointment.

The surgeon will examine the operation area and the scar to make sure everything is healing well. Depending on the operation you had, they may check whether it has had any effect on movement in that part of the body.

Some people may need further help after surgery. A physiotherapist can help you improve your mobility. An occupational therapist (OT) can help you manage your everyday activities. We have more information about your multidisciplinary team (MDT) for surgery.

Depending on your operation, your surgeon will give you advice on things like how soon you can go back to work, travel or drive again.

Driving after surgery

How soon you can drive will depend on the extent of the surgery you have had. It will also depend on how quickly you recover. You will need to feel comfortable wearing a seatbelt and be able to do an emergency stop if necessary. Some insurance policies give specific time limits, so it is a good idea to contact your insurance company to check you are covered before driving again. You can also contact the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) for advice.

The results of your operation

Your surgeon will explain the results of your operation. They will also tell you what they found in the tissue they removed (pathology). They may be able to tell you more about the stage of the cancer. They will explain if you need to see a cancer doctor (oncologist) to talk about further treatment.

It is not unusual to need more treatment after surgery. For example, you may have chemotherapy or radiotherapy to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. Or you might need treatment to get rid of, or shrink, any cancer that was not completely removed.

If you do not need further treatment after surgery, you will have more follow-up appointments.

Your follow-up will depend on the type of cancer you have and your situation. You may need regular follow-up appointments at first. But after some time, you might have them less often. They may be face to face, or by telephone. Your follow-up may involve regular blood tests, scans or procedures, depending on the type of cancer.

At your appointment, your doctor will examine you and ask how you have been feeling. They will explain if you need any other tests.

Some follow-up appointments might be with a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) rather than the doctor. You may have been advised about certain symptoms to look out for and when to contact your nurse for advice.

If you notice any new symptoms between appointments, you can contact your doctor or specialist nurse for advice.