Preparing for Your Surgery
A comprehensive guide to help you prepare physically and mentally for your surgical procedure
Your pre-assessment call and admission letter are personal to you and override this page. If anything here differs from your letter, follow your letter.
Who to Contact
For a life-threatening emergency, call 999. Otherwise, use the numbers below.
Office Hours (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm)
0131 376 3785
Out-of-Hours Nurse Advice Line
07405322689
For the first days after your surgery only.
hello@waterfronthospital.co.uk
Had your surgery at Spire Shawfair Park (overnight stay)? Contact Spire directly using the number on your discharge paperwork — not the Waterfront advice line.
Preparation Timeline at a Glance
4 Weeks Before
- •Stop all smoking, vaping and nicotine
- •Raise the pill, HRT or weight-loss injections at your pre-assessment call
- •Arrange time off work and childcare if needed
2 Weeks Before
- •Stop over-the-counter ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin and supplements (about 10–14 days before; check with the nursing team)
- •Arrange your transport and responsible adult
- •Buy anything you may need for recovery
1 Week Before
- •Prepare your home for recovery
- •If you use a GLP-1 injection, follow the plan agreed at pre-assessment (usually omitting the dose for about a week)
- •Check the fasting times on your admission letter
Day of Surgery
- •Follow the fasting times on your admission letter
- •Take your usual morning tablets with a small sip of water if we have told you to
- •Wear comfortable clothing and arrive on time
- •Bring your documents, medicines and dressing gown
Before Your Surgery
- •Tell us your full medical history and any allergies
- •Give us a complete list of everything you take, including supplements
- •Raise the combined pill, HRT or weight-loss injections at pre-assessment
- •Arrange transport to and from the hospital
- •Arrange a responsible adult to take you home and stay overnight
- •Prepare your home for recovery
- •Follow the fasting times on your admission letter
- •Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing
- •Remove jewellery and piercings (a wedding band may stay) and come without make-up
Medicines, Supplements and Recreational Drugs
NSAIDs and Aspirin
If you buy ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin yourself for aches and pains, stop them about 10–14 days before — check with the nursing team.
If aspirin (including low-dose ‘baby’ aspirin) or another blood thinner has been prescribed for your heart or circulation, do not stop it without speaking to us and your prescriber first. Prescribed medicines continue as normal unless your surgeon or prescriber specifically tells you otherwise — this is confirmed at your pre-operative assessment.
Paracetamol, taken as the label says, is fine to continue.
Vitamins and Supplements
We usually ask you to stop supplements about 10–14 days before — this includes fish oil, vitamin E, St John's Wort, garlic, ginkgo and ginseng. Please tell us about everything you take, even if it seems harmless. A standard multivitamin is usually fine to continue.
Prescribed Medicines
Most people keep taking their usual medicines. On the day, you can usually take your normal morning tablets with a small sip of water. We confirm exactly which to take, and which to hold, at your pre-assessment call. Please tell us about blood thinners, blood pressure, diabetes and mental-health medicines.
The Combined Pill and HRT
If you take the combined contraceptive pill or HRT, please raise it at pre-assessment so we can talk it through. There is no single rule.
- The combined pill slightly increases the risk of a clot (DVT). The increase is real but small, and pregnancy carries a higher clot risk than the pill — so stopping is not automatically safer. Whether to stop is your choice. If you do want to remove the extra risk, stopping about 4 weeks before surgery is what does it — but arrange other contraception first.
- Progestogen-only methods (mini-pill, implant, injection, hormonal coil) do not carry this extra risk and do not need to be stopped.
- HRT: patches, gels and sprays carry little or no extra clot risk and usually need not be stopped. Tablet HRT is more like the pill. Stopping HRT can make you feel unwell, so many women reasonably continue — we will help you weigh it up.
We will not tell you what to do here; we will give you the facts and decide together.
Weight-Loss and Diabetes Injections (GLP-1 Agonists)
If you use a GLP-1 injection (such as Wegovy, Ozempic or Mounjaro), tell us at pre-assessment. These medicines slow the stomach emptying, which the anaesthetist needs to know about. Our anaesthetists usually advise omitting the dose for about a week before surgery. The most important thing is simply that the anaesthetist knows you take one, so they can take the right precautions on the day.
Recreational Drugs
Please be honest about any recreational drug use — it changes how anaesthetic drugs work and it is safer if we know. As a general guide, avoid cannabis, cocaine and other drugs for at least a week before, and never on the day. Nothing you tell us goes further than your care team.
Smoking, Alcohol and Diet
Smoking, Vaping and Nicotine
Stop all smoking, vaping and nicotine for at least 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after. Nicotine narrows blood vessels and slows healing — this includes the morning of surgery. Ask your GP or us about support to stop.
Alcohol
Cut down in the weeks before, and avoid alcohol completely for at least 48 hours before. If you drink heavily, tell us — stopping earlier makes a real difference. Avoid alcohol while taking strong painkillers afterwards.
Diet Recommendations
Eat well, with protein at each meal, in the run-up. Being well nourished helps you heal.
Preparing Your Home
Important: Responsible Adult Requirement
After a general anaesthetic or sedation, a responsible adult (18+) must take you home — a car or taxi is fine, but not public transport — and stay with you overnight. They should not be someone who has also had surgery recently or is taking strong painkillers.
Getting Your Home Ready
- Stock your kitchen with easily prepared meals and snacks
- Ensure your bedroom is on the ground floor if possible
- Remove any tripping hazards and ensure good lighting
- Prepare comfortable clothing that is easy to put on
- Have paracetamol and any prescribed pain relief medicines available
- Arrange help with household tasks and childcare if needed
Your First 24 Hours
After a general anaesthetic or sedation your judgement can be affected for up to 24 hours. During that time do not drive, sign documents, cook or use machinery, care for children or dependants alone, drink alcohol, or post on social media — even if you feel fine. Your responsible adult should stay with you overnight.
