Five tips to prepare for surgery

By
Sharp Grossmont Hospital Health News Team
-
WEBPrime.jpg

Whether it’s your first time or you’ve been through it before, getting surgery can be nerve-wracking. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare can help reduce stress and set you up for a better outcome.

Whether it’s your first time or you’ve been through it before, getting surgery can be nerve-wracking. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare can help reduce stress and set you up for a better outcome.

“We do our best to optimize the experience for all patients undergoing surgery so they have the best possible chance for a successful recovery,” explains Dr. Eric Orr, a general surgeon affiliated with Sharp Grossmont Hospital. “When they have a clear understanding of the process and how it will affect them, patients are better equipped to actively and intelligently participate in their care.”

Taking a few smart steps before surgery can help avoid complications and provide a sense of relief, enabling you to go into the procedure with minimal stress.

Dr. Orr offers the following five tips to help you prepare:

1.        Ask questions and get informed.
Learn about the procedure, expected outcomes and risks. Talk to your doctor and ask questions prior to surgery to set your mind at ease. “It is very important to spend time discussing concerns with each patient undergoing surgery so we are on the same page,” according to Dr. Orr. “The goal is always an excellent outcome and a happy, healthy patient.”

2. Follow pre-surgery preparation instructions.
Your doctor will provide you with pre-surgery instructions to follow in the days leading up to your procedure. Typically, you’ll be asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight the night prior. Your doctor may also instruct you to use antimicrobial soap the night before and day of surgery to disinfect the skin and reduce the chance of infection. If you take any medications, ask your doctor whether you should continue to take your normal dosage before surgery.  

3. Make healthy choices.
The stronger and healthier you are, the better you’ll handle the physical stress of surgery. Therefore, it’s a good idea to practice healthy habits leading up to your procedure. Eat a balanced and nutritious diet, exercise, stop smoking and get enough sleep. 

4. Choose an advocate or care partner.
A care partner is a family member or close friend chosen by a patient to be their support system and an active member of their health care team. Select someone who knows you and knows what to expect following the procedure. Arrange for this person to be informed of your progress during and after surgery. Once you go home, have that person or someone else watch over you until you are comfortable on your own. 

5. Practice relaxation techniques.
Meditation and yoga have been shown to help people remain calm, present and mindful in the face of pain or challenging situations like surgery. A consistent practice leads to lasting results, reducing stress, and providing a variety of physical benefits.

This article features experts from Sharp Grossmont Hospital. For more health stories visit www.sharp.com/news.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

52 COMMENTS

  13. With havin so much written
    With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation? My
    blog has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but
    it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the
    internet without my authorization. Do you know any ways to help stop content from being
    stolen? I’d definitely appreciate it. http://www.short4free.us/New_Age_Skin_Serum_4272352

  14. With havin so much written
    With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright
    violation? My blog has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either authored myself or
    outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it
    up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any ways to help stop content
    from being stolen? I’d definitely appreciate it. http://www.short4free.us/New_Age_Skin_Serum_4272352

  17. hello there and thank you for
    hello there and thank you for your info – I have definitely
    picked up something new from right here.
    I did however expertise a few technical issues using this web site,
    as I experienced to reload the site many times previous to
    I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your
    hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your
    placement in google and can damage your quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.

    Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for much more
    of your respective intriguing content. Make sure you update this again very soon.. http://www.sapphiceroticapassword.com/go/cs35

  18. hello there and thank you for
    hello there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked up something new from
    right here. I did however expertise a few technical issues using this web site, as I experienced to reload the site
    many times previous to I could get it to load correctly.

    I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that
    I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score if
    advertising and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for much more
    of your respective intriguing content. Make sure you update this again very soon.. http://www.sapphiceroticapassword.com/go/cs35

  23. A lot of thanks for all your
    A lot of thanks for all your valuable labor on this site.
    Kate really loves participating in internet
    research and it’s really easy to understand why. My spouse and i notice all about the lively medium you make important
    techniques through the web blog and boost response from other individuals
    on that topic while our own daughter has been being taught a great deal.
    Enjoy the remaining portion of the year. You are conducting a glorious job. https://wiki.cizaro.com/index.php?title=The_Main_Signs_Of_Aging_Skin

  24. A lot of thanks for all your
    A lot of thanks for all your valuable labor on this site.

    Kate really loves participating in internet research and it’s
    really easy to understand why. My spouse and i notice all about the lively medium you make important techniques through the web blog and boost response
    from other individuals on that topic while our own daughter
    has been being taught a great deal. Enjoy the remaining portion of
    the year. You are conducting a glorious job. https://wiki.cizaro.com/index.php?title=The_Main_Signs_Of_Aging_Skin

  35. Hi there! This blog post
    Hi there! This blog post could not be written much
    better! Looking through this post reminds me
    of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about
    this. I’ll send this information to him. Pretty sure he will have a
    great read. Thank you for sharing! http://intra.etinar.com/xampp/phpinfo.php?a%5B%5D=%3Ca+href%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.miami-limo-services.com%2FUserProfile%2Ftabid%2F43%2FUserID%2F220932%2FDefault.aspx%3ERenown+Cream+Reviews%3C%2Fa%3E

  36. Hi there! This blog post
    Hi there! This blog post could not be written much better!
    Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate!
    He continually kept preaching about this. I’ll send
    this information to him. Pretty sure he will have a great read.
    Thank you for sharing! http://intra.etinar.com/xampp/phpinfo.php?a%5B%5D=%3Ca+href%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.miami-limo-services.com%2FUserProfile%2Ftabid%2F43%2FUserID%2F220932%2FDefault.aspx%3ERenown+Cream+Reviews%3C%2Fa%3E

  45. Hmm it looks like your blog
    Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first comment
    (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had
    written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but
    I’m still new to everything. Do you have any recommendations for beginner blog writers?
    I’d genuinely appreciate it. http://yesfilmes.org/link/?url=http://bitzerland.org/doku.php%3Fid=lea_n_d_aught_bee_keeping_skin_healthy_-_know_the_dos_and_donts

  46. Hmm it looks like your blog
    Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first
    comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had
    written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
    I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still
    new to everything. Do you have any recommendations for beginner blog writers?

    I’d genuinely appreciate it. http://yesfilmes.org/link/?url=http://bitzerland.org/doku.php%3Fid=lea_n_d_aught_bee_keeping_skin_healthy_-_know_the_dos_and_donts

  50. Simply desire to say your
    Simply desire to say your article is as astonishing.

    The clarity in your post is simply excellent and i could assume you’re an expert
    on this subject. Fine with your permission let me
    to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post.

    Thanks a million and please carry on the rewarding work.

Comments are closed.