Waking up: the recovery room explained | CION Cancer Clinics

It varies. After a short operation some people leave in well under an hour. After a long operation it can be a few hours. The nurse moves you only when your breathing, blood pressure and pain are steady. A longer stay is not a warning sign. It often means your comfort is being sorted out first.

Usually not. The breathing tube is normally taken out at the end of the operation, before you are properly awake. Most people do not remember it at all. After some very long operations, the tube is left in and you are taken to intensive care. Your team will tell you beforehand if that is likely.

Your body cools in the theatre, and some anaesthetic medicines also cause shivering on their own. It looks alarming to the person watching, but it is common and passes. The nurse will warm you with blankets or a warm-air blanket and can give medicine if it goes on. Tell them if you feel cold.

Often yes, in small sips, once you are awake enough to swallow safely. After some operations on the stomach, bowel or throat, you may be asked to wait longer. Always ask the nurse first rather than letting a relative give you a drink, even if your mouth feels very dry.

Tell the ward nurse straight away. Pain relief does not stop when you leave. You may have a PCA pump, an epidural or regular tablets on the ward. Pain that stops you breathing deeply, coughing or moving is worth reporting every time, because treating it helps you recover.

Confusion after an anaesthetic is common in older people. It often settles within a day or two, sometimes longer. Bring his glasses and hearing aids, talk to him calmly and tell the nurses how he is normally. If the confusion gets worse or comes on suddenly later, tell the team, because it can signal an infection.

Anaesthetic medicines, blood loss and pain can all change blood pressure after surgery. Checking it often lets the nurse catch a drop or a rise early and treat it with fluids or medicine. The cuff tightening on your arm again and again is routine and not a sign of a problem.

Only after small day-case procedures, and most cancer operations are not day cases. Even then, you will need a responsible adult to take you home and stay with you overnight. You should not drive, sign important papers or be left alone for the rest of that day.