What to do before the surgery

So, your doctor told you that you’ll need to have surgery. There are probably a thousand questions running through your mind. Will the surgery have the desired outcome and relief? What are some of the risks involved? And who will look after my family and home? While initially you may be surprised or even shocked, the better prepared you’ll enter that hospital, the smoother your recovery can be.

What do you need to do?

The pre-approval

First things first, get the pre-approval from your health insurance provider. Check with them what documents they need to review your case and how long the review process will be. Does their timeframe work with the set surgery date?

Your insurer may not cover all expenses related to this surgery. Ask all your questions to them and the hospital to understand the included and excluded estimates. If you need to pay a co-pay or a deductible, how much is that? Be very clear about the amount you may have to pay to avoid any nasty surprises on the day you’re discharged.

If it’s an elective surgery, the insurer may not cover it. Are you willing and financially able to cover it?

Request time off from work

Once you know your surgery date, request time off from work. Your office may require a sick note from your doctor about the upcoming hospital visit in advance. Check with your boss and/or your HR team what is all need.

You probably have still a thousand questions on your mind and panic about all the work that is on your desk. Speak openly with your boss about your current tasks and projects. What can wait? What can or needs to be handed over and to whom? Book time with that person to do a handover. If you have time, it’d be good to write down what has and what needs to be done. This can be a good mental aid for your cover while you’re hospitalised.

When you leave the office, set your out of office email and include your cover’s name, email and phone number. If you know the date when you’ll be back, you can include that as well as a note whether you’ll check your emails. On a personal note, you may want to use your sick leave to fully recover rather than being stressed out by what’s happening at work!

Your family

If you know of the surgery date in advance, you can sit down in peace and quiet and prepare your family for your hospitalisation. What will happen during the surgery? How are you expected to feel afterwards and what’s the recovery supposed to look like? For example, if you know already that you shouldn’t lift anything heavier than 5 kg for 2 weeks post-op, share this with your family as it may impact them, too.

If there are certain activities which you normally did, but your family needs to do during your hospital stay, say so. Will your family be able to handle them? Can some be prepared now? Or can external help be availed?

Extra help

If you cook a meal, you can make an extra portion and freeze it. Instead of relying on takeaways or going to a restaurant, your family can simply put the dish in the oven and still enjoy a healthy dinner. Once you’re out of the hospital, you can do this for yourself, too.

Do you need to get groceries? Buy them online and get them delivered. Do you prefer to go a step further and order meals in for you and your family? There are plenty of options from healthy eateries ranging from the long-established Kcal to Lively.

If the house needs to be cleaned, get a cleaning service in. Do clothes need to be washed and/or ironed? Take them to the dry cleaner or get them picked up by them.

Here is my personal comment: If you are about to get under the knife, there’s no need to deep clean your home. Do you need to complete all these open tasks of your to-do-list now? Yes, it’s nice to come home to a sparkling home. But is the extra stress and pressure really worth it? I’d challenge you and say it’s maybe okay to put new bedding on, yet, washing and ironing the old one can wait.

Your kids

If you have children who are not old enough to get to school or their extra-curricular activities on their own, having to find an alternative transport may be nerve wrecking. Can your parents or your in-laws stay in your house while you’re in the hospital? Or would this be stressing you even more? Can your spouse take time off from work and look after them?

You may be fortunate enough to choose the time of your surgery. Could the kids be in camp or on a field trip? If none of these options are possible, can they stay with a friend?

Out here, many families have a nanny and they may take care of the kids before and after school. Are they also allowed to drive your children? Private driver services like Careem Kids, where your spouse (remember you’re having surgery and need to relax) can track the driver, may be a solution.

Do your kids need any special books, art supplies or sports equipment while you’re in the hospital? Get these sorted in advance, if possible, or have your spouse, a relative or friend look for them.

Your home

If you live on your own, being away for just one or 2 nights shouldn’t be a big deal. A lot of doctors have moved to non-invasive strategies which also allow you to heal quicker. It’s generally been thought that patients, once stable, recover in their personal environment at home faster. Many patients are thus released after 1-2 nights in the hospital.

What if your surgery will keep you in the hospital for longer or you are too weak to look after it? Can a friend or neighbour come by to water the plants and ensure there are no damages (e.g. from a water leak like we once had it)?

Do you need a pet sitter for your furry family members?

Yourself

Now that you’ve looked after everyone and everything else, take some time for you to prepare. There’s the packing of your documents and your bag which I’ll write about in the next post.

What’s on your mind? Do you have any open questions for your doctor? Do ask them now and ensure you have the clarity you need.

The next bit is not meant to scare you. So please don’t take it as such. Studies have shown that people who run through negative case scenarios are actually better prepared. Is this something you want to do? Play around with the different thoughts how recovery can look for you? Do you want to think about worst case and discuss that with your partner and/or family? Having a plan for the different scenarios can help you cope a lot better and you are prepared if they become reality.

My last surgery was in 2012 and it was one of the best things I did that year. Little did I realise at the time how much my stomach muscles (yes, I apparently have them too) were impacted and wish I had known that bit in more details. Every speed bumper we crossed with more than 10-15 kph hurt and I simply held my stomach, cringing!

On Thursday, the post will be about what to pack so stay with us. I’m wishing you that your surgery will go well and smoothly. Let these tips remove some of the stress you may be dealing with now.

Until next time,
Agni