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First and Second Stages of Recovery Room
Discharge, Overnight
Stays, and Recovery Facility
Private Duty Nurses,
and Going Home
Post Operative Instructions
and Avoiding Complications
Warning Signs
General Recovery Rule
of Three's
Once surgery is completed and your bandages are applied,
you will be transferred to the recovery room (also known
as the post anesthesia care unit, or PACU).
If you had general anesthesia or heavy sedation, you
will still be pretty unaware of your surroundings and
it will take up to 2 or 3 hours for you to get your
senses back. If you had local anesthesia with or without
light IV sedation, then you will be much more conscious
and alert.
First Stage of Recovery Room
For those patients with deeper anesthesia and sedation,
your immediate plastic surgery recovery will be divided
into two stages. In the first stage, you will still
be pretty "out of it", unable to carry on
a conversation and unable to sit up and drink fluids.
Depending on your surgery, you may be very sleepy,
in pain and thirsty. Shivering is common either from
being uncovered in the cold operating room during surgery,
or as a reaction to the anesthesia.
Your throat may be sore (if you were intubated for
general anesthesia) and your mouth may be very dry.
In the first stage of recovery, you may be given pain
medicine either in the IV or by injection into your
arm, thigh, or buttock muscle. You will also be offered
ice chips for thirst (drinking fluids is not permitted
due to the risk of choking), and warm blankets for cold
or shivers.
Usually, in this stage, visitors are not yet permitted.
Second Stage of Recovery Room
Once the sedation is starting to wear off, you will
become increasingly conscious.
You will be allowed to drink juice or water, and will
probably want to see your loved ones or close friends
that are waiting for you. (They will want to see you!)
As your condition improves and you are able to sit
up and drink fluids, the nurse will help you to get
dressed.
Some doctors or nurses like to make sure that you can
urinate before you leave, especially if you had a urinary
catheter in place during surgery. (This of course does
not apply if you are going home with your catheter in
place, a common practice after tummy-tuck surgery).
To Next Section -
Discharge, Overnight Stay, and Recovery Facility
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