Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
What to do while the operation is happening | CION Cancer Clinics
While your relative is in surgery, wait where the theatre staff told you to, keep one phone charged and on, and make sure the team knows which of you to come and find. That is the job. This page explains what happens between the theatre door and seeing the patient again, why the length of the wait tells you very little, what the surgeon's short update covers, and what it cannot tell you yet. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What should you do while the operation is happening?
- What happens between the theatre door and seeing the patient again?
- What does the surgeon's update usually cover?
- Four things families fear in the waiting area, and what is actually true
- Words you may hear from the theatre and recovery staff
- What the first hours after the operation cannot tell you
- Common questions from families in the waiting area
The short answer
What should you do while the operation is happening?
Wait where the theatre staff told you to wait, keep one phone charged and switched on, and make sure the team knows which of you they should come and find. That is the whole job. Everything else in the next few hours is about getting through the wait without wearing yourself out.
Why the waiting area matters
When the operation finishes, a member of the surgical team comes out to speak to the family. They look for you in the place they told you to be. If you have gone to the canteen, the car park or the temple across the road, they may not wait. Tell the theatre desk if you have to step away, and leave the phone number of whoever is staying.
Why the length of the wait tells you very little
Operations run long for ordinary reasons. The one before yours overran. The surgeon found scar tissue from an old operation and went slowly. Tissue was sent for a quick check under the microscope and everyone waited for the answer. None of these are bad news. Ask beforehand roughly how long the operation is expected to take, then add a good margin before you begin to worry.
Eat something. Families who fast alongside the patient feel faint at exactly the moment the surgeon comes to talk.In order
What happens between the theatre door and seeing the patient again?
The handover at the theatre door
You walk with the patient as far as the theatre entrance. A nurse checks the name, the wristband and the consent form. Say what you need to say, then let them go. Spectacles, dentures and jewellery come back to you here.
The wait
The time you were given includes getting the patient to sleep before the surgery starts and waking them at the end. The operation itself is only part of it. Nobody comes out halfway with an update, and that silence is normal.
The surgeon comes to find you
Usually within a short while of finishing. It is a brief conversation: the operation is done, this is what was done, this is where the patient is going next. Have your one or two questions ready.
Recovery room or ICU
Every patient goes to a recovery area to wake up fully and be watched. Some go on to the ICU for a night or more, and this is very often decided before the operation rather than because of something that went wrong during it.
First sight of the patient
Drowsy, pale, sometimes with an oxygen mask and several tubes. This looks worse than it is. The nurses will tell you what each tube is for if you ask.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhen the surgeon comes out
What does the surgeon's update usually cover?
It is short, because the surgeon is often going straight to the next case. Knowing what to expect helps you use the minutes well.
Whether it went as planned
The first sentence is usually this. If the plan changed during the operation, the surgeon will say so and explain why. A change of plan is not the same as a problem, and it is fair to ask which it was.
What was removed
The organ or the part of it, any lymph nodes taken, and whether anything unexpected was seen. What was removed now goes to the laboratory, and the full answer about it comes later.
Worth asking
- When will the laboratory report be discussed with us?
Where the patient is going
Recovery, then the ward, or recovery, then the ICU. Ask how long the surgeon expects the patient to stay in each, and when the family will be allowed in. The ICU usually has fixed visiting times.
What the next day looks like
Whether the patient will have a drain, a urine catheter or a tube in the nose, when they may drink, and when they should start moving. This is what the attendant needs to know before the first night.
Commonly believed
Four things families fear in the waiting area, and what is actually true
"It is taking longer than they said. Something has gone wrong."
Usually not. The estimate covers a complex sequence, and delays before the first cut are common. If there is a genuine problem the team will send someone out to tell you, not leave you guessing.
"They are taking her to the ICU. It must be serious."
After larger operations, and for older patients or those with heart or lung conditions, a night in the ICU is planned in advance so that breathing, blood pressure and pain can be watched closely. Ask whether it was planned. Often it was.
"The surgeon will tell us the stage today."
The surgeon can tell you what was seen and removed. The stage, the type and whether the edges were clear come from the laboratory, and that report takes days. Do not read anything into a surgeon who will not give a stage at the theatre door.
