Surgery

If having a laparoscopic or robotic procedure, have a clear fluid diet all day (the day before your procedure). This means drinking lots of water, clear apple juice, jelly, clear soups, black tea or coffee (no milk), sports drinks (eg. Powerade, Gatorate), Hydrolyte or cordial.

Fast from the time specified to you be the theatre team or anaesthetist (can change depending on if your procedure is in the morning or afternoon). Fasting means nothing to eat and drink. You can keep drinking sips of water until you are called into theatre. 

If I have specified that you require the use of Bowel Prep the day prior to surgery, here are the instructions below;

• Use bowel prep (Picoprep – available over the counter at pharmacies without a script). Usually, one sachet will be sufficient at 2pm. If you find that there is no response by 6pm, you will need to have the second sachet. Bowel prep is used in certain cases and therefore I prefer to have the bowel completely emptied before the surgery.
• If you take regular medications, your anaesthetist or I would have told you which medications to stop if required. You may be booked into a pre-admission clinic prior to your procedure to see an anaesthetist if required and we will let you know if this is the case.

• If booked at the Nepean Private Hospital, arrive at the hospital at the stated time and present to the front desk where you will then be directed to the Day Surgery Unit on level 1, or the Women’s Health Unit on level 3.
• If you are booked at Norwest Private Hospital, present to the front desk of the hospital and you will be directed to the Day Surgery Unit on level 1.
• At Macquarie University Hospital, arrive at Day Surgery Unit on level 1. 

• If booked at the Nepean Public Hospital or Blue Mountains Public Hospital, arrive at the Day Surgery Unit and they will direct you from there.
• You will be admitted by one of the nurses and changed into a theatre gown.
• If you have bleeding or are on your period at the time of surgery, please let the nursing staff know, so they can provide you with disposable underwear.
• Please leave all your valuables at home or give them to a family member or friend to look after.

It is common to wake up with a fluid drip and oxygen mask for some time after anaesthetic. You may also wake up with a massaging device on your lower legs that help circulate blood and fluid to your body. If you stay overnight, you may also receive injections of Clexane to reduce blood clot formation.

I will come and see you after your surgery. If I am unable to do so, I will call you the next day (from a private number) to discuss your surgery or see you if you stay overnight.

You will notice you have three to five small wounds on your abdomen that are covered with a purple glue which has dried. Leave this on for approximately 5-7 days then peel it off in the shower.

Many patients experience shoulder pain after laparoscopic or robotic surgery. This is secondary to the carbon dioxide gas that is used during the procedure as trapped gas can irritate the diaphragm. The pain is “referred” to the shoulder and usually dissipates within 48 hours. Heat packs on the shoulder along with regular pain relief will help along with deep breathing exercises and mobilising and being up and about.

You may have a catheter in the bladder or drains (small rubber tubes that drain fluid from your abdomen into a bag) and they remain in overnight.

Most patients will experience cramping, discomfort in the vagina or light bleeding after the surgery. Panadol or NSAIDs (Nurofen or Advil) are usually sufficient to control your symptoms if required. After laparoscopic surgery, you may be provided with a script for stronger pain relief to take on top of regular Panadol/Nurofen.

If you are staying in hospital for more than 1 day after your surgery, you may be given a device called Tri-Flow which helps you to breath deeply until you are out of bed and walking around. This helps reduce the risk of chest infections by expanding the lungs.

If you have a hysterectomy, bleeding from the vagina is minimal. You may find that you have some bleeding or bloody discharge 2-3 weeks after your surgery. This can be normal and will usually only be a small amount. If you experience any severe pain or heavy bleeding where you are soaking a pad every hour, please present to your nearest emergency department.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact the rooms and they will notify me, and I will endeavor to contact you to discuss your concerns.