Day of Surgery: What to Expect

When preparing for an intervention like surgery, the most natural response is panic. For many of us, this would be our first time ever going through something like that, and even if it's not, every surgery is scary and nerve-wrecking. Part of this stress is the large amount of unknown parts. What would it be like? What would it feel like? Would the team be nice to me? Would my surgeon find endometriosis? What would it be like to wake up? How would my first weeks post-op look like?

SO MANY QUESTIONS!

The less surprises you'll have on your way to recovery, the better experience and more control you'd feel over the situation. That being said, embarking on the surgery journey means a little less control in general, and we should be prepared for that too!  To help prepare and ease those nerves,  we created The Surgery Guide - a short and sweet read for anyone getting ready for surgery, even if it's not your first one!
Don't forget to check out the Recovery Essentials list we collected from the community, and Download the printable packing list to ease your recovery!

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Visit in advance

"I chose to go visit the hospital two weeks before my surgery date"' shares Eti, "I knew I would be a wreck on that day and I didn't wanna leave any "decisions" to make then. Not even "how do I go from the parking lot to the surgery unit", I wanted to be 100% ready, know where I'm going, know what it looks like in there. I wouldn't call this "Calming" because... hospitals, you know, but it was so helpful!"
Eti also paired this visit with a trip to a local park near the hospital and an ice cream treat, helping her brain perceive the hospital and the surgery unit visit as a positive experience, and trading some of those butterflies in her stomach to acknowledge how beyond all that, she's excited and looking forward to life post-op.

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Going in

On the day of your surgery, you’ll be asked to show up early at the hospital. In some countries, they admit patients for minor observation the night before surgery as well, but the experience in the morning is usually the same.You’ll be asked to remove all pieces of clothing and jewelry, and change into the hospital gown - this is when you get your trophy socks! (a.k.a. Warm socks they give patients and you get to take home with you) Your belongings will be put into a bag with your name on it, and you can keep your phone and glasses with you until they take you in.

Many people from your care team will come by your room to chat with you, and you will be repeating yourself a lot - this is part of the procedure to make sure everyone is aware of the details of your case and what is to be done.The anesthesia team will come by, too, this is a good time to share if you’re taking regular meds or have a cannabis license - they need to know about your habits to create the perfect anesthesia mix for you. If you don’t want to share details about your regular use with other team members, you can always ask to speak with the Anesthesiologist in charge, in private.

Last but not least - your surgeon will usually come by to say hi, and give you a chance to ask final questions or share how you’re feeling.

Then, they will roll you into the OR. If you’re anxious about this part (it’s also really cold in there!), you can ask your anesthesia team for some relaxing stuff before you go in. They’re usually happy to push something into your IV before moving you, and that just makes you a little lightheaded and less stressed.

If you’re not a fan of anti-anxiety drugs, you can focus on breathing through the experience and cold. Laying there, close your eyes and imagine the great post-op-post-recovery dreams you’ve got for yourself. Remind yourself what a strong character you are, and how everything led you to that moment, and as anxiety-provoking as it is, it’s also a little bit exciting and hopeful.

Usually, in the OR it’s a very short process: the team might introduce themselves, ask you to move from the bed you were rolled in, to the bed/table there (it’s not really a table nowadays! Just a different bed lol) and then the anesthesia team will be taking over to get you asleep.

It’s a pretty common practice all around the world to wait until the patient is asleep, and only then does the team work on positioning, setting up the drapes and tools, putting a catheter in, etc. If this is not the case for you - ASK for it!

In most cases, your catheter will be removed before you wake up. If bladder or kidney work was done, your surgeon might want you to have the catheter in for a few days and have it removed in-office.

So basically, while you’re in there, it’s a pretty quick process; falling asleep is the last of the anxious experience, and you’ll be sleeping SO WELL!!

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Waking up

You'll probably not remember the exact moment you woke up, because coming out of general anesthesia is a process. Patients will come in and out for a while before they stay awake. Your companion for the day will be allowed in the recovery room around that time. It’s inevitable that you’ll experience some pain, but it’s important to communicate your pain levels with the care team, as it must be on a manageable level. Recovery room nurses have THE BEST STUFF at the hospital on hand, to help you get through the initial pain and get as comfortable as possible.

Your only job in the recovery room as the patient: Get the pain under control, get bodily functions going as the team asks you to, and get ready to go home/to your ward.

Usually, you’ll be getting some stronger painkillers for the first 3-10 days (depending on what was done internally) - be vocal about your pain management needs ahead of time! You don’t want to get to a vulnerable position while recovering from surgery and then needing to fight for your care. Put things in writing to your surgeon, repeat as needed when you arrive at the hospital, and remind the team before you go in. Make sure you pick up the prescription before you come in, or you get it filled to your bed before leaving the hospital. If you tend to get nauseated, ask your nurses to put anti-nausea meds in your IV before you wake up - it makes a huge difference, as severe nausea is often perceived by the brain as additional pain too.

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Hospital stay post-op

If you live anywhere in the world that is not the U.S. - you’ll probably stay in the hospital for at least 1 night after surgery. About 2-4 hrs after you surgery is over, you’ll be admitted to one of the wards and moved to the care of their nurses. The same rules apply: the care team around you is there to help you get the pain under control. They won’t have the strong stuff like in recovery, but they still have a LOT they can do. Extreme pain is not healthy for your heart, brain, or recovery process. So the goal is not only to watch your vitals and bodily function but also to make you comfortable. (Side note: the goal is also not to be pain free, because that's usually not the case post-op, but the pain should be tolerable and you should be able to rest and sleep in between doses of painkillers)

If you live in the US, your surgery will likely be outpatient and you’ll be going back home from the recovery room. If at any point you feel like you’re being pushed/rushed out, and your pain is not yet under control, your “golden sentence” is: “I don’t feel safe yet to be managing my pain and healing at home”. They MUST keep you in until you feel safe to handle it on your own.

Make sure you’re vocal about what you feel (even if it’s hard because our brains tend to feel like mush after anesthesia) - having a close advocate is extremely important in this case and will make all the difference.

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Traveling home

If you have a long travel home, you should plan the journey well ahead, so it won’t be a complete misery.

• Bring a comfy pillow/folded tv blanket to sit on. Your uterus probably won’t be the happiest, and having cushions is always an improvement.
• Bring another small pillow / Squishmallow to place between your stomach and the seatbelt. You really don’t want the seatbelt “cutting” into your sore abdomen or touching the incisions.
• Can you plan bathroom breaks before and after so you don’t have to use a public bathroom nor leave the car for such a long “trip” to the bathroom and back?
  If the trip is longer than that, consider renting a wheelchair so you don’t have to walk too much if you won’t be up for it.
• Can you plan on gas fill-ups before you get started too? - same reason, keep it as short as possible and the least stops.

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Congratulations on getting this far!

You've tackled the scariest, most complex part of this journey. Not the longest part, indeed, but it should be getting better from this point and on.
Ready to prepare for recovery? We posted an awesome article with all the tips and tricks we collected as a community: Resilience Unleashed: Post-op Recovery Tips.

See you there!