"All of us should wait right outside the theatre."
The theatre corridor is a sterile working area and staff need it clear. Two people in the designated waiting area is enough. Everyone else can wait at home for one message from the person who is there.
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You will hear these
Words you may hear from the theatre and recovery staff
- Recovery room
- The area next to the theatre where the patient wakes up under close watching before going to the ward or the ICU.
- ICU
- The intensive care unit, where one nurse looks after one or two patients and monitors run all the time. A planned stay is common after big operations.
- Frozen section
- A quick look at a piece of tissue under the microscope while the operation is still going on. It helps the surgeon decide the next step and it adds to the time.
- Extubated
- The breathing tube has been taken out and the patient is breathing on their own.
Being straight with you
What the first hours after the operation cannot tell you
The theatre-door conversation tells you the operation is over and what was done. It cannot tell you the stage of the cancer, whether the edges were clear, or whether more treatment will be needed. Those come from the laboratory report, which is discussed at the first follow-up.
Telling the rest of the family
Send one short message: the operation is finished, the surgeon says it went as planned, she is in recovery, we will know more tomorrow. Do not pass on half-heard medical words. They travel badly through a family group and come back as something nobody said.
The first night is the attendant's night
Once the patient is on the ward, one person stays and the rest go home and sleep. The person who waited all day is usually the wrong person to sit up all night. Swap if you can.
When to ask for help
If nobody has come to speak to you well past the time you were given, go to the theatre desk and ask. If the patient is in the ICU and you do not understand what you are being told, ask for the doctor in charge to explain it again. Neither is a nuisance.
Questions we are asked
Common questions from families in the waiting area
Can I go home during the operation and come back?
One family member should stay in the waiting area the whole time, with a working phone. If that is you and you must leave, tell the theatre desk, give them your number, and ask someone else to take your place. The team will not search the building for you.
Will anyone come out and update us halfway through?
Usually not. The team's attention is inside the theatre until the operation is finished. Silence during the operation is the normal state, not a sign that something is being kept from you. If there is a serious problem, someone is sent out to tell you.
Why did the surgeon only talk to us for two minutes?
Because the next patient is often already being prepared, and because the detailed conversation belongs at the first follow-up, when the laboratory report is back. Two minutes is enough to hear that it is done, what was done and where the patient is going. Bring your longer questions to the ward round.
Can we see him as soon as it is finished?
Not immediately. The patient wakes up in the recovery area under close watching, and families are usually allowed in once they are stable and moving to the ward or the ICU. The ICU has set visiting times and usually allows one or two people at a time.
She looks terrible. Is that normal?
Pale, puffy, drowsy, an oxygen mask, tubes and a monitor beeping: this is how almost everyone looks in the first hours after a large operation. It is the effect of anaesthesia and fluids, not a sign of how the operation went. She will look different by the next morning.
What should I ask the surgeon at the theatre door?
Three things. Did it go as planned. Where is he going now and when can we see him. When will the laboratory report be discussed with us. Anything about stage, prognosis or further treatment cannot be answered yet, so save those for the follow-up.
Should we eat or fast while we wait?
Eat. Only the patient was asked to fast. A family that has not eaten since the night before is faint, irritable and less able to take in what the surgeon says. Take turns to go to the canteen so the waiting area is never empty.
What if we are told the plan changed during surgery?
Ask plainly what changed and why. Surgeons sometimes find that the picture inside is different from the scans, and they adjust. A changed plan is a decision made in your relative's interest with the information in front of them. The full explanation belongs at the follow-up, so ask when that will be.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- NHS — Having an operation (surgery)
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Surgery for cancer
- American Cancer Society — Surgery for Cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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The Attendant's Job, Day by DayWhat the person who stays does on the wardA Family Guide to Cancer SurgeryThe whole journey, and who takes which jobThe Day of the OperationWhat happens to the patient from the patient's sideICU and the First Days After SurgeryWhy a planned ICU stay is common, and what it is likeThe Pathology Report After SurgeryWhere the stage and the margins actually come from
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