Shopping List Pre-Surgery

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Please use this shopping list as a guide to help you prepare for surgery. Perhaps the most important thing on this list is your support person, especially if you have young children. Many procedures have a downtime of at least a week where you will be unable to raise your arms, bend, or move certain ways. Simple tasks like heating up soup in the microwave are suddenly a challenge.

Pre-Operative Shopping List

The following is a list of items that should be purchased prior to surgery in order to prepare for and more easily recover from surgery.

  • Prescriptions – have your prescriptions filled prior to surgery to save time on the way home when you won’t be feeling up to stopping. Bring them the day of surgery. You may take only the meds you were instructed to take at the preoperative visit. Bring your prescriptions the day of surgery.
  • Tylenol/acetaminophen– this will be the drug of choice once you do not need the prescription strength pain medications.
  • Germ-inhibiting soap: Please shower the morning of your surgery, scrubbing all areas to be operated with anti-bacterial soap.
  • Straws – you need to drink a lot of fluids after surgery in order to help get the anesthesia out of your body quicker and straws will help you drink more.
  • Ice packs –get 2-4 packages so that you can use 1 or 2 and have the others freezing.
  • Fluids – sports drinks with calories and electrolytes preferred
  • Chucks a.k.a “Puppy Pee Pads” – these are great for protecting car seats, sofas, linens
  • Top/shirt with buttons/snaps/zipper: Please wear clothes that are loose and comfortable; buttoned-down or zippered shirt/sweatpants, or jumpers (preferably no bra). You might be more comfortable wearing a bathrobe and slippers home, so bring these with you on the morning of surgery.
  • Gentle foods – to encourage eating and not upset the stomach initially.
  • Comfy socks: Warm socks usually add to the comfort and warmth during surgery.
  • Ride day of surgery: On the day of surgery, your ride will be called and given a time to pick you up. Your ride MUST be able to pick you up at the specified time. We will NOT discharge you to the care of a taxi driver.
  • Responsible adult to help over night