Generally, you will be arriving at the hospital very early in the morning on the day of your scheduled procedure. You will register and be “checked in”, and taken to the holding area near the operating room. Your anesthesiologist will meet you, review your chart, and discuss with you his or her role with regard to surgery. Dr. Chiles will arrive and greet you, and you will once again discuss the planned operation one last time to make sure you have a full understanding of the nature and goals of the surgery. You will then be brought into the operating room, and be put under general anesthesia. After you are asleep, you will be positioned on the operating table, and all the required setup will take place. Typically, surgery does not start for about an hour from the time you enter the operating room.
After your surgery is finished, you will be awakened, and brought to the recovery room, where you will be monitored very closely for a couple of hours. At this time, Dr. Chiles will meet any friends or family members in the waiting area to speak with them regarding your condition and how things went. After the recovery room, you will likely be brought to a regular room, where you will remain for the rest of your hospitalization. Depending on the nature of your procedure, you may stay overnight, or for a few days. Dr. Chiles will see you each day to personally monitor your condition and manage your postoperative care.
Obviously having surgery can be a frightening and overwhelming experience. Our goal is to help you get through it as safely and comfortably as possible.