Preparation
Preparing for your appointment at the pre-admission clinic
- Read your surgery passport (“Passeport pour ma chirurgie”) before your appointment at the pre-admission clinic.
- Write down all your questions on the blank page at the end of the document.
- Consult the map of Block C at Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé to find the pre-admission clinic.
Preparing for your surgery
Surgery can make you anxious. The more you’re prepared, the less stressed you’ll feel.
You will also need to get ready by doing some essential tasks beforeha
- Preparing meals in advance.
- Organizing help for housework and errands once you get back home.
- Doing your laundry.
- Deciding who will come with you to your medical appointments.
- Planning a ride home after you are discharged from hospital.
- Making sure someone can stay with you at home for a few days if you feel the need.
The day before your surgery
Make sure you follow the nurse’s instructions for your bowel preparation, if your surgeon has prescribed one for you.
Carbohydrate loading :
If you do not have diabetes, your doctor or nurse at preadmission will have told you to drink a certain amount of juice the night before your surgery. Choose ONLY ONE of the following beverages as a liquid to drink in the evening:
Avoid
After midnight the night before your surgery, do not drink milk, eat dairy products or solid foods, or take nutritional supplements like Ensure or Boost. Do not drink low-calorie beverages.
The morning of your surgery
- Take a shower and wash yourself from chin to toe with the disinfectant soap (Dexidin 4%) that can be bought from a pharmacy or the gift shop at the main entrance to the hospital.
- Put on clean clothes after you shower.
- Do not apply makeup, nail polish, cream, deodorant or perfume and do not put in any jewellery or body piercings.
- Do not shave the surgery area.
- Bring your belongings in a suitcase.
Carbohydrate loading:
If you do not have diabetes, your doctor or nurse at preadmission will have told you to drink a certain amount of juice the morning of your surgery.
Choose ONLY ONE of the following beverages as a liquid to drink in the morning:
Avoid
Do not drink milk, eat dairy products or solid foods, or take nutritional supplements like Ensure or Boost. Do not drink low-calorie beverages.
Watch this video for nutrition tips if you are having surgery (in French only).