Preparing for Surgery

Pre-operative Care

A Practical Guide to Getting Ready for Your Operation

How you prepare for surgery affects how you recover. In the weeks and days before an operation, you and your care team review your health and your medicines, plan any tests you need, and go over eating, drinking, and the day of surgery itself. Clear steps help you arrive ready and lower the chance of a delay or complication.

At Surgical Associates of Southern Texas, Dr. Murtaza Shakir is board certified in General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology. He performs open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery for hernias, gallbladder disease, cancer, and other general surgery conditions, and he explains each step before your operation. He sees patients at offices in Katy and Sugar Land, serving Fort Bend County and Greater Houston.

Meet the Surgeon

Dr. Murtaza Shakir, MD, general surgeon and surgical oncologist in Katy and Sugar Land, TX

Dual board certified in General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology
Named a Houstonia Top Doctor in General Surgery, 2026 (see listing)
Highly reviewed: rated 4.9 stars on Google
Specialized in laparoscopic and robotic hernia and gallbladder surgery, reflux and appendix surgery, cancer surgery, and preparing patients for a safe operation and recovery

Patient Reviews

Patient Experiences With Dr. Shakir

Rated 4.9 stars on Google. Real experiences from patients treated in Katy and Sugar Land.

Jump to a section

At a glance
What is pre-operative care?
Planned vs. urgent surgery
When to call before surgery
Your consultation
Do I need tests?
Meet your surgeon
Getting your health ready
Medication review
Eating and drinking
Smoking, alcohol, nutrition
Plan your ride and home
What to bring
The day of surgery
Preparation and risks
Patient reviews
Why choose us
Insurance
Locations
FAQs
Schedule a consultation

At a Glance

Pre-Operative Care at a Glance

What it is: Everything done before an operation to prepare your body and plan your care: your consultation, health review, tests, medicine changes, and day-of-surgery instructions.
When it starts: At your first visit with the surgeon. For planned surgery there may be several weeks to prepare. For urgent surgery, it may take only hours.
Key steps: Share your full medical history, complete any tests, get conditions like diabetes under control, stop smoking, eat well, and plan your ride home.
Your medicines: Bring a full list. Your team will tell you which medicines to keep taking and which to pause, including blood thinners, diabetes medicines, and GLP-1 medicines. Do not stop any medicine on your own.
Eating and drinking: Follow the fasting instructions from your surgical and anesthesia team exactly. Rules depend on your operation, your health, and your medicines.
Day of surgery: Arrive on time with your ID, insurance card, and medicine list. An adult must drive you home after anesthesia or sedation.
Get emergency care for: Chest pain, trouble breathing, severe or worsening belly pain, a hernia bulge that becomes hard and painful, or vomiting that will not stop. Call 911.
Where: Offices in Katy and Sugar Land, TX. Call 713-955-9191.

Surgery Basics

What Is Pre-Operative Care?

Pre-operative care is the preparation that happens before an operation, from your first surgical visit until you go into the operating room. Its goal is simple: to get you to surgery as healthy, informed, and ready as possible.

The success of an operation depends partly on this preparation. Your surgeon reviews your full medical history, checks for health problems that could affect surgery or healing, and gives you clear instructions about medicines, eating and drinking, and the day itself. You play a key part by sharing complete information and following the plan.

A Plan Built Around You

No two patients prepare in exactly the same way. Your plan depends on your operation, your age and health, the medicines you take, and how quickly you are likely to recover. Dr. Shakir expects full disclosure of your medical history and, in return, is open with you about the operation and what to expect.

How This Page Fits With Enhanced Recovery

This page is a practical checklist for getting ready. For the research-based approach behind preparing well, eating and walking early, and controlling pain with fewer opioids, see our Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) overview. For care after your operation, see post-operative care.

Your Situation

How Preparation Differs for Planned and Urgent Surgery

The amount of preparation depends on how soon you need surgery. A planned operation leaves time to improve your health, while an urgent one focuses on the essential safety checks.

Feature	Planned Outpatient Surgery	Major or Cancer Surgery	Urgent or Emergency Surgery
Examples	Many hernia repairs and gallbladder removals	Colon, liver or pancreas cancer surgery	Appendicitis or a trapped hernia
Time to prepare	Usually time to get ready	Often a longer workup	Shorter, surgery may be within hours
Typical checks	Tests and medicine changes	More testing, heart and lung review	Medicines, allergies, last meal, key results
Planning focus	Arranging help at home	Nutrition and a hospital stay	Safe, quick review before surgery

Typical patterns only. Dr. Shakir and your care team tailor preparation to you.

