Day 5 - Tips For Successful Surgery & Beyond
by
, 07-18-2014 at 12:40 PM (1863 Views)
A couple of folks have asked me what my tips are for having a successful surgery & after, so I thought I'd write them out here. (As usual, my disclaimer is that I can only share my own experience. Every one of us is unique, so what may have worked/works for me, might not for you.)
PRE-OP
1) Follow your doc/nut's pre-op diet!
I was instructed to have only clear liquids the two days prior to my surgery so I had water, hot tea, broth from wonton soup (but none of the wontons, etc.), veggie/chicken/beef broth, and sugar-free popsicles.
2) Stop drinking all carbonated beverages - beer and soda!
This will just help you feel better. And it prepares you for NOT drinking carbonated items after surgery which is a huge "no no"! (You'll stretch your stomach!)
3) To ease your worry, get your post-op needed items before you have your surgery. In summary, here's a list of the items I had on hand:
- 4"x4" gauze (so you can change your surgery dressings if needed)
- paper tape (to hold your gauze)
- liquid fast-acting Tylenol (in case you don't tolerate the doc's prescribed pain meds)
- IsoPure protein drinks
- decaf hot tea
- sugar-free popsicles
- sugar-free Jello
- toilet paper
- heating pad
SURGERY & HOSPITAL STAY
4) During surgery, the doc will pump carbon dioxide into your abdomen which gives the doc(s) room to maneuver. S/he will try to remove it all at the end of surgery; however, some may remain. The CO2 will move up inside your body and may cause pain in various places. Mine was in my left shoulder blade. Your nurses should offer you a heat pack to place on the pain area. If they don't offer you any, ask them!!! A good idea is to have a heating pad at home in case the pain doesn't go away quickly. Mine disappeared after 24 hours of surgery. But, I've heard of it lasting for weeks sometimes.
5) As soon as you can possibly stand it after surgery, start walking and take numerous walks.
Walking helps in numerous ways: gets your blood circulating and helps prevent blood clots and gets the CO2 dispersing throughout your body so it disappears. At first I had to have a nurse with me and I had to have my IV cart with me, also. But don't worry about "inconveniencing" the nursing staff because they need to go for a walk with you every hour or two. They are there to help you! My surgery was at 9am and I took my first walk at 5pm. Then the following day I was able to walk without nursing help and went every 1.5 hours. This also helped show the nursing staff that I was progressing and ready to go home! I got discharged at 2pm the day after my surgery.
POST-OP
6) Protein, protein, protein! After surgery, getting enough protein every day will help you heal and feel better. My doc recommends 60 grams of protein per day. The best protein drink I've found is IsoPure. It has no carbs, no aspartame, is clear not creamy, and tastes good. Each bottle has 40 grams of protein. My doc recommends drinking 1 to 1.5 bottles one ounce at a time each day after surgery for the first week. I found IsoPure at Vitamin Shoppe, or you can get it online (something to do pre-op).
7) Listen to your body. If you're tired, take a nap! If you're restless, take a walk - even if it's just inside your home! Just remember that you've had major surgery and you need to be good to yourself.
8) Sip on water constantly. You just can't get enough.
Those are my tips for today! :-)