What should I look for on the morning of my surgery?
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1. You can wash as usual in the morning. The nurse will prepare your skin for the surgical area, assist you with skin wiping or bathing if necessary (do not remove skin positioning markings, if any, as they may interfere with the procedure), and ask you to change into clean clothing. Clothes need to be worn backwards (buttoned behind you), with underwear and socks removed;
2. Remove all jewelry, removable dentures, contact lenses, etc. If you have long hair, the OR staff will put on a disposable surgical cap for you;
3. Female patients should inform the surgeon in a timely manner if they are confirmed to be menstruating;
4. The nurse will take your temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure to ensure the safety of your surgery;
5. If you have high blood pressure and need to take regular antihypertensive medication, take your medication on time as prescribed (swallow the pill dry or take only a small sip of water as appropriate); if you need regular insulin injections, stop once in the morning of the surgery.
What do family members need to do to prepare?
Before surgery, family members should assist their loved one with all tests and give them lots of encouragement and companionship to give them the courage and strength to face the surgery.
After the patient enters the operating room, family members can wait in the lounge, do not walk too far even if they leave the hospital, and keep their cell phones open. If something special happens during surgery, the surgeon needs to communicate with the family in a timely manner.
Tip: Surgery is not advisable during menstruation
When women are menstruating, blood does not clot easily, and the trauma is prone to bleeding during surgery, which can affect the surgical operation; it is also prone to more blood leakage after surgery, which can lead to subcutaneous fluid accumulation or even infection if there is poor drainage or blood clotting that blocks the drainage tube; in addition, there is an increased risk of postoperative bleeding, which can affect postoperative recovery and incision healing.
As you can see, surgery during menstruation carries certain intra-operative and post-operative risks that should be avoided at all costs. However, each case is analyzed on its own merits. If you find that you are menstruating when you are about to have surgery, you should talk to your surgeon in time so that he or she can decide whether to proceed with the surgery.