Preparing for Surgery

You've been to the doctor, laid out your symptoms, and after examination and/or tests the doctor has reached the diagnosis that the remedy for your problem will be surgery.

You spend several quick moments mentally denying that possibility. "Not me," runs through your thoughts, "I lead a healthy lifestyle, eat the right foods, and only binge occasionally." You spend the next several moments mentally cataloguing why you cannot possibly have surgery in the next 210 years. You have all these things to do, you are just too busy.

Reality check! The doctor informs you that you can, of course, seek a second opinion, and he has no problem with that, however if you would like to, as Star Trek's Spock always advised, "live long and prosper," it would probably be good if you made a pre-op appointment with the surgeon and set up the time for your ‘procedure' as soon as possible.

From the time you leave the doctor's office, until your appointment with either another physician for a second opinion, or you meet with the surgeon, you will try very hard to forget this is actually going to happen. But it is going to happen and even though the medical journals and the physicians say that it is a simple procedure, it is now your future and your ‘procedure' and it does not seem so simple.

For most people the stress level is fairly high with any procedure involving anesthetics and sutures. Visits to medical professionals to go over the facts concerning any surgical procedure include, at least once, the phrase "there is some risk." A certain amount of risk is involved with anything that involves anesthetics. Surgery itself presents risk from the incisions, blood loss and post operative considerations of the surgery. The more complex the surgery, the higher the risk, but the incidence of complications in the United States are remarkably low considering the number of surgeries performed.

Once the date and time are set for surgery, the time to do some serious planning has arrived. After the pre-op visit with the surgeon, the usual amount of down time, both in the medical facility and in recuperation will be known. Whether the procedure is ambulatory, or day surgery, or whether it requires a hospital stay and fairly extensive recuperation period, you will know how much time is required. Day surgery, is usually just that, requiring at most, an overnight stay, a couple of days of recuperation at home and then a period of time requiring minimal activity until the post-op visit with the doctor to be certain that you are fully healed.

Surgery that requires a longer hospital stay and a period of intense recuperation at home requires some planning. You will not be competent to handle finances, food, possibly even your own personal care. A checklist would not be a bad idea.

1. Make arrangements for time off from work. If you work where you have to have the doctor's comments to have time off, any medical practitioner will be glad to give you written confirmation.
2. If your payday is during the time you will be off work, and you are not on auto deposit, make arrangements for someone to take your check to the bank.
3. Pay any bills that need to be taken care of during your off time, or write the checks and have someone mail them when due.
4. Have a caretaker, a family member or friend, who will be attending to your needs during and after the surgery. Have your caretaker with you during the medical briefing on what to expect and what will be necessary after you leave the medical facility.
5. Make sure that you, and your caregiver, have the necessary transportation to and from the medical facility.
6. Wear only necessary clothing when you go in for surgery. Do not take any valuables with you. Your insurance or Medicare card will probably be required. Give card to your caregiver after the medical facility has the information they need. If you wear glasses or hearing aids have your caregiver take care of them until you are back in your room after surgery.
7. Follow orders! If you are not supposed to eat or drink after midnight, DON'T.
8. Be on time the day you are scheduled for surgery. Yes, they perform surgery at insane times of the morning, but wouldn't you rather be first in instead of last in? The surgical team is starting a brand new day, and won't be as tired in the morning as they could be by afternoon. Plus, if they promised you could eat when they were done, you'll get food that much sooner.
9. No one wants to face their own mortality, but if your surgery is heart or brain, extremely high risk, take care of your loved ones by having a current will, a power of attorney, or a living will. There is very little probability they will be needed, but if the unthinkable should happen, do not leave your family with burdens on top of grief.
10. If you are taking any over the counter vitamins or supplements, be sure to check with your physician for an update on whether to discontinue or continue use of certain ones before the surgery.
11. If you smoke, STOP! Even quitting for 24 hours before the surgery will increase your chances of coming through the surgery with fewer complications.

Once you enter the medical facility everything will be taken care of by an experienced caring staff. You aren't going to relax and enjoy it, but you are on your way to curing the problem that brought you to the doctor's office in the beginning.