Guest Author - Carolyn Chambers Clark, RN, EdD
How do you prepare for surgery?
Here are some ideas for preparing for surgery so you can withstand the procedure and heal more easily.
* If you're overweight and have time before surgery, try to gradually lose the extra weight. Studies show that excess weight increases your risk for surgery and post-surgery infection. It also increases recovery time.
* Stop smoking. If you smoke, smoking delays healing and interferes with certain drugs your doctor may prescribe.
* Bring a list of drugs, foods, and other substances you're allergic to with you to the hospital. Even if you told the surgeon, that information may or may not reach the nurses and other health care workers on the unit you're assigned to.
* Make sure you stop taking vitamin E and aspirin for two weeks before surgery; these substances thin the blood.
* Speak to your doctor about storing your blood in case you need a transfusion. This will protect you from the risk of contracting AIDS or hepatitis. (Even disease-free blood can cause a reaction in you, such as a rash, if it doesn't perfectly match yours.) You'll probably have to start taking iron to build up your blood. Arrange the times you give blood so the last time is at least 4 days before your surgery.
* If you must be shaved for your surgery, asked to have it done the evening before and ring your bell to have it done the evening of surgery if someone forgets. Studies show the infection rate after surgery is lower when shaved the day before.
* If you're not eating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, start doing so. The extra fiber will keep your intestines working well. All these foods also contain important vitamins and minerals that can build up your body.
* Eat a lot of garlic (natural antibiotic), zinc foods for tissue repair (egg yolks, fish, kelp, dried beans and peas, pumpkin seeds, sardines, soy, and whole grains), and take a good multi-vitamin and multi-mineral to build yourself up. Start today.
* Check with your surgeon first, but it's a good idea to drink a half a glass of aloe vera gel or juice (from the health food store) to clean and heal your intestines morning and before bed. It will also help you digest. Take a bottle with you to the hospital. It doesn't need refrigeration.
* Ask to have a massage or touch therapist visit you before and after surgery to relieve stress and enhance healing. If you hospital doesn't employ these practitioners, make arrangements before you're admitted to the hospital for one to visit you. Go to www.ahna.org for touch and massage therapist listings. You can also do a search for one or the other on Google.
* Keep a positive attitude about your surgery, picture the surgery going well, and listen to a relaxation or healing tape (find at your local bookstore or online) before, during (ask your surgeon if this is okay), and after to promote calm and healing.
* Take milk thistle (also called silymarin; obtain from the health food or herb store) to protect your liver against toxic buildup from drugs and chemicals used during and after surgery. You'll heal faster.
This article is for information only. For treatment, consult your health care practitioner.
