Neurodiversity information for parents and young people
Getting ready for your surgery
As soon as you know you may be having an operation, it is good to think about the important things that you can do to:
- make your operation safer
- speed up your recovery.
The following pages include information about preparation and recovery.
Waiting well: preparing yourself for surgery
Advice and resources on how to become fitter and better prepared while you are waiting for or considering surgery.
Physiotherapy advice for abdominal surgery
Exercises to help you prepare for abdominal surgery, be more comfortable afterwards and regain your previous fitness levels.
Physiotherapy advice for gynaecological surgery
Exercises to help you prepare for gynaecological surgery, be more comfortable afterwards and regain your previous fitness levels.
Drinking, eating and mobilising after major surgery
Advice on getting back to everyday activities as quickly as possible is
key to a successful recovery after surgery.
Fasting and medicines
Fasting and medicines before surgery
What you need to know about stopping food and drink (fasting) and some medicines before an operation.
Weight-loss medicines and anaesthetic risk
Information for anyone who uses GLP-1 medicines and is due to have surgery.
Having an anaesthesic
Overview of general anaesthesia
- You and anaesthesia
Use this link for information on:
- different types of anaesthetic
- before the operation
- discussing risks and options with your anaesthetist
- the day of the operation
- after the operation.
- Risks with general anaesthesia
The risks and side effects of a general anaesthetic.
- Anaesthetic for major surgery (with planned HDU/ITU afterwards)
What to expect when having an anaesthetic for major surgery with a stay in the higher dependency unit (HDU) or intensive care unit (ICU) afterwards.
Other types of anaesthetia
- Your spinal anaesthetic
What to expect when having surgery with anaesthesia.
- Epidural anaesthesia during and after surgery
What to expect if you choose an epidural for pain relief during and after your operation.
- Local anaesthesia for your eye operation
What to expect when you have an eye operation under local anaesthetic.
- Peripheral nerve blocks
What to expect when you have a nerve block for an operation.
- Sedation
What sedation is, how it works, when you may need it, benefits and risks, and what it may feel like.
- Translations of patient information
Translations of a range of patient information about anaesthetics.
More information
- Having an operation at Kingston hospital
More about what happens when you come in for your surgery
Contact information
Pre-Operative Assessment Department
Level 4, Corridor B Main Outpatients
Kingston Hospital
Galsworthy Road
KT2 7QB
Telephone: