Breast Surgery Pre-Op

Contact Information

• My UNC Chart is the preferred method for all non-emergency communication with your care team.
• If you are not yet registered for this account, you need an activation code. Go to www.myuncchart.org,
  follow the prompts to get the code and register for the account. Or use the code listed on your After-Visit
  Summary paperwork today.
• On your account, you may send paperwork such as Family Medical Leave Act forms, communicate with your
  care team, get prescription refills, manage appointments and access test results, except pathology reports.

All non-emergency questions from Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM -4:30 PM, please contact:

For all Surgeries with Breast Reconstruction, including problems with pain:
Jennifer “Jeni” Carr, MD:
Nurse: Jennifer Jonelis, BSN, RN 919-843-1080
Surgery Scheduler: Cristina Etchart Martin 919-843-1087

Lynn Damitz, MD:
Nurse: Nicole Bailey, BSN, RN, CPSN 919-843-1086
Surgery Scheduler: Cristina Etchart Martin 919-843-1087

Adeyemi “Yemi” Ogunleye, MD:
Nurse: Jacquelyn Eron, BSN, RN, BC 919-843-4304
Surgery Scheduler: Kina Williamson 919-843-5547

Jeyhan Wood, MD:
Nurse: Rachel Heller, BSN, RN, CPSN 919-843-1088
Surgery Scheduler: Kina Williamson 919-843-5547

• Fax 984-974-9046

For all other Surgeries:
Katie Lopez, RN (Dr. Gallagher, Dr. Spanheimer) or Chelle Rupp, RN (Dr. Ollila, Dr. Selfridge, Dr. Greenberg)

• Call 984-974-0000
• Fax 984-974-2603
• Preferred contact is through My UNC Chart account PLEASE NOTE: If you have Breast Reconstruction surgery– you must call your Plastic Surgeon first.

Emergencies:

Reconstruction: 984-974-1000 – ask to speak with the PLASTIC SURGERY RESIDENT on call.
Surgeries without Reconstruction: 984-974-1000 – ask to speak with the SURGERY RESIDENT on call.

Paperwork

• Please know there is a 2-week turn around for all paperwork such as the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), short term disability or cancer claims. There is a form in the packet that you must fill out and sign before we can process your FMLA claim.
• If you are scheduled for breast reconstruction – all paperwork must be given or faxed to the nurse working with your plastic surgeon. There is a $20 fee. Fax: 984-974-9046
• If you are not having reconstruction, all paperwork must be given or faxed to Katie Lopez, RN or Chelle Rupp, RN.
  Fax: 984-974-2603.

Pre-authorization for surgery

• UNC submits pre-authorization paperwork to your insurance company within 4 business days prior to your
  scheduled surgery. This provides information to your insurance company showing that your surgery is
  medically necessary. We will let you know if your surgery is not authorized. If you have concerns, please check
  with your insurance company.
• An overnight stay at the outpatient surgical center does not require pre-authorization because it is not a hospital
  admission. It is simply an extension of your recovery room time, a 23-hour stay, not a hospital admission.

Surgical Date

• If you leave the clinic without a date already planned for your surgery, please be aware we are actively working
  on finding a date. Some procedures may take up to 2 weeks to schedule a date.
• Surgeries that involve breast reconstruction do take a bit longer due to two teams working together to coordinate
  a date that is safe and timely for your cancer care.
• We will do everything we can to find a date that works for your personal schedule. We would like to reassure
  you that no harm will come to you while waiting for your surgery date.

After the surgery is scheduled, you will receive 2 calls from the Ambulatory Care Center:

• 1st call—3 business days before surgery. We will confirm that you are on the schedule and provide education for surgery.
• 2nd call—the business day before your surgery. We will review education then give you the check-in time and
  surgery start time. Arrival is at least 1 ½ hours before surgery. If you are having a procedure before surgery, such
  as SAVI SCOUT, sentinel lymph node injection, or needle localization, our Surgery Scheduler will give you
  the details.

Surgical Time

Surgery times are not officially scheduled until the day before surgery. You will be notified by a phone call the
day before between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. If we can’t reach you, we will leave a message about
specific times for arrival and your surgery. Please call back to confirm that you received the information.

Eating and Drinking

• DO NOT EAT ANY SOLIDS and DO NOT DRINK anything after midnight the night before your surgery.
• You may drink a sip of water up to 2 hours before you check-in for your surgery. It is OK to take your medicines at this time, as directed by the UNC Pre-Care department.

Medicines

• Anyone with an insulin pump is required to go to the UNC Pre-Care department. A referral will be made by your provider and you will receive a call from the UNC Pre-Care department to set up this appointment.
• If you take medicines to control your blood sugar, please check with your provider before adjusting, or
  stopping the medicine. Remember, you will not be eating anything the morning/day of surgery, so, please
  DO NOT take a morning dose that will lower your blood sugar.
• Stop taking aspirin, vitamin E, Fish Oil, Ibuprofen, Motrin, and Aleve 5 days before your surgery. You may
  restart these medicines 3 days after surgery. The first day after surgery is considered day 1.
• If you are on a prescription blood thinner, such as Eliquis, Pradaxa, Coumadin, Heparin, or Xarelto, please
  check with your provider and surgical team about what to do before your surgery. The provider who
  prescribed your blood-thinning medicine will instruct you on when and how to stop it, and when to restart it
  for your surgery. Please check with that provider as soon as your surgery has been scheduled. Some providers
  will require you to schedule a clinic appointment first.
• Do not take any narcotic pain medicines or antianxiety medicines immediately before checking in for your
  surgery. These medicines may alter your ability to sign a consent for anesthesia.
• Continue taking all other medicines.

Showering and body care before surgery

• You do not need a special prescription soap to bathe in before your surgery. Please shower the night before or
  the morning of surgery with liquid antibacterial soap.
• Do not wear any deodorant, lotion or makeup.
• Remove all body piercings. Body piercings may need to be removed prior to your surgery for safety reasons.
  Your surgical team will help you remove these items if they need to come off, especially if you are not able to
  remove them on your own.
• Do not wear contact lenses to surgery. Wear your glasses if needed.

Pre-operative labs and testing

Unless told otherwise, you are not required to have any preoperative labs or tests before surgery.

What to bring:

• A responsible adult
• Valid photo ID
• Your health insurance card and pharmacy card, if you have one
• All of your medicines and supplements in their labeled bottles
• A notarized advance directive, if you have one. We have paperwork if you wish to get one here.
• A loose-fitting button-down shirt. This will make it easy to get dressed before going home.
• Comfortable shoes
• Something to do, like a book to read
• Toiletries, if spending the night
• Glasses, if needed (do not wear contact lenses)

PLEASE LEAVE ALL VALUABLES AT HOME

Responsible Adult

• It is our policy that you have a responsible adult who can come with you to surgery. He/She is required to stay here during the surgery, be available in person to receive updates from the surgeon, and be present to receive discharge instructions, sign off on them, and return you safely to your home.
• A responsible adult can be anyone you know or trust who is 18 years of age or older. They will need to legally sign your discharge instructions stating they will be responsible for getting you home safely, picking up your prescriptions, and educating you on any instructions you were not aware of when you were discharged from the surgery center.