Preparing for Surgery: A Practical Checklist

Most of what determines a smooth recovery is arranged before the operation, not after.

The pre-operative assessment

Usually a few weeks before, covering medical history, medications, allergies and often blood tests, an ECG and sometimes imaging. Be complete about everything you take — including supplements, herbal remedies and anything bought without prescription. Several of these affect bleeding and anaesthesia.

Medications that need a decision

Blood thinners, some diabetes medications, certain blood pressure drugs, anti-inflammatories and some supplements may need stopping or adjusting before surgery — each with its own timeline.

Never stop a prescribed medication on your own. The team will tell you which to stop, when, and which to continue right up to the morning.

Smoking and alcohol

Stopping smoking before surgery measurably reduces wound and chest complications, and the benefit increases the longer you stop — even a few weeks helps. Reducing alcohol lowers bleeding and infection risk and affects anaesthesia.

Fasting

You will be given specific times for stopping food and fluids. These are safety rules about stomach contents during anaesthesia, and getting them wrong can mean the operation is cancelled on the day. Many centres now allow clear fluids closer to surgery than older guidance suggested — follow the instructions you are given, not general advice.

Arrange home before you go

Someone to collect you and stay the first night for day surgery. Meals prepared or easy to make. Frequently used items moved to waist height. Loose clothing that fits over dressings. Clear routes through the house if you will be on crutches. Time off work booked realistically rather than optimistically.

Questions worth asking

What exactly is being done, and what is the alternative to doing it? What does recovery look like week by week? What pain relief will I have and for how long? What complications should make me call, and who do I call? When can I drive, work, lift and exercise again?

This article is general health information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor about your own situation.