Preparing for Surgery
Once you and your provider decide that surgery will help you, you will need to learn what to expect from the surgery and create a treatment plan for the best results afterward. Preparing mentally and physically for surgery is an important step toward a successful result. Understanding the process and your role in it will help you recover more quickly and have fewer problems.
Working with Your Provider
- Discuss any medications you are taking with your provider to see which ones you should stop before surgery.
- Discuss with your provider about options for preparing for potential blood transfusion prior to surgery
- If you are overweight, losing weight before surgery will help decrease the stress you place on your body
- You can continue taking aspirin for any surgery that your doctor. performs. You may be asked to stop other blood thinners, though. Each situation is different.
- If you smoke, you should cut down or stop to reduce your surgery risks and improve your recovery.
- Notify your doctor if you have any tooth, gum, bladder or bowel problems treated before surgery to reduce the risk of infection later.
- Notify your doctor of any allergies especially to contrast dye or heparin.
- Eat a well-balanced diet, supplemented by a daily multivitamin with iron.
- Report any infections to your doctor. Surgery may need to be delayed until all infections have cleared up.
Home Planning
- Arrange for someone to help out with everyday tasks like cooking, shopping and laundry
- Put items that you use often within easy reach before surgery so you won’t have to reach or bend as often
- Remover all loose carpets and tape down electrical cords to avoid falls
- Make sure you have a stable chair wit ha firm seat cushion, a firm back and two arms
Self-Care for Your Surgery
- If you are overweight, losing weight before surgery will help decrease the stress you place on your body.
- If you smoke, you should stop to reduce your surgery risks and improve your recovery.
- If preparing for day surgery, have someone available to take you home, since you will not be able to drive for 24 hours.
- Do not eat or drink anything in the car on the trip home. The combination of anesthesia, food, and car motion can quite often cause nausea or vomiting. After arriving home, wait until you are hungry before trying to eat. Begin with a light meal and try to avoid greasy food for the first 24 hours.
- If you had surgery on an extremity (arm, hand, leg, knee, foot), keep that extremity elevated above your heart and use ice as directed to decrease swelling and pain.
- Take your pain medicine as directed. Begin pain medicine as you start getting uncomfortable but before you are in severe pain. If you wait to take your pain medication until the pain is severe, you will have more difficulty controlling the pain.
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