Stay in Touch

When Should You Call the Office Before Surgery?

Call the office at 713-955-9191 whenever something changes between your consultation and your operation. A change in your health may make it safer to adjust the plan or the date.

You develop a cold, flu, fever, COVID-19, a cold sore, or another illness in the days before surgery.
You start, stop, or change any medicine, including over-the-counter products and supplements.
Your symptoms change or get worse, such as more pain or a hernia bulge that is harder to push back in.
You are admitted to a hospital or see another doctor for a new problem.
You could be pregnant.
You no longer have a ride home or someone to stay with you.

When Not to Wait for Your Surgery Date

Some symptoms can’t wait for your surgery date: severe or worsening belly pain, a hernia bulge that turns hard or discolored and won’t go back in, nonstop vomiting or a swollen belly, fever with belly pain or yellow eyes, chest pain or trouble breathing. For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

First Visit

Your Surgical Consultation: What to Expect

Pre-operative care begins at your consultation, where your surgeon confirms whether surgery is the right step and how to prepare for it. Having one-on-one time with your surgeon helps you understand your condition and the operation well.

Your history: current symptoms, other health conditions, past operations, any problems with anesthesia, allergies, smoking, alcohol use, and how active you are.
Your medicines: prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements, and herbal products.
Physical exam: focused on the area that needs surgery and on your general health.
Your test results: review of imaging, lab work, and reports from other doctors.
Your options: whether surgery is needed, and whether an open, laparoscopic, or robotic approach fits your situation.
Risks, benefits, and recovery: what the operation involves, what recovery looks like, and the possible complications.
Consent: once your questions are answered, you sign a consent form that confirms you understand and agree to the operation.

What to Bring to Your Consultation

A complete list of your medicines and supplements, with doses, or the bottles themselves
Your allergies, including reactions to medicines, latex, or tape
Recent imaging reports and discs, lab results, and referral notes
Your photo ID and insurance card
Completed patient forms, if you received them
A written list of your questions

You are welcome to bring a family member or friend for support. For ideas, see questions to ask your surgeon before surgery.

Pre-Op Testing

Does Everyone Need Tests Before Surgery?

No. Tests before surgery are chosen for each patient, based on age, health conditions, medicines, and the size of the operation. A healthy adult having a short outpatient procedure may need few or no tests, while an older adult with heart disease having major surgery may need several.

Tests that may be ordered include:

Blood tests, such as a blood count, kidney function, electrolytes, blood sugar, or clotting tests
An electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart rhythm
A chest X-ray if you have lung or heart symptoms
A pregnancy test for women who could be pregnant
Imaging, such as an ultrasound or CT scan, to plan the operation

Results help your surgeon and anesthesia team plan a safe operation. If a test shows a problem, surgery may be delayed until it is treated.

Clearance From Other Doctors

You may be asked to see your primary care doctor, cardiologist, lung specialist, or another doctor before surgery. This visit, sometimes called medical clearance, makes sure conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes are as well controlled as possible. Ask the office whether you need clearance and where to send the results.

Your Surgeon

Meet the Surgeon Who Will Prepare You for Surgery

Murtaza Shakir, MD

Board-Certified General Surgeon & Surgical Oncologist

Pre-operative care at Surgical Associates of Southern Texas is led by Dr. Murtaza Shakir, who is board certified in General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology.

Board certification

American Board of Surgery: General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology

Medical degree

Aga Khan University

Residency

General Surgery, Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

Fellowship

Two-year Surgical Oncology fellowship, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Surgical practice includes

Hernia repair
Robotic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery
Complex abdominal surgery
Gallbladder surgery
Surgical oncology

Named a Houstonia Top Doctor in General Surgery (2026). Learn more about our general surgery services.

Health Optimization

Getting Your Health Ready for Surgery

Your existing health problems affect how complex your operation is and how well you heal, so they should be addressed before planned surgery. Some conditions slow healing or raise the risk of complications if they are not well controlled.

Diabetes

High blood sugar slows healing and raises infection risk. Surgery stress can push blood sugar higher. Work with your doctors to bring it under good control before your operation.

