The day of your procedure

The day you come in for your procedure can be stressful and there are a few thing that can hopefully make this as easy as possible

• Please make sure that you are traveling to the correct hospital as confirmed on you email or letter.

• Traffic around Dublin, particularly in the morning, is sometimes quite slow, so leave adequate time to make the journey from home.

• The admission time is not the time of your surgery and a procedure in main theatre may be several hours later. There is always a patient at the end of the list and it might be you!

• If you are having an general anaesthetic (GA) or sedation you will not be fit to drive home that day so you will need to be collected afterwards (a minimum of 2 hours later but it’s best to arrange to call the person when the nurses feel you are ready).

• If your procedure is under local anaesthesia (LA) you may or may not be up to making your own way home. If you are in any doubt please arrange to be picked up.

• It is important to remember that the procedure itself may place some limitations on what you can do immediately afterwards. You may be advised to avoid bending down or straining; you may have significant dressings, part of your body bandaged or in a splint/cast.

• Most of the hospitals have paid patient parking but it is often very busy. Using a taxi or being dropped and picked-up at the door can be less stressful.

• Remember to wear clothes that are comfortable and easy to remove before and put back on afterwards, especially if you are likely to have a bulky dressing.