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Pre/Post Op Information
Your Medical Checkup You may need to see your primary care doctor to make sure you’re in good shape for surgery. Tell your doctor what medications you are taking including over-the-counter drugs like cold medicine and aspirin. Ask your doctor and surgeon if you should stop taking any medications before surgery. Getting Your Home Ready To make life after surgery easier, you should get your home ready. Some suggestions are:
Your doctor may ask you to prepare by doing the following:
Be a good listener and be sure to keep all family members involved, including children. You and your loved one will go through stages of feelings. Your ability to share these feelings and listen will help keep your loved one from feeling alone. The treatments your loved one is having may seem frightening. The healthcare team will want to prevent and control complications. But the timing of surgery may depend on you or your loved one’s condition. Make sure all follow-up visits are kept and check that all medications are taken as directed. Be patient with mood swings, pain, or fatigue that your loved one may feel. Talk to the doctor if any sadness does not pass with time. When your loved one is ready, find ways to help them return to normal daily activities. Patients may also suffer with memory loss, decreased ability to concentrate and multitask from brain surgery. Most, if not all, should improve with time. Arriving and Getting Ready You’ll most likely arrive at the hospital a few hours before your surgery. If you have not preregistered, you’ll have forms to fill out. After you change into a gown, certain tests may be done. Then, one or more IV lines may be started. These lines provide the fluids and medications you need during surgery. Anesthesia At the start of your surgery, you’ll be given general anesthesia. This medication will make you “sleep” through the surgery. An anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist is in charge of the anesthesia. He or she may meet with you before the surgery begins to talk with you and answer questions. Checking In You’ll be asked to fill out and sign some forms when you check in. These can include surveys about your pain. Your doctor also may give you a brief physical exam. Finally, you may receive an IV line to give you fluids and medicine. After Surgery Accepting what has happened can be hard for you and your loved ones. Recovery will take time. You may feel more tired than normal for a few months or even a year. Coming to terms with your emotions can help ease the process. It’s harder to cope some days than others, so be patient. If you feel sad or depressed, talk with a member of your healthcare team. Depression is common and can be treated. It’s normal to have fears or feel angry. Sharing with your family can also help. When To Call the Doctor Call your surgeon at once if you have any of the following:
Rehabilitation
If Other Treatment is Needed After a craniotomy, medications are often prescribed to treat side effects and help you feel better. If you had surgery for a brain tumor, you may also have chemotherapy or radiation. After Your Hospital Stay You may be able to go home as soon as you can walk, eat and drink normally. Back home, family and friends may offer help and support. Accept help when you need it, but it’s important to strike a balance. Keep in mind that you’re striving to become independent again. Keep Follow-up Visits You may have an office visit seven to ten days afterwards. At this time, any remaining stitches or staples may be removed. You can expect to meet with your surgeon about every four weeks for the first few months. You may also have follow-up imaging tests to ensure your condition is stable. Start by Walking Walking is a great way to rebuild your strength. Start out with short, frequent walks. Even if it’s just to get a glass of water, get up and walk each day. Gradually try walking greater distances, such as to the corner mailbox. Adjusting to Daily Life Say “yes” when people offer to help, such as with cooking and housework. Arrange for childcare when you need a break. Have friends and family give rides and attend school games. If you’ve been told not to drive at this time, get help setting up rides. Talk with your social worker, case manager, or discharge planner. Ask your employer about cutting back your work hours if your schedule is too tiring, or try working at home where you can pace yourself. Your Family’s Role After treatment, observation occurs. The team will want to see how well the surgery worked. Waiting for answers can be tiring. You may choose to let some people go home and rest. Then other family members can wait for news. You will be shown a nearby room where you can wait during surgery. A craniotomy, for example, often takes three to five hours, or more. If possible, be sure one person is always in the waiting room to receive news. The doctor will talk with you when surgery is over. You’ll also be told when you can visit your loved one. If you Need Medications Brain conditions often cause symptoms and your treatment is likely to produce some side effects. To help you feel better, your doctor may prescribe medications. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about possible interaction with other medications. Always take them as directed. Steroids Steroids reduce brain swelling. Do not stop taking them without your doctor’s approval. Side effects can include water retention, weight gain, hair growth, insomnia, stomach ulcers, increased risk of infection, and mood changes. Anticonvulsants Anticonvulsants help prevent seizures or convulsions. You will have blood tests to make sure you get the right dosage. Call the doctor right away if you have any of these side effects: trouble breathing, rash, balance problems, or dizziness. Other Medications You may need other medications to manage symptoms and side effects. Talk with your doctor if you have problems with nausea, stomach acid, or pain. Medications may include:
Exercises Keeping the muscles in your legs, buttocks, and abdomen strong and limber helps reduce stress on your back after back surgery. Here are some simple stretching and strengthening exercises. Your doctor or physical therapist will tell you how often to exercise and how many repetitions to do. For safe and effective exercise: Breathe Normally
Buttocks Squeeze: Strengthens buttocks muscles.
