Download or Print PDF

What to expect after surgery

This is a general overview of what to expect. The process varies from hospital to hospital, and everyone will respond to surgery differently.

Recovery time

Most people need extra care after surgery. You may spend some time
in a high-dependency or intensive care unit before moving to a regular ward. Most people stay in hospital for 3–10 days.
You will have some pain and discomfort for several days after surgery, but this will be managed with pain medicines.
The doctor or nurse will talk to you about how to care for any wounds when you go home.
You will have several tubes in your body after surgery. These may include:
- a drip in your arm to give you pain medicine and to replace your body’s fluids
- a tube from your bladder (catheter) to collect urine in a bag
- a feeding tube
Talk to your treatment team if you want to organise support at home.

Activity and exercise

You will usually be asked to start walking the day after surgery. Research shows gentle exercise soon after surgery can reduce side effects, speed up recovery, and improve how you feel.
Your health care team will provide advice about the right activity levels for you.
For about 2 weeks after surgery, you’ll need to take steps to lower the risk of blood clots in your legs. This may include wearing compression stockings or having daily injections to thin your blood.
You may need to avoid driving and heavy lifting for 1–2 months after surgery.
You will be taught breathing or coughing exercises to help keep your lungs clear and reduce the risk of a chest infection.

Eating and drinking

How you eat and drink will change after surgery.
When you start eating again, you will begin with clear fluids such as water or broth. Then you’ll move to liquids such as milk, soup, ice-cream and yoghurt. After that, you will try pureed foods, then soft foods, and finally solid foods. This can take several weeks or even months.
Start eating and drinking by mouth when your doctor says it’s safe. Eating early (called early oral feeding) can help your body heal and lower the chance
of problems.
Try eating 6–8 small meals or snacks a day. This is usually easier than having a few big meals. Ask the hospital dietitian for advice about what to eat.
For more information about eating after surgery, see Managing side effects.

For more on this, see our general section on Surgery.

Key resource

Download a PDF booklet on this topic.

Understanding Surgery

Download PDF784kB

More resources

Exercise for People Living with Cancer Download PDF1.37MB

This information was last reviewed in March 2026. View who reviewed this content.

Prof David I Watson, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Flinders University, and Senior Consultant Surgeon, Oesophago-Gastric Surgery Unit, Flinders Medical Centre, SA; Prof Bryan Burmeister, Senior Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare Fraser Coast and Hervey Bay Hospital, QLD; Dr Natalie Collier, Radiation Oncologist, Wollongong Hospital, NSW; A/Prof Melissa Eastgate, A/Executive Director, Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Brett Hall, Consumer; Natalie Lalor, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria; Chris Menzies, Upper GI Cancer Nurse Consultant, Flinders Medical Centre and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA; Stefanie Simnadis, Clinical Dietitian, St John of God Subiaco Hospital, WA; Prof Rajvinder Singh, Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide, and Director, Gastroenterology Department and Head of Endoscopy, Lyell McEwin Hospital, SA.

View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.

Need to talk?

Call 13 11 20 to talk to a health professional Or email us your questions.

Get support

Find more information