General Preoperative Instructions

• Make arrangements to have someone stay with you the first night after surgery. Make sure to shop for food and necessities and have things organized at home prior to surgery.
• Do not eat or drink after midnight prior to the day of surgery. This includes gum, hard candy and breath mints.  Take medications the morning of surgery with small sips of water. This reduces the risk of serious complications.
• Blood thinning medications such as Coumadin and aspirin products should not be taken before surgery. These medications must be stopped prior to surgery under the supervision of your doctor/surgeon. In some cases they must temporarily be replaced with other medications. If this has not been discussed with you in the office please call as soon as possible.
• Do not take insulin or other anti-diabetic medications.  We will make every effort to perform diabetic's surgery at 8 a.m.  Please call the office to confirm this.
• Do not smoke on the day of surgery. Smoking is irritating to the lungs and can make it harder to recover from the operation. Smoking is not permitted in the hospital or on hospital grounds.
• Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing to the hospital. If you are not planning to stay overnight, do not bring any other articles of clothing or toiletries. Do not wear makeup or nail polish so skin color can be monitored.  Please leave valuables, including jewelry, watches and money, at home.
• Patients cannot drive home after surgery. Please arrange for an escort to drive you home. A cab driver is not an appropriate escort. Surgery will be cancelled if you have not made arrangements for transportation.
• Call the office to confirm the time and date of the surgery.  Operating times are often altered because of urgent cases. Expect delays in the start time of surgery, since scheduling of procedures is based on the average time for a procedure. Similarly, do not be surprised by a start time that is earlier than anticipated. If possible, bring something to read and arrive early.

Reflux Disease