When it is time for your surgery, you will
- Be directed to the preoperative area where you will meet your anesthesiologist and the rest of your medical team.
- Have an intravenous line started to administer fluids and medication during your procedure.
- Have a wide, loose strap placed across your legs for safety once you are moved onto the operating room bed.
Important Points
- A coordinator is available to you and your family members throughout the day for updates on your schedule and progress.
- If you are chilly when you are brought into the air-conditioned operating room, do not hesitate to ask for a blanket.
Anesthesia
You will have one of the following types of anesthesia during your day surgery:
- General Anesthesia: You will be completely asleep during your procedure. The anesthesiologist may have you breathe oxygen by placing a mask over your nose and mouth. You may notice a strange odor during this procedure, which is caused by the mask and tubing. Medication will be administered either through your intravenous line or through your mask, which will help you to drift off to sleep almost immediately.
- Spinal/Epidural Anesthesia: The lower part of your body will be numbed.
- Regional Anesthesia: A specific region of your body will be numbed.
- Local Anesthesia: The area directly around the site will be numbed. If you are having spinal/epidural, regional or local anesthesia, the anesthesiologist will describe what you will be feeling, as he or she numbs a specific part of your body.
With these choices you also can receive:
- Sedation – you will be given relaxing drugs that make you comfortable and drowsy, but you will not be completely asleep.
