What to expect
Assessment
In most cases (except for endoscopy, gastroscopy and colonoscopy procedures) you will receive a questionnaire via SMS or email (please check your junk box) from my practice manager for you to complete. You may have been asked some of these questions as part of your hospital admission paperwork but I do not have access to this paperwork prior to your surgery/procedure and I am asking the questions in relation specifically to your anaesthetic.
In most cases (but not always) I will call you prior to your surgery/procedure.
In a minority of cases I may need to assess you in my rooms. If so, my practice manager will advise you of this.
Fasting
You will receive fasting instructions from your surgeon/proceduralist. If you have any questions about fasting please contact your surgeon/proceduralist’s secretary.
Blood Thinning Medications
If you are taking blood thinning medications your surgeon/proceduralist will advise you if you need to stop them. If you have any questions about your blood thinning medications please contact your surgeon/proceduralist’s secretary.
Diabetes Medications
If you take oral medication for diabetes please do not take it on the day of your surgery/procedure as you will be fasting. If you take SGLT2i agents include dapagliflozin (Forxiga), empagliflozin (Jardiance), or a combination with metformin (Xigduo, Jardiamet) you must let my practice manager know immediately and I will call you to advise about these medications.
If you take insulin for your diabetes please contact my practice manager and I will contact you to advise you about your insulin regime.
Other Medications
Most other medications are ok to continue, and you can take them on the day of surgery/procedure as you normally would with a small sip of water unless you have been specifically given other instructions.
Day of Surgery/Procedure
You will be admitted to hospital and asked many of the same questions multiple times. This is all routine and part of the checking in process. I will come and chat to you prior to going into the operating theatre.
You will be brought into the operating theatre and have standard monitoring attached. I will place an intravenous cannula and you will then be anaesthetized. Myself, your surgeon and the operating theatre staff are with you the entire time and our job is to look after you.
