What is surgery?

Before the surgical team starts your surgery, the team members will double-check your name. They'll check what type of surgery you're there for and what part of your body is to be operated on.

If you are having general anesthesia, a breathing tube is placed in your windpipe or a special airway is placed in your throat to help you breathe during surgery.

To reduce your risk of infection, the area where the incision will be is washed with a liquid. The surgery tools are sterilized.

Near the end of your surgery, your surgeon may inject a long-acting pain medicine to decrease your pain for 6 to 12 hours after surgery.

After surgery, you'll go to a recovery area where nurses will care for you. You'll most likely stay there for 1 to 4 hours. Then you'll be moved to a hospital room or go home.

You will be given some general instructions about what to do after surgery. Your surgeon may also give you some special instructions on how to care for the surgery area. Be sure to follow those instructions carefully.

• If the instructions from your surgeon aren't clear or don't cover your particular problem, contact your surgeon.
• If your symptom or problem starts after the office or health facility is closed, call your surgeon's office. Leave a message with the answering service (or follow instructions given on the answering machine). If you leave a message, be sure to include your name and phone number so that your surgeon (or the on-call surgeon) can contact you.

Write down your symptom or problem. It may help you become more aware of your specific symptom or problem. Or it may give you ideas about its cause. It will also help prepare you to talk to your surgeon about what you are experiencing.

Don't smoke or use other tobacco products. Smoking slows healing because it decreases blood supply and delays tissue repair.

Before you have surgery, be sure that you and all your doctors know what is going to happen. Ask about:

Any concerns they have.

Ask your surgeon how they feel about your operation or if there are any risks you should be aware of. Tell them what concerns you have.

How to prepare for the surgery.

Ask your doctor if you have to stop taking any medicines or stop eating or drinking before the surgery. Ask your surgeon to mark your skin in advance to point to the correct area for surgery. It's rare that surgery is done on the wrong part of the body, but it can happen.

What to do after surgery.

Ask about medicines you may need after surgery and what you need to do at home. Ask about what you can or can't eat and how to take care of surgical cuts (incisions). Ask when you need to call for help.

Be sure to tell your doctors:

• Whether you have ever had a bad reaction to anesthesia. Anesthesia is the medicine you get before your surgery to make you sleep or feel relaxed and help with pain.
• Whether you take any vitamins, supplements, or herbal remedies.
• Whether you have an advance directive. If you don't have one, you may want to prepare one so your doctor knows your health care wishes.
• If you get a cold, fever, flu, or other illness close to your surgery date.