surgery
Once you and your Doctor 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 Doctor
Before surgery, your doctor will perform a complete physical examination to make sure you don’t have any conditions that could interfere with the surgery or the outcomes. Routine tests, such as blood tests and X-rays, are usually performed a week before any major surgery.
- Medication Review: Discuss any medications you are taking with your doctor and family physician to determine which ones should be stopped before surgery.
- Blood Replacement Options: Talk to your doctor about potential blood replacement options, including donating your own blood, medical interventions, and other treatments before surgery.
- Weight Management: If you are overweight, losing weight before surgery can help reduce stress on your new joint. However, avoid dieting during the month before surgery.
- Blood Thinning Medications: If you are taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory medications, warfarin, or any drugs that increase the risk of bleeding, stop taking them one week before surgery to minimize bleeding.
- Smoking Cessation: Stop smoking or reduce smoking to lower surgery risks and improve recovery.
- Dental & Health Checkups: Treat any tooth, gum, bladder, or bowel problems before surgery to reduce the risk of infection.
- Balanced Diet: Eat a well-balanced diet and take a daily multivitamin with iron.
- Infection Reporting: Report any infections to your surgeon, as surgery cannot proceed until all infections have cleared up.
- Post-Surgery Assistance: Arrange for someone to help with everyday tasks like cooking, shopping, and laundry.
- Accessibility Preparation: Place frequently used items within easy reach before surgery to reduce the need for bending and stretching.
- Home Safety Measures: Remove loose carpets and tape down electrical cords to prevent falls.
- Comfortable Seating: Ensure you have a stable chair with a firm seat cushion, firm back, and armrests for better support.
Preparing for Procedure
If you are having Day Surgery, remember the following:
- Have Assistance: Have someone available to take you home, as you will not be able to drive for at least 24 hours.
- Avoid Eating in Car: Do not drink or eat anything in the car on the trip home.
- Nausea & Vomiting Prevention: The combination of anaesthesia, food, and car motion can quite often cause nausea or vomiting. After arriving home, wait until you are hungry before trying to eat.
- Light Diet: Begin with a light meal and try to avoid greasy food for the first 24 hours.
- Extremity Surgery Care: If you had surgery on a leg, knee, hand, or elbow, keep that extremity elevated and use ice as directed to help decrease swelling and pain.
- Pain Management: Take your pain medicine as directed. Start taking it as you begin feeling uncomfortable rather than waiting until the pain becomes severe.
