How to Prepare Yourself for Spinal Surgery?

By Akshay Sharma February 28, 2017 Health

Spinal Surgery

Spinal surgery can be minor or major depending on the nature of your problem. If you are considering surgery like spinal tumor surgery, discuss all options with your surgeon.

Spinal surgery is conducted with the expectation that it offers a meaningful improvement in your medical condition such as restoration of movement and reduction of pain. One must also keep ready finances based on spine tumor treatment cost in India.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare for spine surgery like spine tumor surgery:

Get into good shape, mentally and physically: Do regular exercise and follow a healthy, balanced diet. Losing weight is important as weight puts extra burden on your spine and can cause complications in your surgery and recovery. But lose weight sensibly and not go in for crash diets.
Quit smoking: If you smoke, this is the time to quit. If you can’t quit, at least stop for 2 weeks prior to and after surgery. Smoking slows down healing and causes risk of infection.
Apprise doctor and nursing team about all medication you are taking. This includes vitamins, over the counter medication and even herbal supplements. You will be recommended by doctor to stop consuming medication like Aspirin or Ibuprofen as they cause bleeding. Tylenol may be recommended for managing pain, instead.
Learning details about procedure: As a patient you must be aware of all options for surgery and details of surgical procedure. Don’t hesitate to ask questions .You can choose to have surgery with the latest of current procedures like TOPS (Total Posterior Solution), which is a good alternative for spinal fusion surgery.
Get information: you need to make some real preparations before surgery. Enquire from your medical team, how much time will be taken for recovery, so you know till when you need to be away from work. You should ask doctor about your mobility after the procedure- will you need help from someone for sometime after surgery? Can you drive during recovery period? What preparations you need to make?
Be ready: Before going in for surgery, you should completely understand the procedure and nature of your recovery. Be mentally prepared for some pain after procedure depending on location and size of your incision. You may also have to wear a brace that will cause you discomfort and put limits on your mobility. You must also be ready to seek help with daily tasks.
Schedule a pre-operative visit to your medical team: This will help you with advice on medication and to confirm type of procedure. A meeting with anestholgist is important to evaluate any allergy to anesthetic medication.
Arrange for finances: Make sure you are prepared financially for the surgery. Ascertain spine tumor surgery cost in India and determine issues about medical insurance like the amount of co-payment you need to provide.
Prepare home for recovery:

For smooth recovery, you need to make certain preparations. Collect all items of daily and frequent use in kitchen, bedroom and bathroom and keep them within arms reach. You may also buy a reacher with which you can grab objects. Remove all items you may trip over, like electric cords or loose rugs. Buy a pair of slip on shoes to help you be mobile. Stock up your fridge with ready to eat food or frozen meals.

These are some tips to prepare for a spinal surgery.