For Patients
Your surgery, step by step
These guides are written for patients and their families, in plain language, and arranged in the order care actually happens. Every page prints cleanly. They do not replace the instructions given by your care team: where the two differ, those instructions are the ones to follow.
The care pathway
These pages apply to every operation and are meant to be read in order, from preparation through to recovery.
- 01 Preparing for surgery From two weeks before to the day before.
- 02 The day of surgery Arrival, waiting, anaesthesia, discharge.
- 03 Wound and dressing care Keeping the incision clean and dry.
- 04 Pain control and medications What to take, when, and what to avoid.
- 05 Recovery timeline and therapy Week by week, with therapy milestones.
- 06 Warning signs — when to call What is normal and what is not.
- 07 Your care team Who does what, and who to contact.
Procedure-specific guides
Detail specific to one operation, to be read alongside the pathway pages above.
Urgent
When to call, and who to call
Fingers that are cold, white or bluish, loss of sensation, severe and increasing pain that painkillers do not touch, a dressing that has become too tight, or bleeding that does not stop after ten minutes of pressure: go to the emergency department without waiting for a call back. For a fever, spreading redness or discharge, call the office the same day. If you are unsure, call 811.
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After hours
Info-Santé 811 · Emergency 911 · or the emergency department of the hospital where you were operated on
Ready to be seen?
Patients and referring physicians are welcome to write at any time. A one-line message is enough to start.