Scheduled for surgery?  Here are some tips to help your experience go smoothly:

Before Surgery

St. Mary's pre-admission program allows you to meet with a surgical nurse ahead of time to:

• complete your hospital registration
• review your health history
• complete any presurgery screening or tests (lab, X-ray, EKG)
• receive detailed instructions for the day of surgery
• ask any questions you may have

You may begin the pre-admission process up to two weeks before your scheduled surgery. Simply come to the pre-admissions area on the 3rd Floor East between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (except holidays). No appointment is necessary, but it is highly recommended. Call (415) 750-4900 to schedule an appointment or (415) 750-5754, after 5 p.m.

Parking and Driving Directions

Enter the parking garage via Stanyan or Shrader streets. Exit the garage and enter the hospital at the main lobby. To your left, take an elevator to 3rd Floor East.

Public transportation (San Francisco Muni routes):  5 Fulton,  21 Hayes, and  33 Stanyan.

• insurance card(s)
• any forms or paperwork from your doctor's office
• your advanced healthcare directive form, if you have completed one

If you don't have an advanced healthcare directive but would like one, the nurse facilitator can provide you with information and a form.

If you are unable to come to the hospital for a preadmission visit prior to your surgery, the Nurse Facilitator will call you one to three days before your surgery to advise you about your pre-surgery instructions.  You will also be connected to the Admitting Department to complete the registration process

For patients under age 18, a parent or guardian must sign consent forms. When they come to register and on the day of surgery, guardians must present their copy of the court order giving them guardianship of the minor.

If you are having general, regional, or monitored anesthesia, arrive two hours prior to your surgery. If you are having local anesthesia, arrive one hour before surgery. (Children under age nine may arrive one hour prior to surgery, regardless of the type of anesthesia used.) Family and friends may wait in the Visitor's Lounge, located on Level B.

On the day of surgery:

• Do not eat or drink anything - including water,  candy, or chewing gum - for the specified time before your surgery, as instructed by your nurse facilitator. You may brush your teeth or have a sip of water to take your regular medication. If, by mistake, you eat or drink anything, notify your physician or Same Day Surgery at (415) 750-5754 before coming to the hospital.
  
• Notify your doctor if you become ill; develop a cold, persistent cough, or fever; or if there are any changes in your condition.
  
• Advise your physician and/or nurse practitioner of any allergies or medications you are taking.
  
• Please leave all jewelry, money and other valuables at home.

When your surgery is completed, the nursing staff will advise your visitors that they may see you. The staff will actively work with you to evaluate your level of discomfort and will make you as comfortable as possible.

After surgery, follow these guidelines for a safe recovery:

• Do not drive or operate machinery until the day after surgery.
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages for at least 24 hours.
• Do not make critical decisions or sign important papers for 24 hours.
• Rest quietly the night of your surgery.
• If any problems arise, call your doctor immediately. If you are at home and are unable to reach your doctor, go to the Emergency Room at St. Mary's Medical Center or an emergency room near you.

Our staff will also provide you with personalized postoperative instructions about rest, activity, medications, and diet. Be sure to follow these instructions. Take-home prescriptions may be filled at the pharmacy of your choice.

Recovery time from surgery varies. If you are discharged on the same day as your surgery, you cannot leave the hospital alone. A friend or relative should be told the anticipated time of your discharge and must accompany you home. When family or friends arrive, they may park and pick you up in the patient drop-off/pickup zone in front of the main lobby at 450 Stanyan Street. You will be discharged via a wheelchair with a transporter to the patient pickup area.

FYI: The Same Day Surgery Nursing staff will make every attempt to call you on the day after surgery to find out if you have any questions or concerns about your recovery. If you have any questions after returning home, you may call Same Day Surgery between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. at (415) 750-5754.