Things You May Have Forgotten to Tell You Surgeon Before You Have Surgery
- Standard things like allergies to medicines, problems with prior surgeries, and worries about your surgeries are definitely things to discuss before planned surgery, but most people do remember to cover these things. Here are a few things you may not have remembered to cover.
- Family history is important. Anyone in your family have problems with surgery or bleeding after procedures?
- How about associated symptoms. Women who are planning pelvic surgery or hysterectomy should be frank with their surgeon about symptoms such as incontinence, fecal soiling or problems with intercourse that could mean pelvic floor issues. These could be corrected at the time of surgery, and not corrected could possibly mean that the symptoms can worsen.
- Herbal and dietary supplements, the dosages, and the time that you last had a dosage. May cause issues with surgery you may not be aware of. Garlic can cause bleeding, valerian can make you excessively sedated during the procedure, other herbals can cause you to have low potassium, heart beat irregularities, or worse. This discussion is very important, timing off these medications relative to the surgery is critical.
- Urinary symptoms you may be having, it’s important a bladder infection is identified and treated before surgery.
