Your health care provider or the hospital’s pre-surgery team will examine you and review your medical history.
- If they order any tests, ask why.
- Ask your health care provider to check your test records for the past four to six months. Usually you don’t need to repeat a recent test if your condition hasn’t changed.
- Bring a list of the names and doses for all your supplements, medicines, and vitamins.
- Report any new symptoms—even if they occur after your exam.
These steps can help make your surgery safer:
Quit smoking, at least for the surgery. It is important not to smoke on the day of your surgery. The sooner you quit, the lower your risk of complications. If you need help quitting, ask your health care provider.
Ask your health care provider about your blood counts. If your red blood cell counts are low, ask your health care provider about whether simple treatments like iron can be used to boost your red blood cells for surgery. That way, you can reduce the risk of needing a blood transfusion.
Ask about pain relief. Ask your health care provider if you should stop aspirin or other blood thinners. You may want to use acetaminophen (Tylenol and generic) for pain relief. Avoid ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, and generic) and naproxen sodium (Aleve and generic) because they can cause bleeding.
Ask for help. Ask someone to drive you to and from the hospital and stay overnight with you. You may want to ask someone to be with you at your health care provider’s appointments, particularly in stressful situations, to be sure all instructions and information is retained. Ask about nursing or rehab care, too.
Pack a bag. Don’t bring valuables, but do bring:
- Provincial health card and hospital card.
- Storage containers for dentures, contact lenses, and eyeglasses.
- A few items for comfort, such as a music player and headphones, photos, and a robe or pillow.