What Is Normal, What Is Not: A Recovery Triage Guide

Recovery generates a great deal of anxiety that is entirely unnecessary and a small amount that is entirely warranted. Being able to sort one from the other is the most useful thing a patient can carry home. This is general information, not medical advice — your surgeon's specific instructions supersede anything written here.

Expected, and not a reason to call

• Swelling that worsens through day two or three before improving.
• Bruising that migrates downward, appearing in the neck or chest.
• Asymmetric swelling that resolves at different rates on each side.
• Numbness, tingling, itching, or a tight sensation over weeks to months.
• Firm lumps or ridges under the skin in the first several weeks.
• Low mood or regret in the first two weeks. Extremely common.

Call the practice today

• Pain that increases rather than gradually decreases after day three.
• Redness spreading outward from an incision, or warmth and discharge.
• Fever.
• Rapid one-sided swelling, especially with tightness or pressure.
• Any change in vision after periocular surgery.
• Calf pain, swelling, or shortness of breath — seek emergency care.

I would far rather field ten unnecessary calls than miss one haematoma at hour six.

On the emotional dip

A period of low mood in the first two weeks is reported so consistently that many practices now warn patients about it in advance. It is attributed to anaesthesia, disrupted sleep, restricted activity, appearance during peak swelling, and the sheer weight of an irreversible decision. It nearly always lifts. If it does not lift by week four, that is worth raising with your own physician.