Surgery

• Call your surgeon's office to ensure all pre-surgery paperwork is complete.
• Stay physically active.
• If overweight, talk with your surgeon about losing weight.
• Stop smoking. This is the most important thing you can do. Even if you do not stop for good, stopping for a week before surgery will help speed your recovery.
• Prior to surgery, shower according to your surgeon’s instructions, using soap or a 4 percent Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) antiseptic solution, such as Hibiclens.
• If you have chronic medical conditions, we may refer you to our perioperative specialist or to your primary care physician before your surgery. They will work with you to ensure you’re prepared for the safest surgery possible.
• Before surgery, talk with your surgeon if you are having any symptoms with urinating - such as frequency, urgency, straining or incomplete emptying of your bladder.

Communicating how you feel when you experience pain can be difficult under normal circumstances. While you are in the hospital, we want you to tell us how you feel using the simple Pain Rating Scale. The Pain Rating Scale ranges from 0-10. A score of "0" means you feel no pain. A score of "5" means moderate pain. A score of "10" means you feel the worst pain possible. Your nurse will review the scale with you at the hospital.

You'll be asked to rate your pain using this 0-10 scale. After you receive pain medication, your nurse will ask you again to rate your pain. This will help your nurse know if the medication is working effectively for you. 

Some degree of discomfort is to be expected after surgery. Follow your discharge instructions for pain management and discuss the following pain management treatments with your surgeon:

• If your pain is mild, consider over-the-counter pain medications that have worked for you in the past. Follow the manufacturer’s dosing recommendation. Do not exceed the maximum daily dose of any medicine.
• Apply an icepack to surgical wound to decrease pain and swelling.
• For moderate to severe pain, take your prescribed pain medications as directed by your surgeon.

For any surgical procedure, our top safety goal is to ensure that each patient is accurately identified and has the right surgery performed.

You can help us guarantee our accuracy. Before you have surgery, your nurses, doctors and medical staff will ask you several times for your name, the type of procedure you are having, and the correct site or location of the procedure to be performed. They may also ask you to help by using a pen to mark the surgical site before you leave the pre-surgery area.

Another very important way for you to help guarantee your own safety is to inform us of any allergies you may have. It is best if you bring a list to the hospital with you, noting all substances to which you may be allergic, including drugs, food and environmental factors. The plan of care we design specifically for you may change if we know that you have certain allergies, such as a latex allergy.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your surgery, or are having issues with pain, nausea, constipation, or urinary retention, call your surgeon. Most urgent medical issues can be handled by your surgeon in their clinic during regular office hours. Please call the clinic for these issues. Calling early in the day when the issue may not seem as urgent is better than waiting. If you feel you are experiencing a life-threatening condition, please seek help in the emergency department or call 911.

If experiencing difficulty urinating, you may find it helpful to have the faucet running when you try. Call your surgeon if unable to urinate in six hours, or if your bladder feels full but is unable to empty. 

If experiencing nausea or constipation, use narcotic pain medications only when necessary. If you are prone to constipation, eat high-fiber foods, drink plenty of fluids and consider taking a stool softener. If constipation develops, take an over-the-counter laxatives, unless otherwise instructed by your surgeon.

• Some clear, light yellow or blood-tinged drainage from the incision is to be expected.
• If you have a drain in place, it is normal to have drainage in the drain and even around the drain site (where it comes out of your skin). The amount and color of drainage can change with time.
• Some bruising and swelling around the incision is to be expected.
• Follow your surgeon’s instructions regarding dressing changes. Remember to always wash your hands before and after touching your surgical wound.
• Call your surgeon right away if you develop any sign of infection, including:
  • Fever (101.5 or greater)
  • Redness, tenderness, or increased warmth around incision
  • Pus-like or foul-smelling drainage from incision