Surgery is a medical term used to mean cutting through into people’s bodies to treat, remove, or heal people from ailments, diseases, injuries, and deformities. It involves a lot of procedures to achieve the goal.
However, different surgeries demands different procedures depending on what the objective is and the part of the body that is to be worked on.
Surgery is usually required for different reasons depending on the medical issues on the ground. However, the bottom line is to restore health either as a corrective measure or treatment. When surgery is required in a bid to get well, there is a need to be prepared ahead of the surgery. Once you have agreed to undergo the surgery as suggested to be the medical remedy for whatever the issues.
When preparing for surgery, you need to know some fundamental truths that can help you. Surgery is always a risk, therefore, it is important that you know how you can lower the risk and achieve the desired results. As simple as that may sound, it requires a lot of work first from you and then from the team of surgeons that will be carrying out the procedure. If you fail in your part, it may mean a failed surgery and that is strictly putting your life on the line. Why add more risk when surgery itself is a risk? Here are things you should know when preparing for surgery:
Checklist for Preparing for Surgery
Knowledge about the surgery
The first thing to know when preparing for surgery is the full information of the surgery you are about to engage in. Don’t be oblivion of what the surgery is about. You cannot afford to be lackadaisical about it just because you are in pain. Don’t just tell the doctors to do whatever is required, be involved, first by knowing all that you need to know about the surgery.
In this first section of what you need to know, you will be reading this regarding the surgery that you need to know. There are key things you need to know about the surgery irrespective of the type of surgery. The first thing you need to know about the surgery is why the surgery is needed in the first place. There must be a reason(s) for the surgery, you must know what called for the surgery in your health status.
The next thing you need to know as you prepare for surgery in this first part is what the surgery is meant to correct. This may not always be the reason for the surgery because our body is made up of systems. Sometimes the issue may be somewhere but the surgery may be placed somewhere on which the consequence will balance out on the affected place.
You must also know the urgency with which the surgery must be done and why it is that urgent. Try to understand what is bringing about the surgery and the system around that body part that is making the surgery urgent. This is not to make you panic but that you understand your body and systems more. It is also key for you to know the steps you need to take as soon as possible.
Another thing you need to know as you prepare for the surgery is the risk involved in the surgery. Most surgeries have some level of risk even when they are successful. You need to know what risk you are treading on if the surgery is delayed, not done, and when it is done. You must have a clear understanding of all the risks associated with the surgery.
You must not only know these things but you must understand each of them. This means that questions are allowed if you do not understand what any of the parts of the information entails or stands for. It is bad to go through surgery without understanding these things even if the surgery is successful. after all, the surgery is on your body and you will be required to sign papers before going under the knife. So, why should you consent to what you don’t understand?
Medication
You need to know that you may not be able to continue all your medications till the day of the surgery. This is because some drugs may increase the chance of bleeding following the surgery. The drugs may also affect anesthesia giving for the success of the surgery. So, you need to meet with your medical doctor and let him be aware of all the drugs you take. You need to know which to stop and when to stop it ahead of the surgery.
Meal Plan
As the day of the surgery draws closer, you need to speak with the doctor to know if there is a meal plan or kinds of food that you need to be eating. This is relevant for the surgery to be successful. You also need to know when you are to stop eating before the surgery so that it will not interfere with the surgery procedures. This is dependent on the surgery type or on which part of the body the surgery will be done.
Also Read: Prayers for someone going into surgery
Factors that may stop the surgery
Even when surgery is well planned, there are few scenarios that can necessitate that the surgery is rescheduled. It is important to note that you may stop or request a reschedule surgery in your own interest if you discover a few things. Here are three major reasons it is advisable for you to stop the surgery;
The first reason you may need to call off a surgery appointment is if you discover you fall sick just before the surgery. You must reach out to your doctor immediately to explain the nature of the sickness and determine the impact on the surgery. Actually, whether or not the surgery will hold is dependent on the type of surgery, the nature of the sickness, and the relationship between the sickness and the surgery.
In your own interest, it is safe to find out about the medical team that will be handling your surgery. If you discover that the doctor scheduled to perform the surgery is not a professional in the field. It is best to request rescheduling until the professional arrives. This is to prevent moving from frying pan to fire. Remember that your life may be dependent on the surgery based on the type of surgery.
Sometimes, you are required to take some drugs specifically for the surgery for some days before the surgery. If you miss the drugs or have any issue taking the drugs at any point in time, do not continue with the process as nothing happened. You should speak to your doctor to know whether or not you will have to reschedule the surgery.
Things to avoid as you prepare for surgery
Lastly, there are things you need to stay off even if you do them before. If you do not avoid them before your surgery, you may be complicating the result of your surgery. Please find the list below;
- Do away with alcohol at most 6 pm of the day preceding the surgery.
- Avoid smoking the midnight preceding the surgery.
- Avoid eating or drinking anything the midnight preceding the surgery.
- Avoid the use of perfumes, cream, or lotion on the area where surgery is to be done before going for surgery.
- Lastly, do not go against any guidelines given by your doctor .
Finally, please note that you need to work and cooperate with your physician anesthesiologist. This is the person that will work with you on anesthesia care. He will be the one to work with on pain management. His duty will be to choose the best anesthesia for you in line with the surgery and your medical history. He will meet with you before the surgery and carefully plan your recovery to be sure it is pain-free or reduce it to the barest minimum.
Well, it is true that sometimes you may not be the one that will be asked to sign the papers, especially in an emergency. Some of this may not apply because it means the doctors will be in charge of most of these things but they will definitely discuss these things with whoever that is signing. If you are in a position to sign for someone, please be sure to understand the nitty-gritty of the process and that things are in order before the surgery takes place.