Preparing for Surgery

Once you and I decide that surgery will help you, you will need to learn what to expect from the operation and also create a treatment plan for the best results afterward. Preparing mentally and physically for surgery is an important step toward a successful result. Understanding the process and your role in it will help you recover more quickly and have fewer problems.

Work With Me

Before surgery, please make sure to discuss with me about any clinical conditions or disease that you are suffering from, that could interfere with the surgery or its outcome.

Please let me know about any medications that you are taking and please consult with your Physician/ Cardiologist / Rheumatologist prior to surgery to see which ones you should stop taking before surgery.

If you are overweight, losing weight before surgery will make the anaesthetic safer and help decrease the stress you place on your new joint or repair.

If you are taking aspirin, clopidogrel or any other anti-inflammatory medications, you will need to stop taking most of them 7-10 days before surgery to minimize bleeding.

If you smoke, you should stop (ideally for 2 weeks prior to and 6 weeks after your operation) to reduce your anaesthetic and surgical risks. Smokers have higher complication rates including infection, delayed wound healing rates and delayed bone growth and soft tissue healing as well as higher risk of fracture non-union requiring multiple revision surgeries.

Please have any tooth, gum, bladder or bowel problems treated before surgery to reduce the risk of infection later.

Eat a well-balanced diet and report any infections to me. Elective surgery usually will not be performed until all infections have cleared up.

Planning to prepare your home for your recovery

Arrange for someone to help you out with everyday tasks like cooking, shopping and laundry.

Follow fall prevention guidelines and keep things that you use often within easy reach before surgery so you don’t have to reach and bend as often.

Make sure to Remove all loose carpets and also tape down electrical cords to avoid falls. Make sure you have a sturdy chair with a firm comfortable cushion, a rigid back and two arms.

Preparing For Day Care Surgery / Same Day Discharge

If you are having Day Surgery, remember the following:

• Have someone available to take you home – you will not be able to drive for at least 24 hours because of the anaesthetic.
• Do not drink or eat anything in the car on the trip home – the combination of anaesthesia, food and car motion can cause nausea or vomiting.
• After arriving home, wait until you are hungry before trying to eat. Begin with a light meal and try to avoid greasy food for the first 24 hours.
• If you had surgery on an extremity (elbow or knee), keep that extremity elevated and use ice as directed. This will help decrease swelling and pain.
• Take your pain medicine as directed. Begin the pain medicine as you start getting uncomfortable. Do not wait until you are in severe pain. If you wait until the pain is severe to take your pain medication you will have more difficulty controlling the pain.