What to Expect After Your Surgery in Greater DeKalb County

After Your Surgery

What to Expect After Your Surgery in Greater DeKalb County

During your recovery:

  • You may need to demonstrate that you can drink fluids and/or tolerate food.
  • Nursing staff will review and give you written instructions about how to care for yourself.
  • Your family or companions are welcome to hear this information and ask questions if needed.
  • You may be drowsy, weak, or unsteady on your feet. That is why we ask you to make arrangements for a responsible adult (18 years or older) to take you home after surgery and to stay with you for 24 hours.
  • Rest, relax, and take fluids once you get home.

Pain management

Although pain is a natural consequence of surgery, our goal is to keep you as comfortable as possible. To help us manage your pain, it is important that we understand how much pain you are feeling.

  • You will be asked to rate your pain using a scale of 0-10.
  • A rating of zero means you do not feel any pain.
  • A rating of 10 means you are in extreme pain.
  • Make sure you tell your nurse when the pain begins.
  • Avoid waiting until the pain is intolerable for you; severe pain is harder to control.

If you are going to be discharged the same day of surgery, you will return to the pre-operative area where your nurse will monitor you until it is safe for you to be discharged.

If you will be staying overnight, you will be taken to your hospital room after your recovery experience.

Preventing infections

A surgical site infection (SSI) is an infection that occurs after surgery in the part of the body where the surgery took place. Most patients who have surgery do not develop an infection. However, infections do occur in about 1-3 out of every 100 patients who have surgery.

Some of the common symptoms of a surgical site infection are:

  • Redness and pain around the area where you had surgery
  • Drainage of cloudy fluid from your surgical wound
  • Fever

Most surgical site infections can be treated with antibiotics. The antibiotic given to you depends on the bacteria (germs) causing the infection. Sometimes patients with SSIs also need another surgery to treat the infection.