How to Prepare for Inpatient Surgery

About four months ago, my father had a spiral CT scan that revealed a possible lung tumor. The only way to know for sure was to operate, biopsy and remove it. Of course, we were all scared and concerned, and thank God, the surgery was a success. But there were a few steps we took as a family that made the experience safer and more bearable…

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Notebook and pen

1. Do your research. The more you know about your diagnosed condition and the surgery the more prepared you’ll be. You’ll also be better able to recognize, understand and discuss the terms the medical professionals are using. There are some great web resources for this type of research, including Web MD and nih.gov, which is the National Institute of Health.
   
   Also, ask friends and family if they know anyone who’s had a similar diagnosis and surgery and reach out to them. The first-hand knowledge we got from a family friend who’d gone through the same operation really helped us know what to expect.
2. Don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. In fact, you'll be surprised how many people truly want to pitch in, and you’re going to need all the friend and family support you can get. Think of it as a team effort. It’s very easy for one support person to get overwhelmed.
3. Take notes on your research and doctor's visits or have a friend or family member do so for you. It’s hard to keep track of the amount of information that’s coming in. If you jot everything down, you can go back and look it over. Be sure and write down any questions you have. It’s easy to forget them in a stressful situation. And don’t hesitate to ask your doctors those questions. Knowledge is power.
4. Follow your doctor’s pre-operative instructions to a T. You don’t want to have to reschedule the surgery and go through all the nervousness again. Best to get it over with.
5. The day of the surgery, have a support person at the hospital with you from the beginning. Know what allergies you have to which medications, if any, and share this info with them. We were allowed to accompany my Dad into pre-op, which kept us all more relaxed. Feel free to ask questions, but don’t be obtrusive. Let everyone do their jobs.
6. After surgery, the doctor came out to give us a (good) report. We were glad we’d done our research so we could question him more fully, and he was glad that we were more able to understand what he was talking about. Make sure to take notes here too, though. In the stress of the moment, it’s very easy to forget exactly what was said, and you want to be able to convey the information to the patient himself and to friends and family.
7. Post-op, have a support person stay with the patient at all times, if at all possible. Get to know the nurses, the vast majority of whom are caring professionals and lovely people. We became friendly with many of them. But since they’re often so busy and overworked these days, it’s best to have someone there not only to tend to the smaller needs, like getting water and fluffing pillows, but to sound the alarm if something goes wrong.
   
   Germs and infection spread like wildfire in a hospital, so make sure any and all hospital staff wash their hands before touching the patient. Most of these people are conscientious and automatically do so, but it never hurts to remind them…
   
   And though it’s difficult, it’s best to have a support person stay overnight with someone who’s had major surgery. They’ll definitely be groggy and may be confused as to where they are and try to get up, leading to a nasty fall. Again, it’s good to take shifts.
8. Hopefully, after a few days, you’ll be ready to go home! Make sure you follow the doctor’s post-operative instructions exactly. Though it’s an okay place to visit, you don’t want to end up back in the hospital any time soon.

Tips & Warnings

• Limit visitors the first couple of days post-op. Commotion is not what’s needed for a speedy recovery.
• Ask if there's a comment form to fill out. We were glad to be able to thank each of the nurses by name and in writing.