Most hospitals have a similar process for admitting teens to have spine surgery.
Once you arrive at the hospital, you will usually meet with a nurse who will do a basic assessment of you. This might include taking your blood pressure, taking your weight and height, and listening to your heart and lungs.
You will also meet the anaesthetist who will be looking after you during the surgery. They will be giving you your anaesthetic (sleep medicine) and monitoring you during surgery. They will let you know how they will give you the medicine – either by a mask or an intravenous needle. Both methods are equally effective and work very fast.
You will also meet the nurse who will be looking after you in the operating room. Once all your questions have been asked and answered, you will say "see you later" to your family and walk to the operating room with the anaesthetist and nurse.
At this point, the members of your family will go to the waiting room. When the surgery is over, your surgeon or a member of the surgical team will come and talk to your mom and dad.
