The evening before surgery

Listen to your phone messages. The surgery schedule may change, so check your messages to see if your surgery time has changed. If you are coming from out of town, make sure you listen to your home answering machine as well as your cell phone voicemail. Again, be aware that you may get multiple phone calls from the hospital until the day of surgery. Please know that this is to keep you informed and to provide you with the best possible care.

If you are from out of town, bring all of your regularly prescribed medications with you and lock them in your car or leave them where you are staying. Surgeries can be delayed, and you may need to stay in the area for an extra night.

Stop eating and drinking at midnight unless you were told a different time. This includes no ice, mints, gum, hard candy or chewing tobacco.

Complete any preoperative skin cleansing that you were instructed to do. This might involve using antibacterial wipes or showering with an antiseptic soap. Please follow the instructions, as this helps prevent surgical site infections. [Cleaning instructions: English, Spanish]

Get a good night’s sleep. Do not stay up late because “I’ll be resting for the next few days.” Your body will need both rest and energy to heal.