What To Expect – Surgery Preparation

Before Your Surgery

After you are scheduled for surgery, a nurse from Western Wyoming Outpatient Surgery (WWOS) will call you approximately one week to a few days before your surgery.

Instructions You’ll Receive

• When to arrive to the surgery center and how to get there
• When to stop eating and drinking prior to surgery
• If any medications need to be held prior to surgery
• Who will drive you home and who will be your caretaker for 24 hours after your surgery if you are receiving anesthesia

Special Preparations for Lower Body Surgery

If you are scheduled for a lower body surgery (i.e. knees, ankles), plan to have crutches, walker or kneeling scooter available to you after your surgery. You can purchase crutches/walker at most pharmacies, Walmart, or some senior centers will rent these to you.

Day of Your Surgery

Once checked in at our front desk, a nurse will bring you back into the pre-operative area.

During Your Procedure

If you are having pain or nausea, our nurses will treat you with IV and/or oral medications.

Recovery Process

• During your recovery, your recovery nurse will review your discharge instructions with you and your driver/caregiver
• Your driver/caregiver must be present for these instructions since you as the patient have received anesthesia and therefore may not remember and cannot sign any legal documents for 24 hours
• After about an hour of recovery (sometimes more depending on how you recover from the anesthesia) and once discharge instructions have been reviewed, if pain and nausea are controlled, you will be ready for discharge
• Your nurse will assist you with getting changed and take you to your vehicle in a wheelchair

After Your Surgery

Managing Pain

Pain and discomfort after your surgery is normal and to be expected.

• Your surgeon will prescribe you a multimodal pain regimen to help keep your pain at a tolerable level that will include medications, icing, and elevating your surgical site
• While we wish we could eliminate all of your post-operative pain, this is not possible nor realistic
• If you feel that your pain is not being kept at a tolerable level for you, please reach out to Fremont Orthopaedics for a change in your medication

Drainage & Dressing Changes

Some drainage from your incision sites is normal. A small amount of pink to light red drainage is okay. No drainage is also completely normal.

You will be instructed when you can remove or change your dressing and this will be documented in your discharge instructions.

Activity Restrictions

• You may have limitations to what activities you can do after your surgery and these will be documented in your discharge instructions
• You may have to begin physical therapy and your surgeon will order this for you
• If you received anesthesia for your procedure, you may not drive or have any other commitments or appointments for 24 hours following your procedure

If You Had an Arthroscopic Procedure

(shoulder, knee or ankle)

• You may have swelling in this joint from the irrigation fluids
• This fluid will eventually drain from your incision sites into your dressings
• Please follow dressing change instructions in your pamphlet and as told to you by your discharge nurse

If You Were Discharged with a Splint

• This splint will stay in place until your follow-up appointment
• If the splint or dressing becomes wet, soiled, or loose, you need to reach out to Fremont Orthopaedics to have your splint changed
• If this occurs after clinic hours, you need to utilize emergency services