The day of your surgery
The information in this section is for general orientation and does not replace personal medical assessment, instructions or follow-up. Always follow your surgeon's recommendations.
The day of surgery is almost never what people picture. This guide tells you the real order of things so you arrive knowing what to expect and without last-minute surprises.
Admission time
Admission time is not surgery time: you come in earlier because admission has to be completed, your tests reviewed, anaesthesia has to see you and the surgical area has to be prepared. Your time is confirmed by the practice together with the surgical centre where it will take place.
Arriving late can mean rescheduling, and arriving far too early brings nothing forward. If something unexpected comes up that morning, let us know straight away rather than improvising.
- Confirm the exact address of the surgical centre. It is not always the practice.
- Come with someone. You will not be able to drive or go home alone.
- If you wake up with a fever, a cough or an infection, call before leaving home.
Fasting
Fasting is the one instruction that is not negotiable. On a full stomach, general anaesthesia carries a specific and avoidable risk, which is why surgery is cancelled if fasting was not kept, even if you are already at the centre.
The exact hours, and what counts as an allowed fluid, are set by anaesthesia according to your case and your surgery time. If you ate or drank something by mistake, say so. Nobody will be annoyed; keeping quiet is what is dangerous.
- Fasting includes sweets, chewing gum and water, unless you are told otherwise.
- If you take morning medication, ask in consultation which ones you still take and with what.
- Ask too what to do if your surgery is in the afternoon.
Paperwork
You are admitted with your ID, your complete pre-operative tests, reports from any specialist referral you were sent for, and the informed consent that was explained to you and signed in consultation.
Informed consent is not an administrative form: it is where it is written what will be done, what the alternatives are and which complications are possible. If you are about to sign it on the day without having read it, do not sign it yet.
- Valid photo ID.
- Your tests on paper, even if you already sent them.
- Your informed consent and your instruction sheet.
- If you are under 18, the ID and authorisation of a parent or guardian.
What to bring and what to leave at home
Little, and practical. Loose clothes you can put on without raising your arms or bending down, and shoes with no laces.
Jewellery, watches, cash and valuables stay at home. Artificial nails and dark polish sometimes have to come off because they prevent oxygen being measured on your finger: ask beforehand and spare yourself removing them in a hurry in the waiting room.
- Loose clothing that buttons at the front.
- Your compression garment, if you were told to bring it.
- Your usual medication in its original box.
- No make-up, no creams, no perfume, hair tied back.
- No contact lenses: bring glasses.
Getting ready for anaesthesia
Before going in you talk to the anaesthetist. You will be asked about your history, allergies, medication, whether you have had anaesthesia before and how it went, whether anyone in your family has had problems with it, and whether you have loose teeth or dental work.
That conversation is the moment to say everything, including what feels awkward: alcohol, cannabis or other substances, weight-loss supplements, or treatment you would rather nobody knew about. It is clinical information and it is confidential.
- Say if needles make you faint or if you have had bad nausea after anaesthesia.
- Report any allergy, including to latex, tape or iodine.
- Ask how you will wake up and what the first hours will feel like.
What to expect during the procedure
In theatre you are monitored continuously and an anaesthetist stays with you throughout. It is normal for reference marks to be drawn on the skin before starting, standing up and in good light, because the body does not look the same lying down.
The estimated length is on your procedure page, but it is an estimate: running a little longer does not mean something went wrong, and whoever is waiting should know that in advance so they do not worry.
- Whoever comes with you should have a contact number and know where to wait.
- After waking you spend time in recovery before going to your room or home.
What applies to your case is given to you in writing by Dr. García, with your quotation and your consent form. If anything here does not match your sheet, your sheet is the one that counts.