Heart and Blood Pressure

Heart disease and high blood pressure affect anesthesia and surgery. Keep taking your heart and blood pressure medicines unless your team gives you other instructions.

Lung Conditions

Asthma, COPD, and other lung problems should be stable before planned surgery. Bring your inhalers on the day of surgery.

Sleep Apnea

Tell your team if you have sleep apnea or loud snoring with daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea affects anesthesia, and you may be asked to bring your CPAP machine.

Nutrition and Weight

Good nutrition helps you heal and can lower complications. Tell your surgeon if you have lost weight without trying or have trouble eating.

Kidney, Liver, and Other Conditions

These conditions can change which medicines are safe and how your body handles anesthesia. Your surgeon may ask the doctors who manage them for input.

Your Medicines

Medication Review: What to Keep, Pause, or Ask About

Your team will tell you exactly which medicines to take and which to pause before surgery. Some medicines raise the risk of bleeding or problems with anesthesia, while stopping others suddenly can be dangerous. Do not stop or change any medicine on your own.

Bring a complete list of everything you take to every visit. Skipping your usual medicines without instructions can also cause problems during or after surgery.

Blood Thinners

Medicines such as warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel, and others affect bleeding. Some need to be paused before surgery, and some patients need a bridging plan. The timing depends on the medicine and why you take it, so your surgeon and the doctor who prescribed it will decide together.

Aspirin and Anti-Inflammatory Pain Relievers

Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and similar medicines can increase bleeding. Do not stop aspirin prescribed for your heart or a stent unless your doctors tell you to. Ask which pain relievers are safe to use before surgery.

Insulin and Diabetes Pills

Because you will be fasting, your insulin or diabetes pills may need to be adjusted the day before and the morning of surgery. Some diabetes pills, such as SGLT2 inhibitors, are often paused for a few days. Your team will give you specific instructions.

GLP-1 Medicines

Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), and similar medicines slow how fast the stomach empties. Always tell your surgical and anesthesia team if you take one. Many patients keep taking them, but you may be asked to follow a liquid diet the day before surgery or change the timing. Your team will tell you what to do.

Vitamins, Supplements, and Herbal Products

Some products, such as vitamin E, fish oil, garlic, ginkgo, and others, may affect bleeding or anesthesia. List everything you take, even if it seems minor, so your team can tell you what to pause.

Your Daily Medicines

Many medicines, such as those for blood pressure, thyroid, or breathing, are usually taken as normal, often with a small sip of water on the morning of surgery. Follow the instructions you receive for each one.

Write down your instructions or ask for them in writing. If you are not sure whether to take a medicine, call the office before you skip or take it.

Fasting Instructions

Eating and Drinking Before Surgery

Follow the eating and drinking instructions from your surgical and anesthesia team exactly. An empty stomach lowers the risk of stomach contents entering the lungs while you are under anesthesia or sedation.

Fasting rules depend on your operation, your health, your medicines, and the facility where your surgery takes place. Many patients are told not to eat after midnight. Some facilities allow clear liquids, such as water or apple juice without pulp, until a few hours before surgery. Do this only if your team says it is safe for you.

Ask whether gum, mints, and hard candy count as eating.
Take only the morning medicines you were told to take, with a small sip of water.
If you take a GLP-1 medicine or have diabetes, ask whether your fasting instructions are different.
If you eat or drink by mistake, tell the team as soon as you arrive. It is safer to delay surgery than to hide it.

Why Instructions Differ

Some patients, such as those with diabetes, slow stomach emptying, or certain medicines, need different rules. That is why general advice from friends or the internet should not replace the instructions you receive.

Healthy Habits

Smoking, Alcohol, Nutrition, and Activity Before Surgery

The weeks before a planned operation are a good time to make changes that help you heal. Even a short period of preparation can make a difference.

Stop Smoking

Smoking slows wound healing and raises the risk of lung and wound problems. Quitting as early as possible before surgery lowers these risks. This includes cigarettes, cigars, and vaping. Ask your doctor for help quitting.

Limit Alcohol

Tell your surgeon honestly how much you drink, especially if it is more than one or two drinks a day. Heavy drinking can affect anesthesia, bleeding, and healing, and stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal.

Eat Well

Nutrition is one of the most important parts of recovery. Eat regular meals with enough protein, fruits, and vegetables. Ask your surgeon whether you need special nutrition guidance before your operation.

