The Day of Your Surgery

The Day of Your Surgery Overview

You will be instructed by your surgeon’s office on what time to arrive for your procedure. Our goal for you to arrive at the facility approximately one hour prior to your surgery. However, delays may occur that are beyond our control.

Drink and snack machines are available in the waiting area for friends and family. Complimentary coffee, drinks and snacks are also available. Visitors are prohibited from eating outside foods in patient areas.

After you are admitted into Lowery A. Woodall Outpatient Surgery Center, you will be asked to wait in the lobby until called by your admitting nurse. Patients are admitted in order of their surgeon’s schedule, not on a first-come, first-served basis.

Before Your Surgery

When it is time for your procedure, we will provide instructions on changing into a cloth gown and whether you will be able to leave on any undergarments or socks. This will depend on the procedure you are having.

You may have one adult visitor with you in the pre-op area. Patients under the age of 18 may have two adult visitors. A visitor pass will be given to the visitor(s) with you, and they can only enter with a pass.

Personal medical information will be reviewed on the day of surgery. If you would like that to be done in private, please let the receptionist know at check-in so that family and friends will not be welcomed into the pre-op area until after the interview. It is very important for your safety to give complete and honest answers to these questions. An anesthesiologist and operating room nurse then will ask some of the same questions regarding your medical history.

After Your Surgery

Immediately after your surgery, you may be transferred to the recovery room, sometimes referred to as Phase 1 Recovery. You will be returned to your room to be with your family when you no longer require oxygen, you are awake and you can tolerate any discomfort or nausea.

Recovery in your room is referred to as Phase II Recovery. Visitation is allowed at this time. You may be discharged home when you are awake, reasonably comfortable and able to tolerate small amounts of fluids. Some surgeries may require that you empty your bladder prior to discharge.

Complete instructions for your care will be given to you and a family member or significant other. At this time, requests for work and school excuses should be made. Someone must be available to sign you out and drive you home. You will not be allowed to drive yourself home if you have had any medication. If this is a problem, please contact us.

If your surgeon orders medications, prescriptions will be given to you or e-scribed to your pharmacy. A staff nurse will call you the day after your surgery to check on you.

Comfort and Pain

Most patients experience some discomfort after surgery. It is important to note not all patients experience pain in the same way. The amount and type of discomfort you may experience also depends on the type of surgery you are having. To help us meet the goal of pain control and comfort, we must work together.

During your stay you will be asked to rate your pain. The scale used is 0-10; 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst possible pain. This scale will help us evaluate the discomfort you are experiencing in relation to your treatment plan.

Other points:

It is important to fill your prescription and follow instructions.

Take pain relief drugs when pain first begins. It is easier to keep your pain under control rather than play catch-up. It will take more medication and will take longer to get you comfortable.

Pain medication is best tolerated if taken with food.

Call your surgeon if you have prolonged nausea when taking your pain medication.

Notify your surgeon in advance if you have a pain management contract.