Random Tips for Writing Post-Op (After Surgery) Scenes
I’ve received a lot of praise for accurate and immersive hospital scenes in my fics, so I thought I’d share some of my tips!
What’s my secret? Well, I’ve had major operations (emergency and planned) and have been hospitalized 😅 firsthand experience, let’s go!
And disclaimer: some people might not experience things exactly the way I describe, but from what I’ve learned from my aunt (a recovery room nurse), my experiences are pretty standard.
Going under anesthesia isn’t like sleeping.
When you wake up after a normal sleep, you get the sense that time has passed because your consciousness has still been active in some capacity (sleep cycles and dreaming).
That’s not what happens with anesthesia and the drugs they give you before and after - you’re truly unconscious. It really distorts your sense of time. It’s like you blink and suddenly you’re somewhere else.
There actually is no “going to sleep” or “waking up” in a traditional sense - you just lose time. It’s very confusing and disorienting, because everything you happen to be conscious for both before and after surgery feels like a single continuous event and you’re somehow teleporting around.
For example: you’re in the ER, then you blink and you’re being wheeled into surgery, then you blink and you’re in recovery, then you blink and you’re in a regular hospital room.
The real sleeping happens once you’re settled in your room and the effects of anesthesia have worn off.
When you wake up in the hospital, you’re not looking up at the ceiling.
I see this in fics fairly often, but that’s typically not what happens IRL. In a hospital bed, you’re basically sitting up - the head of the bed is elevated so you bend at the waist.
They do this because being flat on your back could cause fluid to collect in your lungs, which might lead to pneumonia.
So therefore when you wake up in the hospital, you’re actually looking straight ahead. You can easily see down the entire length of the bed, your own body, and people sitting/standing nearby.
Here’s what it’s like right after surgery:
The first time you wake up, you’re very cold! Your body pulls blood away from your extremities while under anesthesia (because it thinks you’re dying 😅) so you get a lot of blankets in the recovery room. They even have a blanket warmer.
You feel really heavy, like moving your limbs is impossible.
They tape or glue your eyes shut during surgery to protect them, so your eyelashes are sticky and your eyes might feel irritated from the adhesive.
Being intubated makes your throat super sore afterwards. Like, you legitimately feel like you have strep throat.
It’s likely that you’ll have SCDs (Sequential Compression Devices) which help prevent blood clots. These are like thick little blankets that wrap around your lower legs and squeeze them in an alternating pattern. Many patients apparently hate them but I LOVE them! I find them very soothing.
After surgery, a patient might…
Struggle to understand that the surgery has already happened. Due to time loss, their pre-operation memories took place what feels like only seconds ago.
Not be able to answer questions like “how do you feel” very accurately. The best answer I’ve ever been able to come up with in this situation is “weird.”
Be upset about things they can feel (cold, lethargy, irritated eyes, sore throat, SCDs, etc.). They may not feel pain from their actual injury or incision yet, but they feel different than they felt before the surgery - which, remember, was only seconds ago to them. It can be disorienting.
Not remember a conversation that took place only minutes ago, or try to continue a conversation from hours ago as if no time has passed at all. They might even say the same thing over and over again because they don’t remember they’ve already said it.
Fixate on one thing they really want and not let it go. For me it’s been sore throat spray, lip balm, and even one very specific pillow from home.
I hope this was insightful!
Not sure how far this post will go, but feel free to add onto it if you want. And if you have any questions, my ask box is always open!
