Recovery

As soon as the doctors have finished doing your operation, your bed will be wheeled into the recovery room, which is next to the operating theatre where the operation was carried out.

This is where you will wake up and start your recovery.

A specialist recovery nurse will be on hand, making sure you're okay and checking that when you're fully awake you're not hurting anywhere. If you are, the nurse will make sure you get the medicine you need.

As soon as you've woken up, your parents will be called and they can come and sit with you while you come around.

You will be in the recovery room for about half an hour, or a bit longer if you've had a big operation. After that, a nurse will take you back to your ward, where you will continue to get better.

Getting home 

Once you've had your operation, you'll probably want to go home as soon as possible but our doctors need to make sure you are well enough before they let you go.

Physiotherapy

If the operation you've had means you need physiotherapy – physical help to get a hurt or damaged part of the body moving properly again – it is really important you do the exercises you're given. If you don't or don't do them often enough, your body will take longer to get better.

Eating and drinking

Depending on what operation you've had, you may not be allowed to eat or drink after surgery. Your doctors will decide when it's time to eat and drink again. If you are allowed to, you should eat and, especially, drink plenty. Your body will heal faster if you are giving it what it needs.

Getting your strength back

Try to get out of bed and walk around as soon as you feel you can. Walk or use the play area or on the ward a little more each day to build up your strength.

However much you want to go home, you'll probably know yourself when the time is right. Both you and your doctors and nurses will start to notice your energy and appetite come back and that’s when they'll agree that you are well enough to leave hospital.