Be informed!
Your physician has said yes you need surgery. You have gotten a second opinion that concurs with the first one.
You receive your pre-operative instructions, which tell you the day of your surgery, the time, place and who will be doing your surgery, what surgery you will be having and most important, the name of your surgery and the proper area. If any of that is incorrect you immediately need to let someone in the office of your physician know.
Should you be having surgery on a joint, certain things such as how to go up and down stairs and how to get in and out of a car may be shown to you, pre-operatively as part of your instructions. The post-operative exercises will be set up with either a therapist coming to your home or you going to a physical therapy facility.
Be sure and read all your pre-operative instructions carefully so you are prepared for your anesthetic the day of surgery. Not following instructions can cause your surgery to be delayed. The anesthesiologist will stop by the day of surgery and talk with you about what they will be doing and what you can expect. They have many options available now to help with alleviating or lessening post-operative pain.
If you or your family have questions or concerns please share with your surgeon, anesthesiologist or surgical team. They want you to benefit from your surgical experience in a positive manner.