Stay Active

Walking and other activity you can do safely build strength and stamina. Being as fit as you can before surgery may help you get up and moving sooner afterward.

Plan Ahead

Plan Your Ride Home and Your Recovery at Home

Arrange your ride and your help at home before the day of surgery. Anesthesia and sedation affect your judgment and reflexes, so you cannot drive yourself home.

A responsible adult must drive you home or ride with you in a taxi or rideshare. Without one, your surgery may need to be rescheduled.
Someone to stay with you, ideally for the first night, especially after outpatient surgery.
No driving for at least 24 hours after anesthesia, and longer while taking opioid pain medicine.
A resting area with the items you need within reach, so you do not have to bend, lift, or climb often.
Easy meals and fluids stocked ahead of time.
Prescriptions filled before or right after surgery, if your surgeon gives them to you early.
Time off work and help with children, pets, or caregiving planned in advance.

Insurance and Paperwork

Check with your insurance plan about coverage and any prior authorization. Complete your patient forms and review our insurance information. If you need a work note or disability paperwork, ask before surgery.

Packing List

What to Bring on the Day of Surgery

Pack light and bring only what you need. A short checklist helps the day go smoothly.

Bring

Photo ID and insurance card
Your list of medicines, doses, and allergies
Medicines in their original bottles, if you were asked to bring them
Your CPAP machine, inhalers, glasses with a case, hearing aids, or dentures with a case
Any walker, cane, or brace you use
Loose, comfortable clothes that are easy to put on over a bandage
Flat, slip-on shoes
The name and phone number of the person driving you home

Leave at Home

Jewelry, including wedding rings and body piercings
Watches, cash, and other valuables
Contact lenses (wear glasses instead)
Makeup, lotion, powder, perfume, aftershave, and deodorant on the day of surgery, unless told otherwise
Anything you do not need for the visit

Surgery Day

The Day of Surgery: What Happens Step by Step

On the day of surgery, you check in, meet your surgical and anesthesia team, and go over the plan one last time before the operation. Knowing the steps can make the day less stressful.

At home: shower or bathe, using a special soap if you were given one. Brush your teeth without swallowing water. Take only the medicines you were told to take.
Arrive on time: you will be told when to arrive at the hospital or surgery center, often well before the operation starts.
Check-in: staff confirm your identity, your operation, your allergies, and when you last ate or drank. You change into a gown.
Nursing checks: a nurse takes your vital signs, may check your blood sugar, and places an IV line.
Meet the anesthesia team: they review your history and explain the type of anesthesia or sedation you will have.
See your surgeon: your surgeon answers final questions, confirms consent, and may mark the surgical site.
The operation: you are taken to the operating room. Your family is told where to wait and how they will get updates.
Recovery room: nurses watch you closely as you wake up and control pain and nausea.

After the Operation

After outpatient surgery, you go home once you are awake, comfortable, and able to drink and walk. After larger operations, you stay in the hospital until you are ready. Your discharge instructions cover incision care, activity, pain control, and when to call. See our post-operative care page for what comes next.

Staying Safe

How Preparation Lowers the Risks of Surgery

Good preparation lowers some risks, but it cannot remove the risks of surgery itself. Every operation carries possible complications, and your surgeon reviews the ones that apply to you before you sign consent. General risks include:

Infection of the incision or inside the body
Bleeding
Blood clots in the legs or lungs
Injury to nearby organs, nerves, or blood vessels
Reactions to anesthesia, such as nausea or breathing problems
Confusion after surgery, which is more common in older adults

Preparation targets several of these. Stopping smoking helps wounds and lungs heal. Controlling blood sugar lowers infection risk. Reviewing blood thinners balances bleeding and clot risk. Following fasting instructions lowers anesthesia risk. Telling your team about every medicine and health condition lets them plan around problems before they happen.

Why Choose Us

Why Prepare for Surgery With Surgical Associates of Southern Texas?

Dr. Murtaza Shakir is board certified in General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology and builds your preparation around your medical history, medicines and operation.

Each step explained so you feel prepared before surgery
A plan based on your history, medicines and operation
Open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches for many conditions
Open communication in both directions
Consultations in Katy and Sugar Land

Insurance Coverage

Insurance for Surgery

Surgical Associates of Southern Texas accepts many major insurance plans for surgical consultations, pre-operative evaluation, and surgery, including participating Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. Our office can confirm whether your specific plan participates and whether a referral or prior authorization is needed before your visit.

