Contents:
- Medical Video: Headed for the OR? Mayo Clinic Expert Suggests 5 Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before the Operation
- Don't be afraid to ask questions before surgery
- 1. Do I need to undergo this operation?
- 2. What are the benefits, risks, and side effects?
- 3. What preparations need to be done?
- 4. What happens during the operating procedure?
- 5. Who is involved in the operation?
Medical Video: Headed for the OR? Mayo Clinic Expert Suggests 5 Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before the Operation
Feeling nervous before a surgical procedure is natural. To deal with stress or nervousness before surgery, be active in asking a few questions about the surgery that you will go to the surgeon before the time comes to enter the operating room. Do you already know the preoperative questions that you have to ask the medical staff at the hospital? If not, find out in this article.
Don't be afraid to ask questions before surgery
After your doctor states that the disease you are experiencing needs to be operated on, the next step is to choose the surgeon that suits your condition. Because, every surgeon has his specialty.
Only after that, can you consult the surgeon. Below are some of the things you can ask your chosen surgeon to reduce nervousness before surgery.
1. Do I need to undergo this operation?
The first and most important question before surgery is why you need to do this operation. This is useful to answer your doubts.
Even though your doctor has stated that you need an operation to treat your disease, you can still ask the surgeon whether the condition really requires surgery or there are other ways to overcome it.
A surgeon who will provide other treatment options and the risks for each choice. You can also ask other doctors, besides the first surgeon, what treatment options the results can be as good as surgical options. At the same time you really understand the risks of each choice you make.
2. What are the benefits, risks, and side effects?
The questions before surgery that you should submit next are about benefits, risks, and side effects. Knowing these three things is important.
By understanding these three things, you will know what might happen if you had the surgery. Ask what risks generally occur and how likely they are to occur.
3. What preparations need to be done?
Before doing the surgery, it is important for you to know clearly what you need to prepare before the time for surgery. For example, do you need to fast or not, how long is fasting needed, are there other health tests that need to be passed, and whether you need to take certain drugs.
If your surgeon asks you to fast, ask clearly how long you have to fast and when is the right time to start fasting. The presence of fluid or food in the stomach can cause a danger of complications and can cause nausea or vomiting after or during surgery.
4. What happens during the operating procedure?
Before doing the surgery, it's good to know what will happen during the operation and how the process. Like the type of anesthesia and what operating techniques to use.
You don't have to ask questions before surgery, unless you are 'brave' and are mentally prepared to listen to what the surgeon team is in charge of doing the surgery for you.
5. Who is involved in the operation?
In a surgical procedure, there will be a team that will take part in the process. In order for you to be more calm in undergoing surgery, of course there is no harm in asking who is on your surgeon's team. You might want to know whether the team of doctors has a lot of experience and so on.
Knowing your body will be dissected is not an easy matter to accept, regardless of whether it is a small or large operation. Not only feeling nervous, but also triggering stress because of thinking about the risks or complications that might occur.
Therefore, if you have already determined who the surgeon will handle you, ask whatever you want to know. Dig up as much information as possible so you can be more calm and better prepared.
