Questions?
What can I do to be sure my family member is prepared for surgery?
Help him or her prepare questions to ask their surgeon. Be a teacher and coach to help them learn postoperative exercises.
When my dad practices deep breathing he always coughs, is that a problem?
Sometimes deep breathing stimulates a cough, especially after surgery. This is normal, but it might be painful to the incision. Splinting the incision by placing the hands or a small pillow or towel firmly over the area (abdomen or chest) while deep breathing, turning and coughing reduces the pain and protects the incision.
How can I help my family member be comfortable during postoperative exercises?
Ask a nurse if your family member can have something for pain at least 30 minutes before beginning the exercises. Be sure the person is in the correct position for the exercises and splints the incision during deep breathing, coughing and turning.
My family member is a smoker. Does that mean surgery will be harder for her?
A person who smokes is at greater risk for breathing problems after surgery than a non-smoker. Smoking increases the risk of pneumonia or a collapsed lung. It also slows wound healing
My mother is having back surgery. Will she be able to turn?
Each surgeon has a different approach for patients who have had back surgery. It also depends on the extent of surgery. Most people with spinal surgery rely on nurses to turn them after surgery because their body needs to be in a straight line. This method of turning the person is called “logrolling”, which helps prevent the person from pulling or using their arms while turning. Exercise after surgery is still very important; however, it may need to done a little differently. The surgeon will be able to tell you what your mother can and cannot do before surgery so that you will know what to expect. See our future lesson on Positioning.