Partial Sit-Up: Strengthen the abdominal muscles.
Heel Raise: Help to strengthen calf muscles.
Opposite Hand-Knee Push: Strengthens the muscles in your abdomen and thighs.
Wall Slide: Help to strengthen your thighs.
Hamstring Stretch: Stretches the muscles in the back of your thigh.
Quadriceps Stretch: for the muscle on the front of the thigh.
Chest-Shoulder Stretch: Relaxes the chest and shoulders.
Pelvic Tilt: Strengthens abdominal muscles.
Tips for Daily Living after Spine Surgery In general, standing puts less strain on your back than sitting. So be sure to get up and move around often during the day. These tips can show you how to stand and turn without twisting your back. Use these tips to make grooming and kitchen work safer. Getting Dressed Putting on and taking off socks, slacks, and underwear may be easier to do lying on your back. A tool called a dressing reacher can be of help. To make dressing and undressing easier, wear loose clothes and slip-on shoes with closed backs. Getting Ready to Lie Down Before you lie down, make sure that you have the things you need within reach. Gather items such as:
Be sure to place them so you won’t have to twist your back to reach them. If you aren’t able to gather the items yourself, ask a family member or friend to help. Other General Tasks
Showering: Use a hand-held shower to wash your hair or bend at the knees and hips under the shower head to avoid arching your back. To avoid bending, use a long-handled scrub brush. Use liquid soap so you don’t need to pick up a dropped bar of soap. Working in the Kitchen: Store food and tools you use often on the counters or the middle shelves of the refrigerator. While working, stand with one foot in front of the other or resting on a stool. Sitting: Sitting puts more pressure on your spine than lying or standing. At first, avoid sitting as much as possible. As your back heals, you can sit for longer periods of time. Driving or Riding in a Car: Adjust the seat so that your knees are level with or just below your hips. To get out of the car, pivot on your buttocks and swing your legs out, keeping your knees together. Don’t twist your spine. Use your leg muscles to stand. To get into the car, do the reverse. Doing Desk Work: When you’re ready to go back to work, ask your physical therapist how to arrange your desk and workspace to protect your back. Eating: Slide your chair as far under the table as possible. Don’t lean forward or put your elbows on the table. Using the Toilet: Try using a toilet seat riser or portable commode.You can buy these at a drugstore or medical supply store. Bending and Lifting: During the first weeks after surgery, avoid bending and lifting as much as possible. If in doubt about whether a task is safe for you, ask for help. You’ll learn safer ways to bend, learn the proper way to lift and find exercises to stretch your legs, so that you can use them to lift instead of using your back. Grocery Shopping: Buy small amounts of groceries each time. Ask the checker to bag lightly and to use bags with handles. Put the shopping bags on the car seat, not in the trunk or on the floor. Child Care: If you have small children, arrange for help while you’re recovering. Put the changing table on a raised surface, or adjust it to waist height. Use a reacher to pick up small objects, such as toys, from the floor. If you must lift a baby from a crib, lower the railing of the crib. Bring the child close to your body. Follow the lifting instructions. Pushing and Pulling: Pulling is harder on your spine than pushing. So whenever possible, push, don’t pull. Also, avoid pushing anything heavy. |
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