Preparing for Surgery

We want your surgery to be a success. Here are some tips to help you prepare for surgery. If you have questions about your surgery, please ask your care team to review the pre-surgery instructions and answer any questions you may have.

Your care team has printed detailed instructions for you to follow. If you lose that information or have questions, call your doctor, or check your MyChart account.

This is the time to complete all pre-surgery tests. You must complete all medical tests and financial clearance before your surgery date.

You can expect your mobility to be limited for a time after surgery. Now is a great time to decide where and how you’ll recover at home. Things like:

• Consider the height of your bed, the car you will be riding in, and your toilet seat.
• If you need a shower seat or hand-held shower attachment, install it before your surgery.
• Make up a room on the first floor of your home, with easy access to the kitchen and bathroom. It’s also a good idea to remove throw rugs during your recovery, so you don’t trip over them.
• Consider preparing meals before your surgery. Foods that you can reheat easily during your recovery.
• Always keep your cellphone charged and a charging cable handy.

You’ll need a responsible adult to help you get to the hospital on the day of your surgery and get home once you are recovered. It’s a good idea to make plans well ahead of your surgery.

• Even if you take Uber/Lyft/MARTA, you need someone with you.
• You also need someone to stay with you the night after your surgery.

For turn-by-turn directions from your home to our parking deck and the Surgery Center, please use our free app GradyGO! You can download the app here.

The day before your surgery, call (404) 616-8934 between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. We will let you know when to arrive for your surgery. And remember:

• Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before your surgery.
• That evening, use the chlorhexidine wash to clean the skin where you will have surgery. If you want to take a shower or bath, do it at least 4 hours before you use the chlorhexidine wash.

Today’s the day! Please arrive at the Surgery Center 90 minutes before your surgery time. You’ll need to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and flat shoes. It will make it easier to get dressed after your surgery. And bring your photo ID, insurance card, and Advance Directive (if you have one).

There are things you should not do on the day of your surgery:

• Don’t shower or take a bath and don’t wash your hair.
• Don’t put on any lotions, creams, body oil, hair oil, powder, or perfume.
• Nothing to eat, including gum or mints the morning of your surgery.
• If you wear contacts, don’t put them on the morning of your surgery. Wear your glasses, or at least bring a case for your contacts.
• Please, no jewelry, make-up, or nail polish. Remove all body piercing and any beads or metal objects in your hair.
• Finally, don’t bring any valuables to the hospital on the day of surgery. Only bring the clothes you are wearing and your wheelchair or cane if you use one. Please leave your luggage, cash, jewelry, credit/debit cards, and other valuables at home.

If you take medications daily, we will let you know which medicines are OK to take on the day of your surgery. But take them only with a small sip of water.

Your surgeon may have prescribed medicines for you to take before your surgery. Please fill these prescriptions and take them as directed.

You may have other medicines to take after your surgery. You will need to fill those prescriptions. That’s another reason why it’s important to have the help of a responsible adult after your surgery to get your medications and assist you.

Once you are awake from the anesthesia. We will get you ready to go home. If you have followed these preparation steps, it will make getting home and getting settled easier.

We’ve scheduled follow-up appointments to check your progress and healing. It’s important to keep these appointments.

If you have questions or concerns about your surgery or healing, call (404) 616-3880 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. or (404) 616-0600 after 5 p.m.