Having any type of surgery can be stressful. You might be asking yourself: What is the recovery process? How long will I be out of work? What do I do after leaving the hospital or surgery center?
An important question you might not have thought of is: How do I avoid getting a surgical site infection SSI? A SSI is an infection patients can get during or after surgery. You should also ask who will be giving the anesthesia such as an anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist; both of whom are highly qualified to give anesthesia and ask to meet with that person before your operation.
Ask your healthcare provider what to expect in the first few days following surgery, as well as in the weeks and months that follow.
You need to know how long you will be hospitalized, what limitations will be placed on you, and if there are special supplies or equipment you will need when discharged. Knowing ahead of time what to expect will help you to cope and recover more quickly following the surgery. You should also ask about the typical length of time it takes for a full recovery to resume work and your everyday activities. Because health plans vary in their coverage of different procedures, there may be costs you will be responsible for.
You will need to know what the specific costs of the operation will be and how much your insurance or health plan will cover. This information is not typically available to the healthcare provider. It is important to communicate your feelings, questions, and concerns with your healthcare provider before having surgery. The following suggestions may help to improve communication between you and your healthcare provider:. Ask your healthcare provider where you can find printed material about your condition.
Many healthcare providers have this information in their offices. It is important to have confidence in the healthcare provider who will be doing your surgery. Whether this is someone you have chosen yourself, or a healthcare provider or surgeon you have been referred to, you can make sure that he or she is qualified. This may include any or all of the following:. Ask your primary healthcare provider, your local medical society, or health insurance company for information about the healthcare provider or surgeon's experience with the procedure.
Ask about the healthcare provider or surgeon's credentials and whether he or she has any additional certifications or experience in doing the procedure. Make certain the healthcare provider or surgeon is affiliated with an accredited healthcare facility. When considering surgery, where it is done is often as important as who is doing the procedure. Before you have surgery, discuss the costs with someone from the finance department at your healthcare provider's office.
These costs may include the following:. Hospital fees if you need hospitalization or ambulatory surgical center fees for outpatient services.
Check with the hospital's business office regarding these rates. Your healthcare provider or surgeon should be able to give you an approximate idea of how long you will be in the hospital. Separate billing for other services. Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Recent Blog Articles. Health news headlines can be deceiving. Why is topical vitamin C important for skin health? Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin.
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How to get your child to put away toys. Is a common pain reliever safe during pregnancy? Harvard Health Blog Need surgery? Print This Page Click to Print. After the surgery, the people who truly needed a knee replacement were able to better function and were relieved of a lot of pain. While this is just one example, the same logic can be used across all types of surgeries meant to alleviate pain.
The true measure of success with non-surgical treatment options is becoming pain-free — not simply being able to tolerate the pain. This process is differentiated from knee, hip, cardiac, and spinal surgeries in that one of the eligibility requirements for bariatric weight loss surgery is that you must have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight through non-surgical options before you are even considered for weight loss surgery.
It may be time to get surgery if…your pain or condition is getting worse.
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