Day of Surgery

For your safety and comfort, most patients will receive some form of anesthesia – General (sleep), Regional or Local (numbing). Your referring physician or anesthesiologist at the center will discuss types of anesthesia with you.

• Surgery times are the best estimate we can give and may not be exact due to the unpredictable nature of surgical findings.
• It is common for patients to spend an average of three to four hours at the center. The length of your stay will depend on how long your operation takes and how long it takes you to recover from the anesthesia.
• You will enter the recovery room following your operation. There, the nursing staff and anesthesiologist will assist you prior to your discharge.
• After you are stable and prior to discharge, a nurse will give you and your responsible adult instructions regarding precautions, and follow up care.
• Remember that a responsible adult will be needed to drive you home.
• For 12-24 hours after your operation, you may feel slightly nauseated, lightheaded or dizzy. These are normal reactions and will pass with sufficient rest. Occasionally, some reactions may require admitting a patient to the hospital for an overnight stay.
• Within 24 hours after surgery and while taking pain medication, please do not drive or operate dangerous machinery, sign important papers or care for a dependent person.
• You may resume your normal diet if you are not having problems with nausea and vomiting. Avoid greasy and fried foods on the day of surgery.
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages until 48 hours after anesthesia or while taking pain medication. Be sure to take your pain medication with food to avoid nausea.
• If a problem arises after the surgery center closes, please call your physician’s office.
• You will receive a postoperative phone call from one of our nurses as a follow-up.
• Help us evaluate our service. Our staff is dedicated to providing you with high quality personal care. If there are ways to improve our service, please let us know. Please return the patient survey form given to you when you leave our center. Thank you.