Essential Guide to Preparing for Major Surgery: Questions and Psychological Readiness

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• Key Questions to Ask Your Surgeon
• Managing Anxiety and Psychological Preparation
• Lifestyle Changes Before Surgery
• Understanding Surgical Risks and Complications
• The Role of the Surgeon in Patient Preparation
• Postoperative Expectations and Hospital Care
• The Importance of a Second Opinion

Key Questions to Ask Your Surgeon

Preparing for major surgery requires patients to be proactive and inquisitive. Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD, emphasizes that the single most important step is to ask your surgeon or physician assistant every question on your mind. Do not hesitate or feel shy about seeking clarity; this is a crucial part of your care.

Common questions should cover the specifics of the procedure, but Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD, notes that many patients forget to ask about critical risks. Inquiring about the surgeon's own experience and success rates with the operation provides valuable, personalized data that generic statistics cannot offer.

Managing Anxiety and Psychological Preparation

Experiencing anxiety before a major operation is completely normal. Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD, states that if a patient isn't anxious, "there's something wrong." Acknowledging this stress is the first step toward managing it effectively.

Patients can utilize several resources for psychological preparation. These include professional counseling services and books specifically written to guide individuals through the mental and emotional challenges of facing surgery. Dr. Anton Titov, MD, and Dr. Cohn discuss how a surgeon can also use reassurance and clear communication as powerful tools to alleviate a patient's fears.

Lifestyle Changes Before Surgery

Optimizing your physical health before surgery can significantly impact your recovery. Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD, highlights several key lifestyle modifications. Patients should aim to lose weight if necessary, as excess weight can increase surgical risk and complicate anesthesia.

Perhaps the most critical change is to stop smoking. Smoking severely impairs blood flow and oxygen delivery, dramatically increasing the risk of complications like poor wound healing and infections. Reducing alcohol consumption is also advised to help the body be in its best possible condition for the physiological stress of an operation.

Understanding Surgical Risks and Complications

A thorough understanding of potential risks is a cornerstone of informed consent. Dr. Cohn advises patients to directly ask their surgeon about the chance of serious complications. Key questions include: "What is the risk I might die?" and "What is the risk of having a stroke or a heart attack?"

An experienced surgeon like Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD, will have predictable numbers based on their extensive practice. Hearing these statistics directly from your surgeon can be incredibly reassuring, as it replaces vague fear with concrete information and establishes realistic expectations for the procedure's outcome.

The Role of the Surgeon in Patient Preparation

The surgeon's responsibility extends beyond the operating room into patient education. Dr. Cohn believes that even if a patient doesn't ask every important question, the surgeon must proactively provide that information. Common concerns about recovery, risks, and hospital routines come up repeatedly.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD, notes that surgeons often know the questions patients *should* be asking better than the patients themselves. A good surgeon will guide this conversation, ensuring no critical topic is left unaddressed, which helps build trust and significantly reduces preoperative stress for the patient and their family.

Postoperative Expectations and Hospital Care

Knowing what to expect after surgery is vital for mental preparation. While many patients ask about the length of the hospital stay, Dr. Cohn encourages them to dig deeper. Patients should inquire about the typical recovery timeline, pain management strategies, and the support systems available in the hospital.

Understanding the daily routine—such as when you might start physical therapy or how your vital signs will be monitored—can make the postoperative period less intimidating. This knowledge empowers patients and their families to actively participate in the recovery process.

The Importance of a Second Opinion

Seeking a second opinion is a powerful way to ensure your diagnosis is correct and your treatment plan is optimal. This step is particularly valuable for complex conditions like heart disease or cancer. A second opinion can confirm the necessity of surgery or reveal alternative, less invasive treatment options.

This process builds immense confidence. As discussed by Dr. Anton Titov, MD, knowing that another expert agrees with your surgical plan can alleviate a significant portion of the anxiety associated with making a major medical decision, allowing you to move forward with greater peace of mind.

Full Transcript

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: How to prepare for a major surgical operation? What is the most important thing every patient should do? How to prepare for cancer or heart surgical operation correctly? How to mentally prepare for a surgical operation?

Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD: Psychological preparation is very important before major surgery. What can I do to prepare for surgery in the best way? These are the key things you need to know when preparing for surgery. Ask all questions that are on your mind.

Ask questions about the risks of the operation. Ask about possible complications. Ask what is the chance of you having a stroke. Ask what is the chance of having a heart attack during the operation. The surgeon must answer all questions about your surgery.

Even as heart surgery becomes increasingly minimally invasive, it remains a major surgery.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: How can patients prepare psychologically for major surgery? How can patients relieve the anxiety before the surgical operation? You have a lot of experience in that.

Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD: If the patient is not anxious before an operation, there's something wrong with the patient. That's normal behavior. First of all, the patient should ask the doctor every question on their mind. Or they should ask all questions to the physician assistant, whoever sees the patient.

There are counseling services to help patients prepare for surgery. There are also books written about how to prepare yourself for surgery. Sometimes these books are very good.

A patient who has been drinking a lot of alcohol should reduce that. They should try to lose some weight. They should stop smoking. Smoking is the worst thing you can do. That's just common sense.

I think the major question is to ask the doctor every single question in your mind. Do not hesitate to ask all your questions before a surgical operation. Do not be afraid and do not be shy to ask your surgeon all questions.

Find out what the basic hospital care routine is going to be. What is going to happen after the surgery? It all has to be asked. You cannot hold back any question that is on your mind.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: How can a surgeon apply the power of suggestion to help a patient before surgery? How to apply any psychological methods to decrease the patient's anxiety? How to improve surgical results after the operation?

Dr. Lawrence Cohn, MD: Again, sometimes the patient does not ask all the questions that they should ask. Then the surgeon has to say this: "You never asked the following questions. This is what you really need to know."

Most patients, for example, ask me this: "How many days do I have to stay in the hospital?" But a lot of them don't ask: "What's the risk in this operation? What is the risk I might die? What is the risk of having a stroke or heart attack?"

The surgeon should have predictable numbers based on his or her own experience. That's the information a surgeon has to tell the patient. It could really reassure patients before a surgical operation.

A lot of times, the stress of just getting those decisions made is more stress than the operation itself. So patients should have a good understanding of how to prepare for surgery.

It is a very important part of the preparation of a patient for surgery. The surgeon should answer all the questions the patient needs to know, even if the patient did not ask that question.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Because the same questions come up again and again. The surgeon often knows all the questions that the patient should ask. The surgeon often knows questions better than the patient does.

Of course, yes. How to prepare for major surgery psychologically? How to relieve anxiety before surgery? What can the patient and family do to ensure the best results of surgery?