Surgery: What to Expect

Surgery: What to Expect

Topic Overview

Knowing what to expect before, during, and after surgery can help ease your fears. Knowledge can also help you take an active role in your recovery.

Being an active patient means asking questions and not agreeing to anything until you understand it and believe that it's for the best. Taking an active role also includes finding out about the cost of your treatment.

Minor surgeries

Minor surgeries that can be done in your doctor's office or at a same-day surgery center usually take less than 2 hours, and you can recover at home after the surgery. For these, you most likely will need only oral pain medicines after your procedure. Examples of these types of surgeries are:

For more major surgery or emergency surgery, you will probably stay in the hospital.

Author:
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Michel M. Murr, MD - General Surgery, Bariatric Surgery
Last Updated:
October 27, 2011
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