For Patients: After Your Surgery
Post-Operative Care and Communications
After your procedure/surgery, the physician may speak
with your family/friend, informing them of the outcome
of the procedure/surgery. You will be taken to our
recovery area where you will be reunited with your
family/ friend. They will be involved in your post-op
education, facilitating safe and efficient discharge from
our facility.
Going Home
You will be evaluated prior to discharge to determine
that you are ready to leave the Surgery Center. You
will be discharged once you and your family/friend
have been given written home care instructions with
your physician’s contact information noted. UW Health
Pharmacy is conveniently located on the first floor of
1 S. Park and can fill your prescription while you are
recovering from your procedure/surgery (if applicable).
Madison Surgery Center is not open 24 hours a day. If you
experience any difficulties or problems after discharge,
please refer to your discharge instructions as to how best
to contact your physician. If you experience an emergency,
call 911 or go to the emergency room.
Even though you are awake more quickly after an
ambulatory procedure/surgery, you may feel drowsy for
the next 24–48 hours. Your coordination may also be
affected. For your safety:
- Do not drive a car or operate hazardous machinery.
- Do not drink alcohol.
- Do not take any medication unless prescribed by your physician.
Important decisions should be delayed until you have
made a complete recovery. You should plan to go home
immediately from the recovery area and rest for the
remainder of the day with a responsible adult to assist you.
We will provide you with a patient satisfaction survey that
you may complete at the Center or take home and mail to
us. We use the survey results to improve our services for
patients and appreciate your comments.
Communicating with Madison Surgery Center
The next business day, you will receive a call from one of our nurses to check on your progress and answer any questions you may have. If you have not spoken with a nurse by the end of the next business day, please call us at 608-287-2200 or 800-921-3444. Please notify us if the telephone number we should use to contact you for follow-up after your procedure/surgery is different from the contact information verified at the time of admission.
When to Call the Doctor
Call the doctor immediately if you experience:
- Excessive bleeding
- Pain that is not relieved by medication
- Fever over 100° F (by mouth) for two readings taken four hours apart
- Incision or drain sites become more painful, swollen, red and/or feel warmer than usual
- Any drainage or bleeding from your incision
- Problems with nausea and vomiting
- Problems urinating or emptying your bladder