After the surgery, a member of the hospital staff will bring you to the recovery area.
You may have a face mask or small tubes in your nostrils giving you extra oxygen until you’re fully awake, as well as a drip attached to your cannula to give you fluids until you’re drinking normally.
If you’ve had a large flap (especially a free flap), your doctor and nurses will closely monitor it to detect any changes in blood circulation. You may also have additional drips and monitoring devices attached to you.
The length of time you'll spend in hospital varies tremendously depending on the site, size and type of the repair. If you’re having a simple graft in a day surgery, you’ll be discharged the same day. A complicated flap may require observation in hospital for over a week.
Pros and cons of public hospitals
Understanding your hospital choices will help you decide what's right for you.