Any kind of surgery can be scary, no matter how minor or major the procedure. Preparing yourself for what’s to come and learn what to expect after can help make the event seem a little less terrifying. Preparation and readiness can help to ease tension and stress and allow you to handle the day with fewer worries.
Familiarize Yourself With the Operating Room
Too many people go into surgery feeling afraid of what might happen. Most do not know what an operating room looks like, what equipment is inside, or what to expect in general. Ask if you may familiarize yourself with the operating room and what’s inside is an easy way to help ease some of the fears and worries about your surgery day. You’ll find surgical lights are in abundance, ensuring the doctors can see well. There will, of course, be an operating table where you will be, as well as surgical monitors that help the doctors and others see the intricate anatomy sites and where they may need to operate.
Schedule a Driver and Caregiver
Some surgeries require a hospital stay of at least a day or two, though some can take less time or may require a much longer stay. Complications can make the process take longer as can a more serious procedure. Even after time spent at the hospital, patients require recovery time at home. Say you get a total knee replacement surgery, you won’t be able to drive home on your own and you’ll have a hard time getting around once you do get back. Scheduling a driver to pick you up from the hospital, as well as a caregiver to care for you during the beginning stages of your recovery time, is necessary. Having a friend or relative you trust is best.
Limit Your Activity
In the first 24 hours following any type of surgery, and longer for some, it is important to limit activity. Even after a cosmetic surgery procedure that allows you to head home the same day, it’s necessary to avoid lifting heavy objects or working out. Give your body the time it needs to rest and recuperate after the changes made. Any type of surgery can be hard on the body and stressful on the mind, making it necessary to get adequate rest after.
Make Your Home Friendly for Post-Surgery You
Chances are, your home is not set up for someone who has just had surgery. Items may be high on shelves, there may be no grab bars in the bathroom, and there may be tripping hazards everywhere. Post-surgery you will find it difficult to move around, especially if you had a back surgery or something that takes months of recovery time. You want to make your home as easy to maneuver around as possible. Before your surgery date arrives, add a toilet riser that allows you to hold onto something as you sit down or lift yourself back up. Install grab bars near the shower. Remove rugs that could cause you to trip. Make some more space throughout the rooms so you can get through easily. Put items you’ll need on the counter or on the lower shelves that you can reach without stretching or overexerting yourselves. All of this will make it easier to manage life after surgery.
Preparing for surgery and knowing what to expect after it’s over is the best way to help ease some of the worries that come with the territory. Surgery is a scary thing no matter the type of procedure you’re getting. Understanding what will be in the operating room, how the surgery will go, and what the recovery process is like after will be a major help to get ready to go in and get it done with a little less fear.
