Pre-Operative Instructions

Before Surgery

Our goal is to make sure your surgery is comfortable and stress-free. The instructions we provide you will help to ensure your safety and smooth recovery. Please call us at Charleston Office Phone Number 843-554-5003 if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help improve your experience!

What Medications Can I Take?

Please refer to your personalized Pre-Operative instruction form to confirm what medications you can take the morning of surgery.

General Pre-Operative Guidelines:

1. No food or drink after midnight the day of your surgery. This includes coffee. This also includes water except for a small amount to get any medications down.
2. Take only the medications listed on your personalized pre-operative instructions the morning of surgery. Please take them with as little clear water as possible at least 2 hours prior to surgery. No juice, milk, coffee, etc. If you have any questions about what to take and when, or if you have lost your pre-operative instructions, please contact us at the office at 843-544-5003.
3. Do not take any sedatives without consent from our office. This includes medications such as Ativan/Lorazepam, Xanax/ Alprazolam, Valium/Diazepam. If you have any questions about a medication, please call and ask.
4. You must bring a legal adult (+18 years) to escort you to and from your appointment. This person must stay in the building until you are ready to leave. They may not leave to run errands or grab food. They will need to monitor you for several hours after your surgery to keep you safe. They may need to assist you into a car and into your home. Please let them know this in advance and remind them to bring any drinks, snacks, reading materials/work to help make their wait more comfortable.
5. Please notify our office ASAP if you develop any cold or flu symptoms (sore throat, fever/chills, sinus infection etc.).
6. Please take nail polish off at least 2 fingers to allow our instruments to read your nail bed. This is important for your safety as our monitors can’t measure through nail polish.
7. Please remove all personal effects. This includes contact lenses, jewelry, watches, chains/necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings. Please empty your pockets of cell phones, wallets, change etc.
8. Please wear loose fitting, short sleeved clothing. We will need to access your upper arms to place a blood pressure cuff and an IV. We need to access your chest to place heart monitors. Please select clothes that allow us to do this easily and respectfully.