Coverage, network participation, authorization requirements, and your share of the cost vary by plan. You can also review the insurance accepted for surgical care at our practice.

Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Blue Cross Blue Shield are only some of the plans we accept. Plan-specific details are on our Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Blue Cross Blue Shield pages. If your plan is not listed, contact our office and our team will help verify it.

Insurance participation and benefits vary by individual plan. Verification does not guarantee coverage, authorization or payment. Please contact our office and your insurer to verify benefits before treatment.

Our Locations

Two Convenient Fort Bend County Offices

Learn more about our Katy and Sugar Land practices, or view all locations.

Katy Office

410 W Grand Pkwy S, Suite 4D
Katy, TX 77494

Serves: Katy, Fulshear, Richmond, Cinco Ranch and West Houston

Get directions

Sugar Land Office

17510 W Grand Pkwy S, Suite 320
Sugar Land, TX 77479

Serves: Sugar Land, Richmond, Stafford, Missouri City, Fort Bend County and Southwest Houston

View on Google Maps

Approximate Drive Times

From West Houston (Energy Corridor): about 15 minutes to Katy, or 25 to 30 minutes to Sugar Land.

From North Houston: about 40 to 50 minutes to either office, depending on traffic.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Pre-Operative Care

What is pre-operative care?

Pre-operative care is everything done to prepare you for an operation, including your consultation, health review, tests, medicine changes, and day-of-surgery instructions. Its goal is to get you to surgery as safe and ready as possible.

What tests will I need before surgery?

It depends on your age, health, and operation. Some patients need no tests, while others need blood work, an ECG, a chest X-ray, or imaging. Your surgeon will tell you which ones you need.

Do I need clearance from my primary care doctor or cardiologist?

Sometimes. If you have heart, lung, kidney, or other medical conditions, you may be asked to see your doctor before surgery. Ask the office whether you need clearance and where to send it.

Should I stop my blood thinner before surgery?

Only if your care team tells you to. Some blood thinners are paused before surgery, but the timing depends on the medicine and why you take it. Your surgeon and the prescribing doctor will decide together.

Can I take aspirin or ibuprofen before surgery?

Ask first. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen can increase bleeding. Do not stop aspirin prescribed for your heart or a stent unless your doctors tell you to.

I take Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or another GLP-1 medicine. What should I do?

Tell your surgical and anesthesia team as soon as surgery is planned. Many patients keep taking these medicines, but you may be asked to follow a liquid diet the day before or change the timing. Your team will tell you what to do.

When do I have to stop eating and drinking before surgery?

Follow the exact instructions from your surgical and anesthesia team. Many patients are told not to eat after midnight, and some facilities allow clear liquids until a few hours before surgery. Rules depend on your operation, health, and medicines.

Can I take my regular medicines on the morning of surgery?

Many medicines, such as blood pressure or thyroid medicines, are taken as usual with a small sip of water. Others are skipped. Take only the medicines your team told you to take.

Do I really need to quit smoking before surgery?

Yes, as early as you can. Smoking slows healing and raises the risk of lung and wound problems, and quitting lowers these risks. Your doctor can help you find support.

What should I bring on the day of surgery?

Bring your photo ID, insurance card, medicine and allergy list, and any CPAP machine, inhalers, or walking aids you use. Wear loose clothes and leave jewelry and valuables at home.

Sources and references

Strong for Surgery, American College of Surgeons (ACS)
Preparing for Surgery: Checklist, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), Made for This Moment
GLP-1 Agonist Medications for Diabetes or Weight Loss, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), Made for This Moment
Getting Yourself Healthy Before Surgery, MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
The Day of Your Surgery – Adult, MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

Reviewed by the Review Team at Surgical Associates of Southern Texas.

Medical Disclaimer: This page provides general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. For severe abdominal pain, chest pain, trouble breathing, or other emergencies before or after surgery, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Last updated October 16, 2026.

Schedule a Surgical Consultation

Planning an operation or have questions about getting ready for surgery? Schedule a consultation with Dr. Murtaza Shakir to learn which tests or clearance you need, which medicines to keep or pause, and whether open, laparoscopic or robotic surgery fits you. Offices in Katy and Sugar Land serve Richmond, Fulshear and Greater Houston.

713-955-9191