Preparing for Hemorrhoid or Fistula Surgery
Hemorrhoid or fistula surgery is usually a day surgery, meaning that you will go home later the same day. Preparing for hemorrhoid or fistula surgery is typically very simple and straightforward.
On the night before your surgery, you should plan to stop eating and drinking by midnight. You should not eat or drink anything on the morning of surgery. You may be instructed to take your pills with a very small sip of water before surgery but this is the only thing you are allowed to eat or drink. You do not otherwise need to change your diet leading up to surgery.
Why can’t I eat or drink prior to day surgery?
When you go to sleep the muscles that normally protect your lungs relax, and any food in your stomach could come back up your swallowing tube and go into your lungs, causing a serious infection or damage to the lungs. To decrease this risk, we recommend no eating or drinking prior to day surgery except for any required medications taken with the smallest sip of water you can manage.
Do I need to do a bowel prep before hemorrhoid or fistula surgery?
You do not need to do a complete bowel prep before hemorrhoid or fistula surgery, but, you do need to clear the stool from the lower part of the bowel prior to hemorrhoid or fistula surgery to allow your surgeon to see everything clearly for surgery. To clear out the stool from the lower part of the bowel, you will be prescribed a fleet enema to use in day surgery.
You will need a ride home, and a responsible adult (friend or family member) to stay with you for 24 hours after surgery.
Around the time of surgery you will receive strong medications as part of your anesthesia. Having an adult stay with you after surgery is a safety measure in case you have a delayed reaction to any of the medications you receive during your hospital visit.
BLOOD THINNERS & SURGERY
You must alert your surgeon during your consultation if you are taking blood thinners. There are a number of reasons why your physician might have prescribed a blood thinner including heart disease or stroke, stents in blood vessels in the heart or elsewhere in the body, a history of blood clots, or a blood clotting disorder.
Blood thinners typically need to be stopped a few days prior to surgery and this will be coordinated by your surgeon who will involve any other specialists whose advice is required.
Blood thinners most commonly come in pill form and include medications like:
Warfarin (Coumadin)
Clopidogrel (Plavix)
Ticagrelor (Brillinta)
Apixaban (Eliquis)
Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
Dabigatran (Pradaxa)
Edoxaban (Lixiana)
Be sure to alert your surgeon if you are currently taking any blood thinners.
Sleep Apnea and CPAP
If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine, please bring your CPAP machine with you to the hospital. These machines are sometimes used in the recovery area. While the machine might not be used, it is best to be prepared. You will usually meet your anesthesia doctor on the morning of your surgery. Please tell your anesthesiologist know if you have sleep apnea.