After Your Surgery: What to Expect

What to expect after your surgery

After the medical team has completed your surgery, you can expect:

Attentive care during your recovery

Once your surgery is over, you will be taken to the recovery room – also called a post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). This is where you will wake up after surgery. During this time, our nurses will monitor you closely.

Throughout your surgery, we will stay in close contact with your loved ones. When you’re situated in a recovery room, we will tell your loved ones that they can visit you. We limit visitors in our recovery rooms to two adults, for your safety.

If you’ll be staying in the hospital overnight, we will move you to one of our patient care units. Our patient care rooms are spacious, allowing you to rest and recover while your care team continues to monitor you.

Detailed discharge instructions

Your doctor will discharge you (send you home) when it’s safe to do so. If you happen to go home the same day of your surgery, please plan for someone to drive you home and stay with you for at least 24 hours.

If your doctor sends you home with prescriptions, you can pick up these medications at one of our Lehigh Valley Pharmacy Services. Please bring your pharmacy card if you have one.

Before you head home, your nurse will give you detailed instructions for how you can care for yourself at home. Your nurse will talk to you about how surgery may affect:

• The foods you eat
• Your activity level
• Your medications
• Your follow-up care

These instructions are essential to your recovery. We will answer any questions you may have about these details or your recovery in general.

Experience a faster recovery after surgery

Your doctor will tell you how long it could take until you’re completely recovered (feeling back to normal). Simple tasks like hand washing can help you speed this timeline:

• Clean hands often: Washing your hands (and having visitors do the same) helps keep your wounds clean and can stop any possible infections.
• Follow-up care instructions: Avoid touching bandages as much as possible, and don’t let pets near wounds. The follow-up care plan you discussed with your doctor is critical to your recovery. Call your doctor if you have questions about this plan or can’t make a follow-up appointment.
• Make smart food choices: Choosing healthy, whole foods when possible will help your incision heal. If you have diabetes, it’s important to keep your blood sugar under control.