Gynecological Surgery in Calhoun

Upon arriving at AdventHealth Medical Group OB/GYN at Curtis Parkway, you will be welcomed by our caring staff and physicians. Our goal is to ensure that we provide you a compassionate environment with a thorough, professional, and complete evaluation. If you are a new patient, we request that prior to your appointment, you provide the following if applicable:

• History and physical and/or office notes from referring physician (if not a member of AdventHealth Medical Group)
• Radiology reports (must include disk if not performed at AdventHealth Gordon) including ultrasound, CT, MRI, bone scans, or any scans of abdomen
• Other health screenings, if applicable, including EKGs, chest x-rays, stress tests, echo tests, pulmonary function tests (if not performed at AdventHealth Gordon)
• Pathology reports from previous biopsies, if applicable (if not performed at AdventHealth Gordon)
• Recent lab work (if not performed at AdventHealth Gordon)

Reports can be faxed or mailed to:

AdventHealth Medical Group OB/GYN at Curtis Parkway
170 Curtis Parkway, Suite 1
Calhoun, GA 30703-7013
Phone: Call706-879-5770 | Fax: Call706-624-4336

On the day of your appointment please bring the following with you to this appointment:

• Insurance card(s)
• A list or the bottles of all medications that you are currently taking including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements

Our goal is to ensure that we provide you a compassionate environment with a thorough, professional, and complete evaluation. Your physician will provide you information regarding your surgical options for you to make an informed decision.

If robotic surgery is an option that you are considering, you may also at that time meet with Emily Petterson, Surgery Coordinator, who will personally navigate you throughout your surgical process.

Once you decide to have robotic surgery, AdventHealth Medical Group OB/GYN at Curtis Parkway will make every effort to schedule the surgery at the earliest time available, also taking in consideration what is best for you and your family. A pre-op appointment will usually be scheduled within a week before your scheduled surgery.

You will receive an information sheet with your pre-op appointment date and time. The purpose of the preop appointment is to complete your hospital registration for your surgery and to meet with a clinical nurse to go over important information regarding your surgery. During this visit, there may be tests (lab work, x-rays, etc.) ordered that must be completed prior to your surgery.

Also at your pre-op appointment, the nurses will give you specific instructions regarding preparations for the day of your surgery. Please feel free to contact our surgery coordinator at extension 8255 should you have any questions.

• Arrive at the scheduled time you were given for your surgery without any food or drink since midnight.
• Please enter AdventHealth Gordon through the East Entrance, and follow the signs to the Outpatient Surgery Department.
• Wear comfortable clothes, and leave all jewelry and valuables at home
• Bring any advanced directives for health care information if you have it (living will, power of attorney for health care, or advanced directives for health care).
• For your hospital stay, you may wish to bring slippers, comfortable lounging clothing, and personal care items. Clothes to wear home should be very loose-fitting and comfortable. Oversized sweat pants or shorts are a good choice.
• Leave non-essential valuables (such as watches, rings, etc.) at home to reduce the chance of misplacing or losing them in the hospital.
• If you wear glasses, contact lenses, false teeth, or related personal items, bring a case to store them during surgery.
• Do not put on any lotion, cream, or deodorant after you have showered the morning of surgery.
• If you have sleep apnea and utilize a CPAP at home, bring it with you.

After surgery, you will go to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU or recovery room). Specially-trained nurses will monitor you closely while you recover from anesthesia. You will stay in PACU for about an hour; after which, you will be taken to your room.

Patients are typically taken to our medical-surgical unit. All rooms are private rooms and have sufficient room for family members if they stay with you during the night.

Catheter: You will have a catheter that goes into your bladder to drain urine. The catheter is placed in the operating room while you are asleep. Depending on the type of surgery you have, the catheter will removed following surgery.

Incisions: There will be four to five small incisions on your abdominal area. These are where the surgical instruments were inserted. There are generally no staples or stiches to remove. Bruising and discoloration around the incisions are common but should resolve over time.

Nausea: Nausea is not uncommon after anesthesia, but medication will be given prior to surgery to help prevent nausea and will be available if needed postoperatively.

Diet: You will start with ice chips immediately after surgery. If tolerated, you will advance to a clear liquid diet later in the day. The day after surgery, you will advance to a regular diet as tolerated. It is very important to only eat small portions after surgery until normal bowel activity is resumed.

Ambulation: After your surgery, it is very important to get out of bed and begin walking with the supervision of your nurse or family member. Early ambulation is imperative for the prevention of blood clots, as well as it helps with pain control. You can also expect to have SCDs (sequential compression devices) to prevent blood clots from forming.

Length of Stay: Most patients go home either the day of surgery or the following day.

When you are discharged from the hospital, you will have your scheduled follow-up appointment with your physician, which is usually seven to fourteen days after your surgery. You will also go home with a prescription for pain medication. Once you go home, you may be contacted daily by our nursing staff to ensure your recovery at home is going as expected. You will also have our contact number so you contact us if any questions or concerns arise.

We understand that facing surgery is a difficult time. We are as sensitive to your emotional state as we are your physical well-being. Being as well-informed as possible prior to your surgery is our goal. Our best advice is to encourage you to focus on healing and maintaining a positive attitude. Please do not hesitate to contact her or any of our experienced staff to discuss your questions or concerns.