Before gastric sleeve surgery

Admission

You will be admitted to hospital on the morning of surgery unless you have specific medical problems that your anaesthetist and surgeon wish to monitor closely overnight. You will have had a thorough shower prior to admission, and that you bring along everything you require for your hospital stay. If you have any further questions for your surgeon or anaesthetist, please write them down and bring them with you to hospital. If your operation is in the morning, you should not eat or drink from midnight the preceding day. If your operation is in the afternoon, you may have a light breakfast at 6 o’clock in the morning, but fast after that.

Medications

Bring in all medications including over the counter and herbal medications. Don’t stop any medications unless told to do so by your anaesthetist or surgeon.

During the admission process your surgeon, anaesthetist, admission nurse and theatre nurse will see you. This will mean that different people ask you the same questions. This is a safety issue, and although it can be frustrating, it is important. Use this time to ask any questions that you may have.

Once you have been admitted and changed into your theatre gown and TEDs (stockings to prevent leg clots), you will wait in the preoperative area until theatre is ready. A warming blanket is often used at this time to keep you extra warm. A final check between the theatre staff and the admission staff takes place before you go through into the operating theatre.

You will move onto the theatre bed, which is narrow and firm, and a blood pressure cuff, ECG and an oxygen monitor will be attached to you so your anaesthetic team can monitor you closely throughout the procedure. Your anaesthetist will place a cannula (drip) into a vein and ask you to breathe some oxygen through a plastic facemask. Your anaesthetist will then, gently send you off to sleep.