To get ready for the surgery, you may be told to do the following:

• Tell your healthcare provider about all of the prescribed and over-the-counter medicines, supplements, and herbal remedies that you take. Ask if you should stop taking them before surgery.

• Tell your provider if you have a pacemaker.

• Tell your provider if you have any allergies

• Don’t take any medicines that contain aspirin or ibuprofen for 7 days before surgery.

• Arrange for an adult family member or friend to drive you home after surgery.

• Follow any directions you are given for not eating or drinking before surgery.

Anesthesia is medicine that keeps you free from pain. It is given by a trained doctor called an anesthesiologist or a certified and registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). A CRNA is an advanced practice nurse who administers anesthetics and provides care during surgeries or procedures. He or she will talk to you about the type of anesthesia that will be used during surgery. You may be given 1 or more of the following:

• General anesthesia. This puts you in a state like deep sleep during the procedure.

• Local anesthesia. This is injected into the skin and numbs just the area being treated.

• Monitored sedation. This makes you drowsy or slightly asleep, but doesn’t put you into a deep sleep.

This surgery has a high rate of success. But it does carry the same risks as other surgery. These include:

• Infection

• Bruising

• Excessive bleeding

• Changed sense of taste or smell

• Spinal fluid leakage (very rare)

• Eye injury (very rare)