What should i expect before and after surgery?
I’m an OR nurse. Let me tell you what we do at my hospital. If you are going to be admitted the morning of surgery, then they will tell you nothing to eat or drink after midnight, except if you have to take medications approved by your doctor. Yes, you can brush your teeth- just don’t swallow any water. And brushing your teeth will help you feel better. Once at the hospital, you will go through the check in procedures and then go to the Pre-op area to get into your hospital gown, get an IV put in and answer a bunch of questions which will be asked by a bunch of people. If you are afraid of needles, tell your nurse. Generally, when starting an IV, we make sure to tell you exactly what we are going to do, every step of the way. What you can do to make this as easy on yourself as possible is to look away, relax your arm, take slow deep breaths in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth.
