Patient Education
Recovery Guides
Plain-English guides to the post-operative pathway, written by the team that performs the surgery. Each explains what is expected at that stage of recovery, what would be unusual, what to do about it, and when to make contact rather than wait.
All Guides
12 guides to recovery and aftercare
- The First 48 Hours at Home: What Is Normal and What Is NotFirst 48 Hours
- Wound Care and Dressings: Keeping the Wound Clean and DryWound Care
- Drains and Stitches: What They Do and When They Come OutDrains and Stitches
- Pain After Surgery: Why Control Matters for HealingPain Control
- Swelling, Bruising and the Recovery Timeline: What Settles WhenRecovery Timeline
- Activity, Rest and Sleep After Surgery: What to Avoid and for How LongActivity and Rest
- Compression Garments and Dressings That Must Be WornCompression Garments
- Returning to Work, Exercise and Swimming: Realistic TimeframesReturn to Activity
- Scar Care Once the Wound Has Closed: Silicone, Massage and SunScar Care
- Nutrition, Hydration and Healing: Food, Fluids and Honest LimitsNutrition and Healing
- The Follow-Up Schedule: What Each Review Visit AssessesFollow-Up Schedule
- Warning Signs After Surgery: What to Do and Who to CallWarning Signs
Questions about your recovery? Ask your own team
Recovery raises more questions than any appointment has time to answer. If something is worrying you — a dressing, a drain, pain, swelling, a scar, or a symptom you are not sure about — contact the team that treated you. The written instructions you were discharged with always take priority over general guidance, including everything on this page.