The gap between what people expect of the first week and what actually happens causes a lot of unnecessary anxiety. Here is the realistic version, and the things worth arranging early.

Day one: arrival

Most hospitals arrange airport pickup if you send flight details in advance; it is worth taking, because arriving in an unfamiliar city at 3am after a long flight is not the moment to negotiate a taxi. Get a local SIM the same day — you will need working data far more than you expect.

Do not schedule anything clinical for the day you land. Jet lag plus a consultation produces poor decisions, and the workup will be no worse for starting a day later.

Days two and three: workup

Pre-operative assessment usually means bloods, ECG, chest X-ray, sometimes an echocardiogram, and an anaesthetic review. Cancer patients will often have staging imaging repeated if the existing scans are more than a few weeks old — our page on which records to bring explains what this depends on.

Expect waiting. Indian tertiary hospitals are busy, and a day with three appointments will still take most of the day. Bring something to read, water, and snacks.

The consultation that can change everything

Somewhere in the first few days you meet the surgeon who will operate. Take this seriously and prepare for it — it is the appointment where the plan is confirmed, modified, or occasionally abandoned.

Bring written questions. Useful ones: what exactly are you proposing to do, what is the alternative, what happens if I do nothing for six months, what are the specific risks for me given my other conditions, how many of these have you done in the last year, and what does recovery realistically look like at one month and at six?

Sometimes the plan changes here — a cardiac case turning out to be suitable for stents, a spine case being sent for physiotherapy first, a cancer protocol being revised after the slides are re-read. This is not the trip being wasted. It is the reason a second opinion exists, and a changed plan is usually a better plan.

Admission

Admission is typically the day before or the morning of surgery. You will be asked for a deposit, so confirm the amount and payment method beforehand. Consent is taken formally — read it, and ask about anything you do not understand, since this is the point at which questions are still easy to ask.

Fasting instructions matter and are not negotiable. If you take blood thinners, diabetes medication or steroids, the team will have given specific instructions on when to stop or adjust; follow them exactly, as this is the most common cause of a surgery being cancelled on the morning.

Practical things worth sorting in week one

• A named coordinator at the international patient desk, with a mobile number
• Accommodation for your attendant near the hospital for the post-discharge period
• Currency exchange and a working payment method — cards are widely accepted, but not everywhere
• The pharmacy, the billing counter and the nearest 24-hour services
• Bottled water only, and cautious food choices in the days before surgery — a stomach upset can delay an operation

What surprises people most

How present the family is expected to be, and how much of the information flows through the ward round rather than through scheduled meetings. If nobody is asking you questions, ask them yourself — Indian hospital teams answer directly when asked, but a quiet patient can get a quiet service. Our attendant's guide covers how to work the ward round.