After discharge

Medications

Most likely, you will be discharged with scripts for medications to take for the days following surgery. Please make sure you commence these medications as soon as possible. If there are any problems in obtaining or taking these medications, it is important to let the surgeon or me know.

Nausea and Vomiting

By far, the most common complication after a general anaesthetic. It is the first cause for re-admission to hospital. Sometimes, this can last a few hours and, infrequently, it can last for days. Some people have a little bit of nausea and others have severe uncontrollable vomiting.

If you are experiencing severe or prolonged nausea and vomiting, please contact the hospital where you had your procedure as soon as you become concerned. There are things that can be done and, ultimately, you might need to be admitted to avoid dehydration.

Pain

Everyone has a different pain threshold and sometimes the medications that you have been prescribed might not be enough. As much as some discomfort can be expected, severe pain is not acceptable. Occasionally, the cause can be an underlying surgical complication that we need to know about.

Please ensure that you are carefully following the pain relief (analgesia) plan that was given to you. Prescription/s will include hourly doses that should be followed even if you are not experiencing pain. The rationale for this is that it is easier to prevent pain from increasing than it is to reduce it once it has set in.

If you are experiencing pain that does not recede with the pain killers you have been prescribed, it is getting worse or more than expected, please contact the hospital where you had your procedure.

Eating and Drinking

From an anaesthetic perspective, unless you are nauseated or vomiting, once home, you should be able to eat and drink normally. However, depending on your surgery, the surgeon may give you a diet to follow. Please follow these instructions carefully.

It is suggested that for the first 24 hrs. you keep your meals light and easy to digest (i.e. no greasy, heavy or large meals). Due to the pain medication that you would have received, your stomach emptying might be delayed and you will feel this as nausea and bloating. If you require significant amounts of pain relief, especially codeine, oxycodone or tramadol, continue to eat lightly until you are off these medications.

Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated is extremely important and will speed up your recovery.

Alcohol is not recommended for the first couple of days after surgery, especially if you are feeling unwell, nauseated, vomiting or bloated. Alcohol can interact dangerously with some medications, especially narcotic pain killers (codeine, oxycodone or tramadol). If you are taking these medications, please abstain from drinking alcohol.

Sleep

After a general anaesthetic, your sleep pattern might be disturbed for a few nights. It will be a similar feeling to jet-lag, if you have experienced that before. This is normal and not something to worry about. Eventually, you will return to your normal sleeping pattern.

Miscellaneous

Please contact the hospital where you had your procedure if you are worried about any other symptoms that are not mentioned above, such as (but not limited to): feeling faint, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, rigors. In an emergency, call 000. Bear in mind that many of the private hospitals do not have an emergency service.

If you happen to present to an emergency department that is not in the hospital where you had your surgical procedure, please inform the ED team that you have recently undergone surgery and provide them with your surgeon’s name. It is very important that your surgical and anaesthetic team is contacted to provide continuity of care.