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Preparing for Surgery

Home | Patients/ Medical Professionals | Patient Surgery Binder | Preparing for Surgery

When will I find out my surgical time?

surgical facility

Dr. Cole works with his team of dedicated clinical staff and assistants to deliver safe, high-quality, expert care.

The appropriate surgical facility will give you a call the day before surgery to notify you of your arrival time/surgical time.

  • Rush Surgicenter: (312) 563-2880
  • Gold Coast SurgiCenter: (312) 521-5500
  • Rush Oak Brook Surgicenter: (630) 472-2445
  • South Suburban Surgical Suites: (219) 682-4051

If the surgery center does not contact you, please contact Dr. Cole’s office at (312) 432-2381 or (312) 432-2379.

To contact our office after hours or on the weekends please use our paging service by calling (312) 243-4244

 

Before Your Surgery

What should I do to prepare for my surgery?

  1. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight/12am the day of surgery
  2. Arrange for a family member or friend to accompany you to the surgery center the day of your surgery.
  3. Plan ahead for transportation home or to your hotel the day of your surgery by a designated adult (family or friend preferred). You cannot leave in a taxi, Uber, or Lyft.
  4. Remember to adjust your work/social schedule accordingly during your anticipated recovery time. We typically recommend taking a minimum of 1-2 days off work after surgery.
  5. While taking narcotic pain medication, you will not be permitted to drive. You may need to arrange for transportation to your initial follow-up visit.
  6. Most patients follow up via telemedicine 7-10 days postoperatively. Some procedures require an in-person initial postop visit. These visits are usually with the PAs
  7. You should schedule PT to start 10-14 days postop, unless instructed otherwise
  8. Unless told otherwise, you will need to schedule physical therapy to start the day after your initial follow-up telemedicine visit.

What should I bring with me the day of surgery?

  1. Photo ID
  2. Insurance Card
  3. Friend or family member who will be available the entire time and take you home after surgery
  4. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing
    • Shoulder/elbow surgery: zip-up or button down shirt
    • Knee surgery: loose fitting pants or shorts

**Leave jewelry, money and valuables at home.

 

Medications to Stop Before Surgery

7 days before surgery, please stop:

  • Any Narcotic (example., Vicodin, Norco, Darvocet, Percocet or Oxycontin)
  • NSAIDs (Advil, ibuprofen, naproxen, Motrin, Aleve, meloxicam, etc) and aspirin like products (unless prescribed by a cardiologist)

GLP-1 agonists (Ozempic, Trulicity, Wegovy, etc) need to be stopped 14 days before surgery

Please consult with your primary care and specialist providers regarding prescribed medications and if any need stopped prior to surgery. Blood thinners must be stopped preoperatively, as directed by the prescriber.

You can continue to take:

  • Tylenol
  • Celebrex
  • Glucosamine Chondroitin Sulfate
  • Daily Vitamins

On the morning of surgery:

  • Take only medications your PCP/specialists advised you to take the day of with a small sip of water.
  • If you use an inhaler, please bring it with you
  • If you are taking diabetic medications, you should check with your internist to determine if you should take these medications on the morning of surgery

If you are taking any other medications that are not listed, please consult with your internist prior to surgery to determine if you should continue taking the medication or to see when you should stop and resume the medication.

 

Common Anesthesia Used

General

General anesthesia is used for most types of major surgery. During general anesthesia, the entire body, including the brain is anesthetized. The patient has no awareness, feels nothing, and remembers nothing of the surgical experience afterward. General anesthesia is administered by injecting a liquid anesthetic medication into a vein, by breathing a gas anesthetic, or a combination. A plastic endotracheal tube or, more commonly, a laryngeal mask, is placed in the airway during surgery to protect the airway. It is normal to have a slight sore throat after your surgery.

Regional

Regional anesthesia consists of a nerve block and is often used for upper extremity surgery. Anesthetic is injected preoperatively into the neck region. This blocks pain impulses before they reach the brain to be perceived. During surgery, sedation or light general anesthesia is still used. This makes the patient unaware of what is happening during surgery. A nerve block may last for 8 hours or longer. It is important to start taking your postoperative pain medicine until the block wears off to ensure controlled pain when the block wears off. Patients know the block is wearing off when they have tingling in their hand and movement.

** Your anesthesiologist will speak with you directly prior to surgery to review your choice of anesthesia and address any concerns.