Why cant I drink before my operation

I'm having an operation soon and I've been told not to eat or drink anything before hand, going without food is not a problem for me but I don't know how I can go without a drink for so long. I was thinking I could suck on an ice cube to keep me hydrated, or should I not do that?

I'm not sure but I've had quite a lot of surgeries and have always been told not to drink 3 or 4 am in the morning (in the hospital I go to, they usually start with the operations at 8 am), and not to eat after 2 am or so. You see, when you have the anesthetic, your body kind of paralyzes. I mean, the heart doesn't stop, of course, but your body's function sort of stop. I think that having undigested things, such as food and liquids, it's not good, because the liquid wouldn't be able to move in the state of the body. It's necessary to quit eating earlier, logically, because food takes longer time to digest. So, it doesn't matter whether you drink water, suck an ice cube, a cup of tea... All the liquid has to be gone from your veins at the time of the anesthetic, and I suppose that they told when exactly you have to stop drinking, so that will be the time limit. Like this, your body will have enough time to digest everything you've had before the surgery. My recommendation is, if you're having your surgery in the morning, for instance, to wake up during the night and to drink as much as you can. I'm sorry to say that sucking an ice cube wouldn't work, because of the reason I've mentioned before. Also, I doubt that you'll wake up thirsty, because I think that once you're in the theatre, they put you a serum from where they hydrated you.

Good luck with the operation!

Depends on the kind of surgery mostly... But doctors advice not to do so because everything has a side effect on the body functions... And well the doctors know better than you.... they r doctors.. they know if u cud or nt live without somethings for a period of time

Do as instructed. If you drink or eat you could vomit during anaesthesia and inhale it. The anaesthetist would not be at all pleased. It won't hurt you in the least to abstain.

Because anything in your stomach could come up and go into your lungs when you are under anesthesia.