Surgeon Smiling at Patient in Operating Room | Treasure Valley Hospital

5 Tips for Surgery Prep

Surgery is something that can be stressful for patients and their families. There are ways in which you can make your surgery experience less stressful with simple planning.

These 5 tips will help you have a more relaxed surgery.

Stay on top of your hygiene

When you are getting ready for surgery, it is imperative that you take extra care of your hygiene. Simply washing your hands before surgery can make the difference between harmful bacteria interfering with your surgery or having a safe and clean procedure.

Do not eat or drink 8 hours before your surgery

With the use of anesthesia, you need to make sure that you are not eating or drinking anything 8 hours before your surgery. If you were to eat right before your surgery, you can have a very difficult time waking up. When recovering from surgery, you do not want to have any added nausea.

Talk to your doctor about any necessary risks

With any surgery, you are going to be faced with potential risks. The patient can be weighed down by unnecessary anxiety if they do not know the details of their procedure. By talking to your doctor, you can feel more at ease about the potential risks you are facing as a patient.

Ask your doctor about the recovery process

Each surgery is going to have a different recovery process. In order to have a much smoother surgery and recovery time, you need to ask your doctor about the dos and don'ts of your specific procedure's recovery process.

Ask your doctor if you need to stop taking certain medicines

Certain prescriptions like blood thinners or steroids could really compromise your surgery. Make sure you meet with your doctor to discuss all of the prescriptions you are taking. This is one small preparation that can make a huge difference in your surgery process.