General Pre-Operative Instructions
- IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure that all required test results are to our office no later than ONE week prior to your surgery
- DO NOT EAT or DRINK ANYTHING after midnight the night before your surgery!!! (Unless your procedure is under LOCAL anesthesia)
- NO ALCOHOL for at least 2 weeks before and after your surgery/procedure
- NO SMOKING for at least 4 weeks before and after your surgery/procedure
- MEDICATIONS: Continue all blood pressure, heart and thyroid medications. Take any of your required medications at the usual time with a tiny sip of water. Check with our staff regarding any medications in question, including those for Diabetes.
- TWO WEEKS prior to surgery/procedure, STOP ALL IBUPROFEN, ASPIRIN, HERBS, DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS, VITAMINS and other MISC MEDS (on list provided). You can resume all of these medications 2 weeks after your surgery/procedure.
- CLOTHING: On your surgery day, please wear loose fitting clothing that buttons or zips up the front, and pants that you can pull on. Wear flat, comfortable shoes.
- JEWELRY: Remove any and all jewelry, including earrings, belly button rings, nose rings, and other piercings. If you are concerned about the hole closing up, consider purchasing a plastic piercing to replace it with temporarily. Metal objects create a risk for burns.
- DENTAL IMPLANTS/DENTURES: Let your anesthesiologist know about any dental implants (including veneers), dentures, and bridges/crowns prior to surgery. They may need to be removed (if possible) prior to surgery.
- CONTACT LENSES: Remove contact lenses prior to arriving for your surgery/procedure. Please wear or bring your glasses instead.
- MENSTRUATION: If you are on your period at the time of surgery, please use a sanitary napkin/pad instead of a tampon. Tampons will need to be removed before your procedure/surgery.
- DRIVING: You must have a ride home from your surgery/procedure that is over 18 years old. You will NOT be allowed to drive yourself home. You will not be allowed to take a taxi/Uber/Lyft. The only exception would be if you are having your procedure under LOCAL anesthesia with NO narcotics or oral sedation. DO NOT drive while you are taking narcotic pain medication or sedatives.If you do NOT have access to a driver, we can set you up with a nursing service that will take you home.
- CAREGIVER: You must have a caregiver for the first 24 hours after your procedure/surgery, unless the procedure was performed under local anesthesia.
- ANTIBIOTICS: If you are prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed on the bottle. Please finish all of the antibiotics that have been prescribed to you, unless otherwise directed.
- ACTIVITY: It is important for you to be up and walking as soon as you get home from your surgery. We do NOT want you lying in bed all day. This is important to prevent blood clots in your legs (DVT) and your lungs (PE). Flex and extend your ankles to pump your calf muscles when you are in bed while you are awake. Avoid and bouncing, jarring motions or aerobic activities (anything that increases your heart rate or blood pressure) for 2-3 weeks after surgery.
- DEEP BREATHING: Take ten deep breaths every hour while you are awake. This will open the air sacs in your lungs and help avoid post-operative fevers and pneumonias. We tend to take shallow breaths when we are in discomfort, so this is important to remind yourself to do.
- COMPRESSION STOCKINGS: Please wear the surgical compression stockings that you are given at surgery for one week after surgery. This will also decrease your chances of blood clots.
- SLEEP/POSITIONING: Sleep or position yourself such that the surgical site is elevated (ie. If you had surgery on your arm, keep it up on a pillow). In general, you should be sleeping with your head elevated on a few extra pillows, for one week. If the surgery was performed on your buttock region, you may have to sleep on your stomach. We will review this specifically with you prior to your surgery.
- CONSTIPATION: Take an over-the-counter stool softener AFTER surgery along with your pain medications to avoid constipation. Constipation is very common after surgery due to anesthesia, decreased activity and narcotic pain medications.
