Day of Surgery Your Procedure
Letter of Admission
Your admission letter from the hospital will tell you the date and time of your operation, as well as the required time of arrival. Make sure you arrive on time!
It should also tell you:
- Which ward or department you’re going to be in
- The hospital or ward’s contact number
- the name of the consultant who’ll be taking care of you.
Arrival
When you arrive, you’ll be welcomed by a member of staff, who’ll explain the processes to you and give you an identity bracelet to wear during your stay in hospital.
A member of the surgical team will meet you and explain the procedure that you are going to have. Sometime you will need to sign a confirmation of agreement to proceed with the proposed procedure as the final part of the consenting process, in addition to the previous discussion with your treating team.
You also will be reviewed by one of the anesthetic team that will do the anesthetic part of your operation. The anesthetic team will ask you questions related to your general health, other medical condition you may have, your medications, allergies, whether you had previous operations, and any artificial teeth. It would be also a good idea to discuss the anesthetic process you will go through, pain killers you may need and any other preferences.
During your time in hospital, you may be asked the same questions by several people. This is part of the routine, and it ensures that the correct information about you is checked and available at each stage of treatment.
You need to take any medicines your doctor asked you to take before surgery. But if you normally take tablets or insulin for diabetes or high blood pressure, make sure you discuss this with your specialist as soon as possible before your operation. You’ll be asked whether you’re allergic to any medication, or whether any relatives have ever had any problems with an anesthetic so suitable precautions can be taken.
Anesthetics
You’ll be given an anesthetic so you won’t feel any pain during the operation.
Types of Anesthesia:
- A general anaesthesia will be needed for a major operation, which means you’ll be asleep throughout the whole operation. It’ll be given to you via an injection or gas, which you breathe through a tube in your wind pipe. There’s no need to be anxious about having a general anaesthetic: the anaesthetist will be by your side the whole time you’re asleep, carefully monitoring you, and will be there when you wake up.
- If you don’t need to be put to sleep, you’ll be given a regional anaesthetic. This means you’ll be conscious throughout, but you won’t feel any pain.
- It may be a local anaesthetic, where a small area is numbed, or an epidural, which reduces sensation in the lower areas of your body.