Information for Patients

If you have been referred to the Endocrine Surgery Centre, the information sent to us will be reviewed and you will be placed on a waitlist. The order of the cases on this list are not on a “first come, first served” basis, but based on medical priority. Non-urgent and routine referrals can expect a wait of approximately 12 months. When an appointment date has been arranged, notification will be faxed to the physician who referred you.  You may be sent for further tests if the doctor needs more information to assess you. If it is decided that surgery is needed, it will be necessary to ensure that you are healthy enough to have an operation. To do this, you will be asked to have a heart tracing (ECG), a chest X-ray and some blood tests. If your condition does not require surgery, you may be referred to another doctor for treatment.

Before the day of your surgery, there will be an Education Session where you will learn what to expect on the day of surgery as well as how to care for yourself once you leave the hospital. This is an excellent opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the surgery. If you wish, you may bring a friend or family member to the Education Session.

It is very important that you attend all appointments made for you. If you miss an appointment, your surgery may be delayed. However, if you find it impossible to attend, please call the office of the doctor you will be seeing. Cancelling a visit with the surgeon at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic requires 48 hours notice as this clinic is only held two afternoons each month; these appointments are hard to come by and there are other patients waiting for these visits.

Location: The address of the University Hospital is 8440 – 112 Street. The Hospital Switchboard number is 780-407-1108.

Parking: Several areas of the University Hospital are under construction. For this reason it is recommended that you allow yourself plenty of time to find parking when visiting the University Hospital. For parking information, please see parking around the University of Alberta Hospital.

Important Note About Phone Calls

We understand that reaching us by phone can sometimes be difficult. Often our phone lines are busy or have been turned over to the message system so that the staff can help with other patients. We make every effort to return your call within 2 business days. Our staff will try to reach you 2 times. If we are not able to reach you directly or if you do not have an answering machine or your phone does not accept blocked calls, you may need to call us again. If you leave a message, please remember to clearly leave your name, telephone number and Alberta Health Care number.

Your Pre-operative  and Follow-up Appointments

What to Bring: Alberta Health Care card and photo ID

When You Arrive: Check in at the main reception desk at the 2A Surgical Clinic on the second floor of the Kaye Edmonton Clinic . You may be required to show your Alberta Health Care card and photo ID. Here is a map showing where the parking is for the Kaye Edmonton Centre.

How Long Will Your Appointment Be? First appointments are longer than follow-up appointments. First appointments may take 1 to 2 hours, as you may be required to have blood collected in the lab as well as see the surgeon. Follow-up appointments usually take 15 to 30 minutes. We do our best to stay on time; unfortunately your appointment may be delayed by unforeseen circumstances. We recommend that you come prepared for delays. For example, make sure your arrangements for babysitting, child care and parking can accommodate a longer than usual appointment.

If we are booking you for surgery, please let us know of any known periods of unavailability, such as holidays or other prearranged commitments. We work with the guidelines provided by Alberta Health Services and the Alberta government to book your surgery in a timely manner. You will receive two to three weeks notice from the hospital when your surgery date has been set.

The Day of Your Surgery

Adult Day Surgery: For patients who will be discharged the same day as their procedure, please read the Day Surgery Information pamphlet.  It is important that you don’t eat before your surgery; if you do, your surgery may be cancelled. Here is some information about  eating and drinking before surgery. To help you find your way, here is a Map to the Day Surgery Unit inside the  University of Alberta Hospital.

Overnight Hospital Stay: For patients who will be staying at the University Hospital overnight, please refer to the attached hospital stay guide which will help you prepare for your stay and to provide information regarding what to expect during your stay. Patients staying overnight are required to be seen at the Pre-Admission Clinic prior to admission.

If you live more than 100 km from the hospital, it is strongly recommended that you make arrangements to remain in Edmonton overnight (after surgery) with a responsible adult. If you or a family member needs a place to stay during a hospital visit, please see the  Accommodations Brochure for the available options on low cost overnight accommodations close to the hospital.

Before you leave the hospital after your surgery, be sure you are familiar with what changes re expected as you heal, and what changes are unexpected and you should call the doctor or go to the Emergency Department. Review the care of your surgical incision site with a nurse and collect any prescriptions you will need. Check when you are to come back to see the surgeon – this is usually 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. Please call the office to book this once you are discharged as we have limited clinic time and the appointment spots fill up quickly.

Here are printable copies of the post-operative care sheets you may receive before you are discharged:

                                ∗ Adrenalectomy Post-operative Care

                                ∗ Post Thyroidectomy Care

                                ∗ Post Parathyroidectomy Care

To learn more about the endocrine system and how it works, please see The Endocrine System pages here.

At this link,  Recommended Websites for Patients, you can find disease-specific and group support information.