The following items will need to be brought with you to your procedures at Hays Surgery Center:
- Insurance Card
- Drivers License
- Advance Directive, Such as a Directive to Physicians (Living Will)
- Power of Attorney
- A List of all Prescription Medications you are Taking
For appointment information or issues related to your care, call 512-504-0202, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. On rare occasions, it may be necessary for you to leave a message. One of our care providers will return your call as soon as possible. If you have an urgent situation after hours that you think requires a doctor’s attention, please call your physicians office.
GETTING READY
- These instructions are for your safety and should be followed or your surgery may not take place. Please ask questions and take notes to be sure you know what to do.
- One of our nurses will call you before your surgery. If we have not reached you by 4:30 on the day before your surgery please call us at 512-504-0202. We will confirm your arrival time, provide directions and answer your questions.
- The nurse will ask you some questions about your health. The nurse will talk to you about your medicines (including over the counter and herbal remedies), diet, activities, pain, and other ways to get ready for surgery.
- If you take aspirin or medicines that have aspirin, or take blood thinners or have bleeding trouble tell your surgeon so you know when to stop taking them before surgery.
- If you get sick – sore throat, cold, fever, etc. – tell your surgeon before the day of surgery.
- Find out everything you want or need to know about your surgery. Ask where you can get information to answer your questions.
PAIN MANAGEMENT
Before and after your surgery, ask questions about pain management. Knowing how much pain to expect may help you feel more in control and less afraid of surgery. Here are some of the questions you may ask the nurses or doctors before surgery.
- How much pain should I expect? What is normal?
- How long does the pain usually last?
- What pain medication will I get? What choices do I have?
- Will the pain medicine be given to me as a pill, an injection (shot) or through an IV (in the vein)?
- How often will I be given pain medication?
- If you have had pain medicine that didn’t work well, or if you had side effects such as vomiting or blurred vision, be sure to tell the nurses and doctors.
MANAGING YOUR PAIN
When you arrive for your procedure, your nurse will ask you how much pain you are willing to accept in order to move around in bed, walk, cough, breathe deeply and sleep. This is called the ‘goal’ for pain management. During your stay, the nurses and your doctor often will ask about your pain to make sure the pain level is acceptable. They will also ask where it hurts and how it feels. Here are some words to help describe the pain: cramp, sharp, ache, burning, dull, constant, off-and-on. Your doctor and nurses will compare your pain goal and the way you describe pain to decide what type of medicine and other pain relief methods to use. You are the only one who knows how much pain you feel and what makes you feel better. Be honest with the nurses or doctor. It is okay to ‘bother’ your nurse! Taking care of the pain is an important part of taking care of your health.
Remember: It is very important for your nurses or doctors to know if the pain medicine doesn’t help or if your pain suddenly changes. Everyone feels and reacts to pain in different ways. How you feel pain can depend on what happened to you in the past and how worried you are about what is causing your pain now. The nurses and doctors will ask you to choose the scale 1-10 that best describes how you are feeling.