About PrepSurgeryPrep
Why is "prep" in there twice? Because surgery has two preps.
There's the one everyone worries about — the fasting, the medicines, the what-happens-when before the operation. And there's the one that quietly decides how your week actually goes: preparing for recovery — the pain plan, the milestones, the red flags once you're home.
As an anesthesiologist I look after patients at both ends — getting you safely to the operating table, and safely through the days after it. Most "before surgery" sites stop at the door of the operating room. We don't.
(And yes — we're so obsessed with preparation we put it in our name twice. Guilty.)
The night before a procedure, people have simple, urgent questions — and the answers are usually buried in dense hospital PDFs or scattered across a dozen pages. We turn the standard guidance surgical teams already use into clear answers and free tools that work on your phone. No jargon, no sign-ups, no fluff — just the answer you came for.
What we cover
Before surgery
- When to stop eating and drinking before surgery
- Which medications are commonly held, and when
- What to expect from anesthesia
- Practical checklists for the day of surgery
After surgery
- Recovery timelines — when you can drive, work, fly, and lift
- Pain control and when a nerve block wears off
- What's normal, and the red flags that mean call your team
- The first 24–48 hours at home
Our sources
Our content is based on publicly available guidance from bodies such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and major hospital systems. Guidelines change and every patient is different.
Important
PrepSurgeryPrep provides general educational information, not medical advice. Always follow the specific instructions given by your surgeon and anesthesiologist. If they say something different from what you read here, follow them.
Contact
Questions or corrections? Visit our contact page.