Before Surgery - Adults

• Insurance card
• Photo ID/Proof of address
• Enough cash for prescriptions
• A case for your contact lenses or glasses
• A responsible adult to drive you home
• Your medication bottles (including insulin)
• Bring a favorite bottle or "sippy cup" for your child
• Crutches or walker as appropriate for your procedure

You will need a relative or friend with you. That person will be allowed to be with you before and after surgery. This person will be with you when we provide and explain written instructions regarding your care for at home. This person will also need to drive you home. You will need to make arrangements for someone to be with you at home They will be able to assist you with your cares and to seek help if problems should arise after you get home.

A parent or legal guardian will need to accompany child and must remain at the surgery center at all times for children under the age of 18. It is unsafe to drive while caring for a child who has had surgery. Please bring another adult along to help you during the ride home.

Please refrain from bringing young children to the Surgery Center as guests.

Please wear comfortable loose-fitting clothing. Women may leave their sports bra on if it does not have metal hooks.

If you wear contact lenses you will have to remove them for the surgery, so consider wearing your glasses and if you have a glass case bring it with you. If you have to wear your contacts, please bring contact solution and your contact case.

Please do not wear make-up including eye make-up or lipstick. Remove all jewelry, including piercings.

Because the operating room is a sterile area, you will change into a patient gown and robe before going back to the operating room.

Having food and liquids in your stomach increases the chance of vomiting during surgery which can then be aspirated into your lungs. This complication is very serious and you need to strictly abide by our recommendations.

The evening before your surgery eat a regular supper. Do not eat of drink anything (including water, gum or candy) after 12:00 midnight the night before your surgery, unless otherwise instructed by an Institute for Special Surgery nurse. Your surgery may be cancelled if you do so.

If you are taking prescriptions, such as blood pressure, heart, diabetic, seizure or asthma medication, the Surgery Center nurse will tell you which medications you should take the morning of surgery on your pre-op phone call.

If you are on Aspirin or NSAIDS those should be stopped 7 days prior to surgery unless otherwise instructed.

If you are on blood thinners your surgeon or your physician will instruct you when to stop those meds.

Patients will not be allowed to drive themselves home following surgery. Patients will not be allowed to take public transportation or a cab without a responsible adult accompanying them.

We will not proceed with surgery without a responsible adult as your driver.

Take a shower or bath the night before or the morning of surgery. You can brush your teeth the morning of surgery, but do not swallow water. Please remove all makeup, lipstick, nail polish, hairpins, jewelry and all piercings.

If you wear acrylic fingernails or toenails, please remove them from the operative limb at least 2 days prior to your surgery.

The management of your pain will be taken very seriously. We will be assessing your level of pain from the time of admission until you receive our postoperative call at home. You will be repeatedly asked to rate your pain from a numerical scale, or for children, the Faces Pain Scale (see below). We will often use a combination of different modalities to help make you comfortable, choosing from oral medications, intravenous medication, nerve blocks, injection of local anesthetic for the management of your pain. Please feel free to bring up any concerns or fears you may have.