Preparation for Surgery

Preparation for Surgery - Patient Information

DOCUMENTATION

Once you have booked a date for surgery with Mr White. we will provide you with the individual hospital’s paperwork to complete. This will also involve the consent form which needs to be signed once you are happy that you understand what the procedure involves. We can provide you with the most likely item or code numbers for the procedure involved. These are what determines the cover you are entitled to for Medicare rebates and your health insurer. It is particularly important to check with your health insurer as some have exclusions as part of their policies which will mean that they do not cover some procedures.

FASTING

We will call you a few days prior to your surgery to let you know what time you will be required to fast from.

In general, if your surgery is in the:

• Morning - have nothing to eat or drink from midnight the night before.
• Afternoon - then you can have a light breakfast up until 0700.
  Some medications need to be stopped prior to surgery (and this would have been discussed at your consultation), but in general take your normal medications as you would on the day with a small amount of water.
  Specific instructions need to be followed if you are diabetic or on blood thinning medications; Please discuss these with Mr White.

WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU

Please bring the following items with you:

• Your Medicare card, insurance details, pensioner cards, DVA cards etc
• A list of any allergies
• Contact details for a responsible adult/contact person
• Relevant X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRI
• A list of any medications or your actual medications if staying overnight
• Wear comfortable clothes
• If you are staying overnight - pyjamas/sleepwear, change of clothes, toiletries

We also recommend that you bring something to read/entertain yourself with - we do our best to minimise waiting times but often there are periods of time when a book can be helpful! Even for relatively small procedures the total time in hospital can be several hours. This involves the admission process, getting ready for surgery, being seen by Mr White and your anaesthetist, the surgery and recovery time.

Please be aware that it is possible your appointed surgery time in theatre with Mr White may be delayed if the duration of an earlier operation is longer than anticipated; however, we ask you to be patient as Mr White will ensure that you also receive the highest level of care and attention during your operation.

A relative or support person is welcome to attend with you and will be able to stay with you for most of the day. If you provide their contact details we can ring them 1/2 hour before you will be ready to be picked up.

Please leave valuables at home or in the care of someone you trust when they come in with you.

RECOVERY

Depending on the type of procedure and anaesthetic you have, you will be in recovery for about an hour. We will make sure that you are safe to go home. Mr White will see you after the procedure as well.

We recommend that an able bodied responsible adult is available to accompany you home and preferably stay with you for 24 hours.

It is important that you don’t drive, drink alcohol, sign legal documents or operate heavy machinery for 24 hours after your procedure.

An appointment will be made for you to see Mr White at his rooms approximately one week later.