Before Your Surgery The Day Before Your Surgery The Day of Surgery Your Recovery Other Information

During this visit, you will talk with an anesthesiologist and a nurse in Health Care Coordination. Information about your surgery will be provided and you may ask any questions. You will be asked to sign a consent for surgery. If the patient is under 18, a legal guardian must be present to sign forms during the visit. 

Please be ready to answer questions about your health history. Bring a list of medications you are taking, including dosages, and any allergies. 

Bring any lab work or electrocardiogram (EKG) results completed at another facility. If you need any additional blood work, X-rays, or EKG tests, these will be completed during this visit. 

Bring a copy of your insurance papers or card. Financial arrangements for your surgery will be made at this time. If you have no insurance, a cash deposit is necessary. Personal checks, VISA, MasterCard, and American Express are acceptable. If you need information about financial arrangements or an estimate of your bill, please call (918) 494-6524. 

If you have a living will, you should bring a copy of that advance directive to this visit. If you do not have a living will and would like to complete one, please call Social Services at (918) 494-1145 for assistance. 

For pediatric patients, tours of the Outpatient Surgery Admit/Discharge Department, the pediatric unit, and the recovery unit are available. 

If you are scheduled for heart surgery, heart surgery classes are scheduled at 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

The Day Before Your Surgery
Please call your doctor's office the afternoon before your surgery is scheduled to find out what time to arrive at the hospital. If your surgery is scheduled for Monday or the day after a holiday, call the doctor's office the afternoon before the holiday or weekend. Sometimes the surgery schedule is changed. If your surgery is planned for later than 7:15 a.m., you may be called to come in earlier. Please be certain you can be reached by telephone and be prepared to arrive at the hospital early if that situation arises. 

You should not eat or drink anything after midnight the evening before surgery. This includes gum, mints, candy, chewing tobacco, and snuff. If you smoke, please try not to smoke after midnight. Take only medications your doctor or anesthesiologist instruct you to take before surgery. The medication should be swallowed with only a sip of water. If you have any questions, please be certain to ask your doctor prior to the evening before surgery. 

If you develop a fever, cold, or rash before your surgery, you need to call your doctor. These conditions may cause your surgery to be postponed. 

The Day of Surgery
When you arrive for surgery, please use the entrance on the side of the hospital nearest to Yale Avenue. Go to the desk marked "Admitting" in the main lobby, and sign in with a clerk. 

You should wear loose-fitting, easily removable clothing. Please leave hair accessories, jewelry, and other valuables at home. If you bring contact lenses, glasses, hearing aids, or dentures, please bring a case for those items. 

If the doctor talked with you about returning home the day of your surgery, have a responsible person come with you to the hospital. This person will need to drive you home after surgery. You may not drive yourself or take a bus or taxi. 

We ask that only two family members be with you in the presurgical preparation areas. Both parents may accompany small children. Additional family and friends may wait in the Surgical Family Waiting Room. Because waiting room space is limited, please try to limit the number of family members who come with you for the surgery. 

If the patient is a child, they may bring a stuffed toy on the day of the surgery. Parents may also bring a bottle or juice for infants to drink after surgery. 

From the admitting desk, you and one or two of your family members or friends will be directed to Outpatient Surgery. In Outpatient Surgery, you will be directed to a room and prepared for surgery. 

The nurse will give you a patient gown to wear and a bag for your clothes. The bag will be labeled with your name and returned to you when you are ready to dress for going home. 

Your blood pressure, pulse, temperature and respiration will be checked. An intravenous line (IV) may be started to give you fluids and medications needed in surgery. 

If special cleaning or shaving of the surgery area is necessary, it will be completed at this time. The area shaved may be larger than you expect. 

Your family may stay with you until you leave for surgery. Then they will be shown to the waiting room. The doctor will call them when the surgery is completed. Family should remain in the waiting room until they receive this call. 

Your Recovery
Outpatient Surgery Patients
Immediately after surgery, you will be taken to the recovery area. Your nurse will be checking your blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiration, and incision. When some of the anesthesia has worn off, you will be taken to the Outpatient Discharge area. A family member or friend may stay with you when you go to your room. 

You may have a sore throat for two or three days from the tube that was in your throat to help you breathe during surgery. 

Please let the staff know if you are having pain. Your nurse will ask you to rate the pain on a scale of 0-5, with zero being no pain and five meaning you feel a lot of pain. Medication may be given to help you feel more comfortable. 

Your doctor will have some specific instructions for you to follow for taking care of yourself when you go home. Your nurse will review these instructions with you. Please ask your nurse if you have any questions or concerns. 

A nurse will try to call you the next working day after your surgery to check your progress and answer any questions for you. If you think of questions after you are home, call the Outpatient Surgery Department at (918) 494-2562, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. If problems develop, call you doctor. If necessary, come to the Trauma Emergency Center at Saint Francis Hospital or go to any emergency center close to your home. 

Patients Admitted After Surgery
Immediately after surgery, you will be taken to the recovery area. Your nurse will be checking your blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiration, and incision. When you awaken, you nurse will help you to turn, cough, and take deep breaths. 

Your nurse will also ask you a few simple questions, such as your name and the date, to see how well you are waking up. 

The IV may still be in place to give you fluids and medicine. You will not be able to have anything to eat or drink yet. 

Please let the staff know if you are having pain. Your nurse will ask you to rate the pain on a scale of 0-5, with zero being no pain and five meaning you feel a lot of pain. Medication will be given to help you feel more comfortable. 

The time spent in the recovery area will depend on your needs. When you are ready, you will be taken to your hospital room. Your family can join you once you go to your room. 

Your nurse will continue to check your blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiration, and incision. You will be asked to continue breathing deeply and coughing. You will also be helped with turning and other activities. For your safety, the bed rails should stay up. 

Other Information
If you will be going home the same day as your surgery, you do not need to bring any personal care items. If you will be staying in the hospital, please leave your overnight bag with extra clothes in your car. You will be assigned a room while in surgery, and your family may bring in your personal items later. Family will also be responsible for clothing and other belongings you have removed in preparation for surgery. 

You may find that you are very drowsy and may want to sleep most of the day of your operation. During your recovery it is important to get plenty of rest. Please ask your family and friends to limit their visits for the first two or three days. Your nurse can help you arrange appropriate times for children to visit. 

You will also be asked to change your position frequently. Your nurse will teach you the proper, most comfortable way to turn. 

When you go home, it is often a good idea to arrange for a family member or friend to stay with you for a day or two. 

Breathing Exercise
Deep breathing and coughing after surgery will help keep your lungs working properly. Practice this exercise before your surgery so you will be familiar with what to do.
 

Deep Breathing and Coughing

1. Lie on your back and bend you knees slightly. Place your hands, a pillow, or a rolled-up towel firmly over your incision (or where your incision will be)  and breathe out normally.
2. Take a deep breath in through your nose, filling your lungs as much as you can. You will feel your stomach or chest push out as you breath in.
3. Hold the breath for a second or two, then breathe out slowly. You will feel your stomach or chest go down as you breathe out.
4. Repeat
5. Take a third deep breath and cough two or three times with a deep abdominal cough, not a shallow throat cough. Push all of the air out of your lungs as you cough.
6. Relax and breathe normally
7. Repeat as directed.

1. Increasing redness around your incision.
2. Excessive drainage from your incision.
3. Oral temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or greater.

1. Excessive pain
2. Swelling
3. Redness
4. Warmth