Day of Procedure- Before Leaving Home

The Morning of Your Procedure

Adults should not eat or drink anything after 10 p.m., unless otherwise directed. If directed, examples of clear liquids would be:
- Water
- Clear/yellow/green sports drinks (non-carbonated)
- Apple/White grape juice
- Black tea or coffee. Sugar is okay. NO cream or milk.
Wear clean and comfortable clothes for discharge.
- Button down shirts work well for arm, neck, pacemaker/defibrillator implant, or eye surgery.
- For shoulder surgeries, please bring an oversized t-shirt that you can wear upon discharge.
- Loose jogging/ sweat pants or shorts work well for large foot or leg dressings.
- Patients that are permitted to wear undergarments or underwear are to bring an extra pair.
- The hospital will provide a gown and a pair of nonskid socks to wear during your stay.
Take off all jewelry, including all body piercings, and leave all valuables at home. You will be asked to remove this items and any hairpins, hairclips and watches prior to surgery.
Brush your teeth.
Contacts, glasses, dentures and/or partials will be removed before surgery. We supply denture cups if you have dentures or a partial to be removed. Please bring a container for your contacts and a case for your glasses.
If instructed to take medications the morning of surgery, do so only with a sip of water.
If you use a CPAP or BiPAP machine, please bring it with you and leave it in the car.
If you use an insulin pump, home oxygen, or have an ostomy, bring any necessary supplies with you.
If you have any implanted devices with an external controller like a spinal cord stimulator, please bring the controller with you to the hospital.
If you are spending the night, please leave your overnight bag in the car. Your support person can get it later when you go to your room.
For leg, knee and foot surgery:
- If you have crutches or a walker, bring them with you. Wear sturdy shoes, for example, tennis shoes or loafers. A good comfort measure for the ride home is elevating your leg on 1 or 2 pillows.

At UNC Health Johnston, we are committed to your health and wellbeing. To help prevent infections, please read the steps you can take before and after your surgery.

Shower or bathe and shampoo the night before and/or morning of surgery. If you are provided special soap, use soap as instructed (see instructions in the back of this booklet).
Do NOT shave or wax the area near your procedural site within 48 hours of your procedure.
After showering, DO NOT apply makeup, deodorant, lotion, powder or perfumes.
Prior to surgery, please make sure clean bedsheets are applied to your bed and clean pajamas are available when you return to your home after surgery.