- CALL THE OFFICE at (303) 320-5566 IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Temperature over 101 or any chills
- Increasing wound pain
- Increasing wound redness
- Persistent or increased bleeding
- Wound drainage or Pus
- Onset of numbness after the anesthesia has worn off
- Significant asymmetry (one side is larger than the other)
Medications, Vitamins And Supplements To Avoid
Your safety in surgery requires that you disclose all medications, vitamins and supplements that you regularly take. In the 14 days prior to surgery, you will be required to stop taking certain medications, vitamins, and supplements, both those you regularly take, and those that may be taken incidentally for pain or other symptoms.
Please notify your surgeon and his/her staff of any and all medications you take during the 14 days prior to surgery. If you have taken a medication that may put you at risk, it may require that your surgery be rescheduled, or postponed. This is for your safety.
Before you stop taking any prescription drugs, you must receive clearance from the prescribing physician. Please notify our office immediately if you do not receive clearance to stop taking your prescribed medications.
The following drugs could cause life-threatening problems with surgery. If you are on any of these medications, you must discuss this with the doctor. Patients who take these drugs may require laboratory tests and a consultation with their physician to determine when they may safely undergo a surgical procedure.
- Ozempic (Semaglutide)
- Coumadin, Xarelto, Eliquis or Plavix (any blood thinner)
- Fragmin, Lovenox and other Low Molecular Weight Heparin Drugs
- Methotrexate
- Persantine
**Aspirin and aspirin-containing medications and anti-inflammatory agents must not be taken in the TWO weeks prior to surgery. Always read the active ingredients on any over the counter or prescription drug packaging. Attached is a listing of common drugs containing aspirin for your reference.
Aspirin and aspirin containing medications, include, but are not limited to the following:
- Alka Seltzer
- Alka Seltzer Plus
- Anacin
- APAC Tablets
- APC Tablets
- Arthritis Pain Reliever
- Arthropan
- Aspirin Tablets USP
- ASA
- ASA + Codeine
- Fiorinal
- Fiorinal #3
- Lortab ASA
- Magnaprin
- Measurin
- Medipren
- Midol
- Momentum
- Norgesic
- Ascriptin
- Asperbuf
- Aspergum
- Axotoal
- BAC
- Bayer Aspirin
- Bufferin
- Butalbital Compound
- Carisoprodol Compound
- Cope
- Norgesic Forte
- Orphengesic
- Orphengesic Forte
- PAC
- Pamprin
- Percodan
- Percodan Demi
- Propox Compound
- Robaxisal
- Darvon Compound
- Darvon Compound 65
- Doan’s Pills
- Ecotrin
- Emprin Compound
- Emprin Compound #3
- Encaprin
- Equagesic
- Excedrin
- Sine Off
- Sodium Salicylate
- SOMA Compound
- Synalgos
- Synalgos DC
- Trigesic
- Vanquish
Anti-inflammatory medications include but are not limited to the following:
- Advil
- Aleve
- Anaprox
- Ansaid
- Butazolidin
- Cataflam
- Clinoril
- Daypro
- Dolobid
- Feldene
- Ibuprofen
- Ifen
- Indocin
- Indomethacin
- Meclomen
- Motrin
- Nalfon
- Naprosyn
- Naproxen
- Nuprin
- Orudis
- Oruvail
- Phenylbutazone
- Ruten
- Tolectin
- Toradol
- Voltaren
All Herbal or Dietary Supplements should be stopped 2 weeks prior to surgery. This includes vitamins, and antioxidants supplements, as well as consumption of any form of Green Tea.
- Chlortrimeton
- Clinoril
- Elavil
- Endep
- Etrafon
- Flagyl
- Lioresal
- Marijuana Edibles
- Mutli-vitamin
- Mysteclin F
- Nicobid
- Oraflex
- Pamelor
- Parnate
- Phendimetrazine
- Phentermine
- Ru-Tuss
- John’s Wort
- Surmontil
- Tagamet
- TenuateDospan
- Tetracycline
- Triavil
- Vibramycin
- Vitamin E
- Naprosyn