Faster Recovery Pre-Op Tasks

Before getting surgery, or recovering from an accident, or to keep things from degrading, just keep eating well and staying active as much as possible pre-op, following instructions as to timing - all to get a faster recovery.

Before surgery, make meals to put in the freezer so you can just pull out as needed when you come back (I had my prepared meals brought to the hospital so I would be in control of what I ate). If you eat organic or can’t eat spicy, etc. – let people know if they offer to bring you dinners – it’s a shame if you can’t eat something someone prepares for you. Build up your immune system – exercise, eat healthy and avoid sugars to prevent inflammation. All this pre-op care is to help with faster recovery.

Try to work on your weight loss prior to surgery - I was fortunate to have little fat and one surgeon came to thank me for making his job easier. He had to lift my organs out of the way and it helped to not have fat all over.

Find out everything you can about the surgery – what pre-op preparations to do, what to prepare for, how to set up your home when you come back (shower aids, walker, brace, oxygen, etc.), the potential risks, and surgeon recommendations for what you should do – maybe stop certain medications or supplements or foods.

You might be directed to use pre-op surgical wipes or nasal ointment or other directives for some days prior to surgery. Just do as you are told – it’s for your own good.

Pack a bag with things to do, perhaps a change of clothes and underwear for some days (you may or may not be allowed to wear underwear during your stay in the hospital). Bring cards, books, a Bible, puzzles (sudoku, crossword, etc. – and a notepad and a pen!), and whatever you can think of to stay occupied and work your brain (the meds might keep you fuzzy headed but try to use your brain so you can stay on top of things). Keep it all in a bag and take out things as you need.

Do not take anything of value - no laptop, no jewelry, no money or credit cards, or anything you can't afford to lose (pay your up-front check-in fee if you need to, then have your drop-off person take your belongings and credit card back home for you). You will be taken to surgery with those things loose in the room. I was nervous about my smart-phone but the staff made sure it was never lost and I had a room to myself (it was during COVID, so doubling up wasn't being done for most rooms).

Check in at your assigned time at the hospital. Pray or calm yourself in the ways you know how – being stressed isn’t good – if your blood pressure is too high or too low, they might not be able to operate until you are stabilized.

Make sure to drink a lot of water so the nurses can find your veins – for blood draws and IVs. I am healing from being poked in the inner elbow too many times. The swab just stung badly so the next nurses found other areas to poke me for blood. Every bit of water that I drank just came out of me – I didn’t retain any of it, so my veins weren’t well plumped. If I could have put a lemon or some salt in my water for electrolytes, I should have been able to retain it. Surgery and procedure days cut me off from food and drink at midnight – so my veins didn’t have good blood flow.

A hospital stay usually is an assault on your gut – anesthesia, medications, hospital food, etc. Because you are not moving – bowel movement might be delayed – so get active as soon as you can so movement help you go. Eat fruits and vegetables – also dried fruits. Eat probiotics to fortify your gut. You might need to take a stool softener or even a suppository as the doctor suggests. You might have foods brought from home so not to eat hospital food, if you try to eat healthier.

Remember to do things safely – do as the hospital staff and doctors tell you, so not to compromise your surgery results.

Now - the post-surgery items.