AFTER OUT-PATIENT SURGERY
After your procedure, you will be moved to our fully-equipped recovery room where the Nurse Anesthetist, Surgeon, and our recovery room nurses will observe you closely as you wake up, and until you are ready to go home. Your doctor will want to reassure your friends/family and give them instructions about your condition. Your friends/family can wait in the comfortable surgical Waiting Room until the staff brings them into the recovery room to be with you.
The time a patient stays in the recovery room will vary depending on the procedure performed and the physician’s instructions, but typically most patients are discharged within approximately 60 minutes after their procedure.
When it's time to go home, your surgeon will provide post-operative instructions about diet, rest, exercise, and medications. JCHC surgical nurses will provide you with a written summary of these instructions before you are discharged. We suggest that you pamper yourself for the first 24 hours following your procedure.
If you had anesthesia and/or pain medications, arrange for an adult to remain with you at home for at least 24 hours. Since it is normal to feel drowsy after receiving an anesthetic, we also recommend that you postpone these activities for 24 hours after discharge:
- Driving and operating equipment
- Signing important papers
- Making significant decisions
- Drinking alcoholic beverages
If you have any unexpected problems, please call your doctor. A nurse from JCHC's Surgical Care suite will attempt to call you the next day to check your progress and discuss any questions you may have.
Your Family Physician will provide post-procedure instructions regarding diet, rest, exercise, and medications from your surgeon.
AFTER IN-PATIENT SURGERY
If you are staying in the hospital after surgery, your physician will discharge you from surgery to the hospital floor, where the nursing staff will take over your care. It is just outside of the surgical department, so the transfer is easy. Your family doctor and your surgeon will visit you in the hospital and work together to make sure that your recovery goes well.