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Dr Ed HalveySpecialist anaesthetist, Perth

HomeBefore surgery

Before surgery

Clear, practical guidance for the days before your procedure. Always follow the specific instructions Dr Halvey, your surgeon, or the hospital give you. These may differ from the general information here.

Perth, Western Australia

Eight short guides

Start with fasting and medicines. They are the two things patients most often ring about.

Fasting before surgeryWhen to stop eating and drinking before your operation. Medicines before surgeryHow your usual medicines, blood thinners, diabetes medicines and insulin may need adjusting. GLP-1 medicationsOzempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and similar: a special fasting plan to follow before surgery. Medicine timing plannerEnter your surgery date and medicines for a printable guide to your last doses.
Assessment and consentWhat to expect when you meet your anaesthetist, and how consent works. On the dayWhat to bring, what to wear, and how to prepare for the day of surgery. What time to arriveWhen to come to hospital and what happens when you get there. Glossary of termsPlain-language explanations of common anaesthetic and surgical words.

More about your anaesthetic

Short guides to common questions.

Having a spinal anaestheticWhat a spinal is, what you feel and what to expect afterwards. Nerve blocks for pain reliefSingle injections and catheters, and looking after a numb limb. Epidural pain relief in labourHow a labour epidural works, its effects and the risks.
Breastfeeding after an anaestheticFeeding after an operation or caesarean, and which medicines need care. Smoking, vaping and cannabisWhy it matters, stopping at any time, and where to get help. Sleep apnoea and your anaestheticBringing your CPAP machine and what the team will do. Fear of needlesNumbing the skin, calming options and going to sleep first.

Your pain relief plan

If Dr Halvey has given you a pain relief plan for your operation, you can view it online. Each plan is set in advance for a specific operation. The tool simply shows you the plan, it does not work anything out for you.

Open my pain relief plan
This is for patients Dr Halvey has given a plan to.

The plans include strong pain medicines that are not suitable for everyone. You will need the access code provided with your plan, and you should only follow the plan your anaesthetist has confirmed is yours.