What is the recovery time?
All operations will take time to recover from. The larger the operation, the more time required. After your operation, there will be things you can do to help speed up your recovery and make a safer return to normal activities.
While in hospital
When you awake from your surgery, you will find dressings over the areas that have been operated on. You may also find drain tubes coming from the areas, and you may be wearing a compression bandage or stocking. During your time in hospital, we encourage you to initially sit out of bed and then build up to walking around as soon as you safely can. This helps prevent complications such as blood clots in the legs. Stay well hydrated with good oral intake. This helps to prevent blood clots in the legs.
Outside of hospital
Once you are home, we encourage you to continue to get up and about and not just rest in bed. You must be careful to take care of any dressings or drains that may still be present. You will usually have an appointment with the dressings clinic nurses to help you with this shortly after you are discharged home.
Recovery
Most patients should spend the first week after discharge at home, ideally with family or a friend for help and support. Do not drive for two weeks. Also, no exercise or strenuous activity should be undertaken for six weeks. This is to help prevent complications such as wounds not healing well. Usually by about six weeks, you may stop using the support garments or binders over the areas operated on.
Follow up
Most patients will have their wounds checked by a dressings clinic nurse within a week of being discharged. Your operating team will see you regularly after surgery in clinic to assess your progress.