The first week after surgery

Most complications after a routine operation show up in the first seven days, and almost all of them announce themselves before they become serious. Knowing what to look for turns a frightening week into a manageable one.

Call the hospital the same day if

• Fever above 38°C, or shivering that will not settle.
• The wound becomes more painful rather than less, after day three.
• Redness spreading outward from the wound, or any discharge with a smell.
• A calf that is swollen, warm or tender on one side only.
• Breathlessness, or chest pain on breathing in.
• No urine for eight hours, or vomiting that stops fluids going down.

Pain is not something to endure

Take the pain relief you were prescribed on schedule for the first few days, not only when the pain becomes bad. Someone in pain does not breathe deeply, does not walk, and does not sleep — and those three things are what recovery is made of.

Ask before stopping anything early, particularly antibiotics.

Move sooner than feels natural

Short, frequent walks around the house prevent the two commonest post-operative problems: clots in the legs and chest infections. A few minutes every hour while awake does more than one long effort in the afternoon.

While sitting, circle the ankles and press the feet down as if on a pedal. It keeps blood moving in the calves even when walking is not yet comfortable.

Write the questions down

The follow-up appointment is short and easy to waste. Keep a running note on the phone of anything odd — what it was, when it happened, how long it lasted — and take the list of current medicines with you.