Going into hospital for cancer surgery
You usually go into hospital on the day of your operation, or the day before. When you arrive, the nurses will explain what to expect and give you some instructions.
Getting organised before cancer surgery
Before you go into hospital for surgery, there are practical things you might want to organise. Here are some tips that may help.
Work and finances
You may need to talk to your employer about work. Or you may need support if you are worried about money. Call us for free on 0808 808 0000 to speak to our teams about money and work advice.
Childcare
If you have children and need help with childcare, or you are a carer for someone, try to organise help as early as possible. Family or friends may be able to help by taking children to school, or with everyday tasks such as shopping. We have more information about childcare.
Help at home
Tell your surgeon or specialist nurse about any practical help you might need at home as you recover. They can give you advice and refer you to other professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists or social workers. These professionals can offer help and support. They can arrange services or equipment for you.
Travel plans
You may have pre-booked holidays that you are unsure about taking. Your healthcare team can advise you or provide a letter if you need to reschedule or cancel travel plans. You can also talk to our cancer support specialists.
Pet care
If you have pets, make sure you have asked someone to care for them when you are in hospital. Friends, neighbours, family members or your local vet may be able to help. Other short-term options could be fostering, boarding, or a kennel or cattery. We have more information to help plan for your pet care.
Related pages
What you might need in hospital
It is helpful to make a list of all the things you might need and to start packing a few days before surgery. This may include:
- easy to wear, comfortable, loose-fitting daytime clothing, underwear and footwear
- a dressing gown and slippers
- personal toiletries
- a small hand towel
- sanitary towels or tampons, if needed
- things to read or music to listen to
- a small amount of cash
- your regular medication
- your glasses or contact lenses with their case and solution
- hearing aids and walking aids
- your mobile phone, headphones and charger
- your house keys, unless you leave them with someone else.
On the day of your surgery
You usually go into hospital on the day of your surgery, or the day before. When you arrive, the nurses will explain what to expect and give you some information. They will give you an identity bracelet with your details on it.
You might meet different healthcare professionals and you may be asked the same questions each time. This is just to check everything is correct at each stage of your care.
Ask questions if you are not sure about anything. Tell the nurses if you are worried about coping when you go home. You can also talk to our cancer support specialists.
We have more information about going home from hospital.
Eating or drinking
If you are going into hospital on the day of your surgery, you may be asked not to eat or drink anything for a few hours. This is sometimes called nil-by-mouth. If you have diabetes, make sure the doctors and nurses know about this.
Follow any advice you are given at the pre-operative assessment about taking your usual medicines. You can usually still take these with a sip of water, but you should check with the doctor and nurses.
Showers and baths
You will usually be asked to have a shower or bath before your surgery. This is to make sure your skin is clean and to reduce the risk of infection.
The body hair in the surgery area may need to be shaved, but this might be done in the operating theatre. You can learn more at your pre-operative assessment.
Make-up and jewellery
You will be asked to remove any:
- make-up
- false eyelashes
- nail polish
- false nails
- jewellery
- body piercings.
This is to help prevent infection and injury. The nurses can also check your oxygen levels by looking at your nails, and by placing a clip over your nail.
Try to leave jewellery or anything valuable at home. You can often still wear an important piece of jewellery, such as a wedding ring. The nurses may put tape over it to keep it safe.
Dentures, glasses, contact lenses and hearing aids
You will usually be asked to remove contact lenses, dentures or any other non-fixed dental items, such as removable braces. If you wear dentures, glasses or hearing aids, you can keep them on until you reach the operating department. Then they will be removed. The nurses will keep them safe, and you can wear them again once you wake up.
Compression stockings
Your nurse may give you compression stockings to put on before surgery. You may also have to wear these for some time afterwards. Your nurse can explain how to wash and care for them. They may give you a spare pair.
Compression stockings reduce the risk of getting a blood clot in your legs – this is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Compression socks and stockings need to be the right size with no folds or wrinkles to work effectively. Your nurse will measure you and then check they fit and are on properly.
Going to the operating department
Before you go to the operating department (theatre), you will be asked to change into a hospital gown. Depending on your surgery, you can sometimes leave your underwear on if there is no metal, such as hooks or underwires on a bra.
Depending on your surgery, you may have a cannula put in. A cannula is a short, thin tube that your nurse or doctor puts into a vein in the back of the hand or the lower arm. This is so they can give you anaesthetic, drugs or fluids into your vein before, during and after your surgery.
You may be taken to the operating department on a trolley by a hospital porter. An operating department support worker or nurse will go with you. Or you may walk with them.
When you arrive in the operating department you may go into an anaesthetic room. You will have a blood pressure cuff placed on your arm and a clip placed over a fingernail to measure your oxygen levels. You will also have some sticky dots placed on your chest so that your heart can be monitored during your surgery.
Having an anaesthetic
You should already know which type of anaesthetic you are having following your pre-operative assessment. You will have your details checked once again, and the anaesthetist will give your anaesthetic.
You will have an operating support worker, nurse or operating department practitioner (ODP) with you for support. You should already know which type of anaesthetic you are having.
Different types of anaesthetic
There are different types of anaesthetic depending on your needs.
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General anaesthetic
General anaesthetic is used if you need to be asleep for your surgery. This is usually given by an injection. Once you are asleep, you will have a breathing tube put into your mouth. You will be closely monitored by the anaesthetist while you are under anaesthetic and given medication to help prevent pain and sickness when you wake up.
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Regional anaesthetic
Regional anaesthetic is used to block or anaesthetise a part of your body, such as an arm or leg (nerve block). It can also be an epidural or spinal block, which is an injection around your spinal cord. This makes you numb from the waist down. It can be used for surgery to the lower half of your body. You are often given some medicine (sedation) to make you relaxed and sleepy, so you are less aware of what is happening. You may be awake, but you will not feel any pain.
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Local anaesthetic
Local anaesthetic is where the area of surgery is numbed so you cannot feel anything. This might be used for minor surgery or smaller parts of the body, such as removing tissue from your skin.
Related pages
About our information
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer.
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our general surgery information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at informationproductionteam@macmillan.org.uk
Perioperative care in adults. NICE guideline [NG180]Published: 19 August 2020 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng180/chapter/Recommendations
Venous thromboembolic diseases: diagnosis, management and thrombophilia testing. NICE guideline [NG158]Published: 26 March 2020 Last updated: 02 August 2023 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng158
Powell, R., Davies, A., Rowlinson-Groves, K. et al. (2023) Acceptability of prehabilitation for cancer surgery: a multi-perspective qualitative investigation of patient and ‘clinician’ experiences. BMC Cancer 23, 744. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-023-10986-0
Date reviewed
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