Most surgeons ask patients to arrive one to two days before their procedure. This is not tourism time. It is acclimatization time, hydration time, and final-preparation time. How you spend these 24 to 48 hours affects how your body handles anesthesia, how well you sleep the night before surgery, and how smoothly the first post-op day goes.
We are going to walk through what arrival day and the day before surgery actually look like, including the altitude question that almost every patient asks too late.
The Altitude Variable
If you are flying to Medellin, you can largely skip this section. Medellin sits at 1,495 meters (about 4,900 feet), comparable to Denver or Salt Lake City. Most visitors from sea-level cities notice little to no altitude effect. You may feel mildly thirsty. Drink water. That is the extent of it.
If you are flying to Bogota, pay attention. Bogota sits at 2,640 meters (8,660 feet). At this altitude, the air carries roughly 25% less oxygen than at sea level. The majority of healthy adults adjust within 24 to 48 hours, but during that adjustment window you may experience headaches, mild nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath on stairs, and disrupted sleep. These symptoms are not dangerous for most people, but they are not ideal the day before surgery.
| City | Altitude | Equivalent | Adjustment period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medellin | 1,495 m (4,905 ft) | Similar to Phoenix, AZ | Minimal. Most visitors notice nothing. |
| Bogota | 2,640 m (8,660 ft) | Higher than Mexico City | 24-48 hours. Headache, fatigue, breathlessness common. |
| Cali | 1,018 m (3,340 ft) | Lower than Denver | Negligible. Near sea-level comfort. |
Altitude and anesthesia
Altitude itself does not make anesthesia more dangerous. But the side effects of altitude adjustment (dehydration, poor sleep, headache, elevated heart rate) can complicate your pre-op baseline. Anesthesiologists want you rested, hydrated, and with stable vitals. Arriving the morning of surgery after a red-eye into Bogota, dehydrated and headachy, is a setup for a harder day than necessary. Arrive early, rest well, and drink water. That is the entire protocol.
The Arrival Day Playbook
Airport to accommodation
Arrange your airport transfer in advance. Your clinic may offer one. If not, book through a reputable service or your accommodation host. Do not negotiate with taxi touts at the airport. Use the official taxi queue or a ride app. If arriving at Medellin's Jose Maria Cordova airport (MDE), the drive to El Poblado or Laureles takes 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. If arriving at Bogota's El Dorado (BOG), the drive to Usaquen or Zona T takes 30 to 50 minutes.
When you reach your accommodation, unpack only what you need for the next two days. Check that the kitchen, hot water, and Wi-Fi work. Save your host's WhatsApp number. Find the nearest pharmacy and convenience store. Then rest.
Hydrate and eat light
Drink at least two liters of water between landing and bedtime. Avoid alcohol completely. Eat a light, protein-forward meal: eggs, chicken, fish, vegetables. The goal is to go to bed with a stable blood sugar, a hydrated body, and nothing heavy in your stomach. Skip the arrival dinner at a nice restaurant. There will be time for that after recovery.
If you are in Bogota, the altitude may suppress your appetite. Eat anyway. Small meals are fine. Hot soup (any of the caldos you will find in local restaurants) works well: warm, salty, easy to digest, and hydrating.
The day before surgery
This is your pre-op day. If your clinic scheduled a pre-op consultation or lab work for today, that is your priority. Otherwise, keep the day deliberately boring. Walk slowly through your neighborhood to orient yourself. Locate the pharmacy, the nearest food delivery pickup point, and the route from your accommodation to your clinic. Buy any supplies you are missing: bottled water, electrolyte drinks, easy snacks, the foam wedge pillow if you did not bring one.
Do not explore the city. Do not take a long walking tour. Do not eat street food from an unfamiliar vendor. Do not go to a bar. The goal today is to arrive at your procedure tomorrow rested, hydrated, calm, and with a quiet stomach.
The night before
Follow your surgeon's fasting instructions exactly. Most require no food or water after midnight (NPO). Set an alarm for any specific medication timing your surgeon specified. Lay out your surgery-day clothes: loose, comfortable, easy to remove, no metal (no underwire bra, no belt buckle, no jewelry). Put your documents, phone, charger, and a bottle of water (for after your procedure, not before) in a bag by the door.
You may not sleep well. That is normal. Pre-surgical anxiety is one of the most common experiences in medicine, and it does not affect the outcome of your procedure. If you cannot sleep, rest horizontally with your eyes closed. Your body recovers even without unconsciousness.
Common Arrival Mistakes
Arriving the day of surgery. Some patients book a red-eye flight to arrive the morning of their procedure. This saves one night of accommodation. It costs you hydration, rest, and the buffer time to handle flight delays. We have seen patients miss their surgery window because a connecting flight was delayed by three hours. Arrive at least 24 hours before your scheduled procedure.
Treating arrival day as a vacation day. We understand the temptation. You flew to Colombia and the weather is beautiful and the city looks exciting. But a full day of walking, sun exposure, dehydration, and unfamiliar food the day before surgery creates exactly the conditions your anesthesiologist does not want to see. Explore after recovery. Your surgeon will tell you when you are cleared.
Skipping hydration. This one is simple and the most frequently ignored. Airplane cabins dehydrate you. Altitude dehydrates you. Travel stress dehydrates you. And dehydration makes IV access harder, blood pressure less stable, and anesthesia recovery slower. Drink two to three liters of water on your arrival day. Set a timer if you need to.
Drinking alcohol. Not even one glass of wine to settle arrival nerves. Alcohol dehydrates, disrupts sleep, thins blood, and interacts with anesthesia. Your surgeon will ask you not to drink for a specified period before surgery. Follow that instruction. It exists because the complications it prevents are worse than one night without a drink.
The 48-hour rule
Think of the 48 hours before your procedure as a preparation window, not a vacation window. Everything you do in these two days should make your surgery day easier: arrive, settle, hydrate, eat well, sleep, orient yourself, and follow your pre-op instructions. The reward for a boring pre-op day is a smoother procedure day and a faster start to recovery.
Questions about your arrival plan?
We can help you coordinate transfers, accommodation, and the pre-op timeline with your clinic.
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