Managing Pre-Surgery Anxiety
It is normal to feel anxious before surgery. Here are some strategies to help manage your anxiety:
Relaxation Techniques
- • Deep breathing exercises
- • Progressive muscle relaxation
- • Meditation and mindfulness
- • Gentle yoga or stretching
Emotional Support
- • Talk to your family and friends
- • Contact our nursing team with any concerns
- • Consider speaking with a therapist
- • Ask about pre-medication if needed
What Happens When You Arrive
On the day, you will check in at reception and be shown to your room. You will meet your anaesthetist and your surgeon, who will mark the operation site and go through your consent with you. After your operation, you recover in your room with the nursing team, and most patients go home later the same day once they are safe and comfortable — the team will tell you your approximate discharge time.
What to Bring & What to Wear on Day of Surgery
What to Wear
- Comfortable loose clothing (a front-opening top after breast or arm surgery)
- Easy, low-heeled shoes
- Come without make-up, especially for facial surgery, and remove gel or acrylic nails from at least one hand so we can monitor you
- Remove all jewellery, watches and piercings except a wedding band. Leave valuables at home
What to Bring
- Your written quotation or treatment letter
- Your usual medicines in their original packaging
- A list of allergies
- A dressing gown and slippers, to walk between your room and theatre (we can provide these if needed)
- Glasses or hearing-aid case, phone charger and some entertainment
- Post-surgery compression garments (breast and gynaecomastia patients)
Fasting Instructions
Pre-Surgery Fasting
Your admission letter gives your exact times and overrides this page.
Typical pattern for a morning list:
No food, sweets, chewing gum or milk products from midnight.
Water:
After you stop eating, keep drinking still water, up to 200ml an hour — being well hydrated helps you recover and lowers clot risk. Stop water by the time on your letter (often around 06:00), finishing with a last 200ml then.
Following your fasting times matters: getting it wrong can mean your operation is postponed. Modern anaesthetic guidance encourages clear fluids until close to theatre, so please do keep sipping water up to your cut-off unless your letter says otherwise.
After Surgery Key Points
Driving
Do not drive for at least 24–48 hours after a general anaesthetic, and not while taking strong painkillers. After that, only drive when you could do an emergency stop comfortably — and check your insurance covers you.
Exercise and Activity
Rest is crucial for the first few days. Gradually increase activity as tolerated. Avoid heavy lifting, strenuous exercise, and contact sports for 4-6 weeks depending on the surgery.
Pain Relief After Surgery
You will be given pain-relief medicines to take home, usually paracetamol with a stronger painkiller if needed. Take them as the label says — the nursing team will go through this with you before you leave, including how to step down as the pain eases. If pain is not controlled, contact us.
Wound Care
Keep your wound clean and dry. Follow your surgeon's instructions for dressing changes. Watch for signs of infection such as increasing redness, warmth, swelling, or discharge.
Blood Clots (VTE) — How You Can Help
Surgery and sitting still raise the small risk of a clot. You can help: keep gently moving and take short walks, drink plenty of water, and wear the anti-embolism stockings we give you as advised. Tell us if you take the pill, HRT, or have had a clot before.
Flying After Surgery
As a typical guide, avoid long-haul flights (over ~4 hours) for about 4 weeks after bigger operations. Flying sooner? Discuss with us first. Your operation's own aftercare page gives the timing for your procedure. When you do fly, stay hydrated, move regularly and wear compression socks.
Traffic Light Contact System
Use this system to work out when to get help after your surgery:
Green — Normal
Mild swelling, bruising and discomfort are normal. Keep following your aftercare advice.
Amber — Call Our Nursing Team Now
Office hours (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm): 0131 376 3785. Out of hours: Out-of-Hours Nurse Advice Line 07405322689 (for the first days after your surgery only). If you stayed overnight at Spire, contact Spire directly.
- • Increasing pain not settled by your painkillers
- • Signs of infection — spreading redness, warmth, a wound that is hot, swollen or leaking
- • A wound edge starting to separate
- • Fever, chills, or feeling generally unwell
- • Persistent nausea or vomiting
- • Calf pain, swelling or warmth (possible DVT — call urgently; 999 if breathless or chest pain)
Red — Call 999 or Go to A&E Now
- • Difficulty breathing or chest pain
- • Heavy bleeding that will not stop or soaks through dressings
- • Rapidly increasing swelling on one side, or one area suddenly much more swollen or bruised than the other (possible haematoma)
- • A high temperature with confusion or unusual drowsiness
- • Coughing up blood
- • Severe allergic reaction
Frequently Asked Questions
Nearby NHS Hospitals
In the rare event you need transfer to an NHS hospital, these are the nearest acute hospitals. In a genuine 999 emergency you may be taken to your nearest A&E.
Royal Infirmary Edinburgh
Scotland's largest teaching hospital, providing comprehensive acute care and surgical services.
Address: 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SA
Phone: 0131 536 1000
St John's Hospital
A major acute teaching hospital in West Lothian, serving patients across central Scotland.
Address: Howden Road West, Livingston EH54 6PP
Phone: 01506 523 000
Download Complete Guide
Download this preparation guide as a PDF to keep for your records and share with your care team.
Download PDFThis guide provides general information about preparing for surgery. Your pre-assessment call and admission letter are personal to you and override this page — always follow the specific instructions you are given, as requirements vary depending on your individual circumstances and the type of procedure.