Surgery, Day
Day Surgery Instructions for Adults
Guidelines for eating and drinking
- Do not eat any solid foods after midnight the night before your surgery. This includes chewing gum, candy, mints, milk, orange juice or carbonated drinks (soda or tonic).
- Clear liquids should be finished two hours before surgery. Clear liquids include apple juice, water, white grape juice and an electrolyte solution (like Gatorade).
- Do not drink anything during the two hours before surgery.
Call your doctor or the Day Surgery nurse 617-355-7921 if you have:
- a cough, chest cold, sore or strep throat, nasal discharge (runny nose), conjunctivitis;
- a history of bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, mononucleosis (mono) or have been exposed to the chickenpox within the last six months;
- a family history of bleeding or frequent nosebleeds;
- you have been exposed to Tuberculosis.
Consent for surgery
Patients 18 or older consent to their own care. However, if a patient 18 or older is unable to give consent, the legal guardian must sign. The guardian must bring proof of legal guardianship to the hospital.
What to bring the day of surgery
- Bring your insurance information, including authorization numbers.
- All medication bottles, and/or pharmacy receipts, so medication doses can be verified.
- Bring a written list of any questions you may have.
- Bring a CD player/Walkman with headphones. If you are having local anesthesia you may be able to use them.
- Bring a copy of court papers regarding legal guardianship, if this applies, and the phone number of the legal guardian or social worker if you are not the legal guardian.
Who should come to day surgery
A responsible adult must accompany you if you are going to receive anesthesia or sedation. He or she must bring you home. Arrange to have an adult stay with you overnight. Two adults may be with you in the preoperative area and in the Recovery Room.
The day before surgery
A nurse will call you before 1 p.m. to confirm the time of surgery. The nurse will review information with you and answer any questions you may have. If you do not receive a call by 1 p.m. the day before the appointment, please call a member of the Day Surgery staff at 617-355-7921 between 1 and 5 p.m.
The day of surgery
You must remove all jewelry (including navel or other piercings), nail polish, acrylic nails and contact lenses before coming to the hospital. Please leave all valuables at home.
- Please arrive 90 minutes before the time of surgery. This allows time to register, and have blood tests or any necessary assessments. (If you are scheduled for surgery at 7:30 a.m., please arrive at 6:15 a.m.)
- Allow extra time for parking. Children's Parking Garage is across the street from the Main Entrance. Valet parking is available at the front entrance of the hospital. Valet services begins at 6:15 a.m. Your parking ticket may be validated for a discount at the information desk in the Main Lobby.
- Enter the building through the Main Lobby and go to the Information Desk. Tell the person at the desk that you have an appointment for Day Surgery. You will be directed to either the Admitting Office for a blood test or to the Day Surgery Unit on Main 3.
- Tell the nurse or anesthesia provider if you are pregnant. (All females over age 12 will have a pregnancy test.)
- Your family member or friend will be able to stay with you prior to surgery.
After surgery
Once you are settled in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (recovery room), the nurse will bring your family member or friend to be with you.
Your nurse will teach you and your family member or friend about your home care needs. He or she will give you written instructions. Once your family member or friend has learned the care, he or she may take you home. The nurse will give you the telephone number of the surgeon and the anesthesia doctor on call. Please call with any questions or concerns.
The morning or afternoon after surgery a Recovery Room nurse will call you to see how you are doing.
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