Introduction to Getting Ready for Surgery
When a person you care for faces surgery, you want him or her to be prepared, both physically and mentally. The more a person understands about surgery and how he or she can prepare, the more likely surgery will be a positive experience. Studies show that being prepared and understanding your surgical procedure can have a positive impact on your recovery after surgery and your overall satisfaction with the procedure.
How Can You Help?
By being a source of information and a coach. If you have a good understanding of the person’s surgery and what is to be expected, you can help to clarify and explain information and coach the person through a set of recovery exercises. You can also help by just listening. Surgery can be scary at times and sometimes a person just needs you to listen to their fears.
Get Any Questions Answered Before Surgery.
A person wants to feel good about their surgeon and the decision to have surgery. Each doctor plans for surgery differently but there are common activities to expect. If you don’t understand what to expect, these activities can cause confusion and be frightening.
To avoid confusion, prepare a list of questions for the surgeon. The more a person knows, the better able he or she can become a partner in their own care after surgery. This will speed their recovery. Peace of mind is very important, so you may want to get a second opinion from another doctor.
What if Surgery follows an Accident or Medical Emergency?
In these situations there is little time to prepare for surgery. As a caregiver for someone, you can best help by being present. Help inform the doctors if they need information about the person for whom you provide care. Your presence can help calm the person before surgery begins.
Here is Orlando's Story:
My dad is only 62 years old but he has had lung disease for 10 years after smoking all of his life. He is scheduled to have open heart surgery in two weeks. My mom is a wreck, so I am trying to help them both be prepared as well as I can. I know he has risks for things that can happen with surgery because of his smoking and lung problem. All three of us went to the last visit with the surgeon to ask questions. That helped a lot. The doctor’s nurse explained the things that will go on after my dad’s surgery. I plan to take time off from work so I can be there the first couple of days to encourage him and coach him on the things that will help him recover more quickly.