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Personal Care by a Physician
Pre-operative Instructions
These instructions are meant to be a general guideline. You will be given more specific instructions from your anesthesiologist during a phone call the night before your procedure. If your anesthesiologist has been unable to reach you by 9 pm the night before your surgery and you have questions, you can speak to the on-call anesthesiologist through the answering service at 972-566-5632.
Eating & Drinking
During the 8 hours before your procedure, DO NOT EAT or drink anything except for the clear liquids listed here. Fasting is very important for your safety.
Clear liquids from the list are encouraged up to four hours before your procedure is scheduled to start.
During the 4 hours prior to your procedure, DO NOT Drink anything in addition to not eating.
Specific procedures require a longer time without solid food. If your surgeon has instructed a more extended period of fasting, please follow those requirements.
On the day of your surgery, please do not put mints, candy, or chewing gum in your mouth. You may brush your teeth on the day of surgery.
Clear liquids from the list are encouraged up to four hours before your procedure is scheduled to start.
During the 4 hours prior to your procedure, DO NOT Drink anything in addition to not eating.
Specific procedures require a longer time without solid food. If your surgeon has instructed a more extended period of fasting, please follow those requirements.
On the day of your surgery, please do not put mints, candy, or chewing gum in your mouth. You may brush your teeth on the day of surgery.
APPROVED CLEAR LIQUIDS
water
sport drinks
apple juice
cranberry juice
grape juice
soda
black coffee
tea
LIQUIDS NOT APPROVED
orange juice
tomato juice
milk
half-and-half
cream
Morning Medications
You will be given more customized instructions by your anesthesiologist based on your specific medications and medical conditions. In most cases, your anesthesiologist will ask you to follow the instructions in the boxes below. You can take your pills with a small amount of water.
TAKE medications for
blood pressure (you may be asked not to take specific types of BP meds)
heart conditions
asthma or COPD (including inhalers)
acid reflux
seizures
anxiety
chronic pain
Insulin for diabetes (you will most likely need to reduce your dose)
DO NOT TAKE
Diuretics (water pills)
Pills for diabetes
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (usually have names ending in -sartan)