Getting yourself healthy before surgery
Keep your health care providers informed
No matter how many doctors you have seen, you likely know more about your health history than anyone else. Your health care providers will depend on you for this information.
Tell your doctor(s) if you have:
- Any reactions or allergies to medicines, foods (such as shellfish or nuts), tapes or stitches used for medical procedures, iodine, or latex.
- Been drinking a lot of alcohol -- even 1 or 2 drinks a day.
- Had problems with surgery or anesthesia before.
- A history of blood clots or bleeding problems.
- Had recent dental problems or treatment, such as infections or dental surgery.
If you smoke, you need to stop. Ask your provider for help quitting. Smoking can slow down the healing of your incisions, cause lung problems, and lead to long-term complications related to your surgery.
Let your provider know about any cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness you may have before your surgery.
Find out how you should manage your medicines
Bring a list of medicines you take every time you see your provider.
- This includes over-the-counter medicines.
- Write down the dose and how often you take your medicines.
- Tell your providers what vitamins, supplements, minerals, or herbal or natural medicines you are taking.
- Tell your providers about any alternative treatments you have had.
About 2 weeks before surgery, you will be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), and other drugs.
Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.
Losing weight before surgery
Losing weight before bariatric surgery may be helpful. Some insurance providers will look at your records as you are preparing for surgery, and may deny coverage if you gain weight.
Your surgical team may ask you to lose some weight before surgery in order to make the procedure safer and easier. If they do, it is very important that you follow through on their request. When you are obese, the liver also has fat and is large. It is harder for the surgeon to see and operate because of that fat. Losing weight before surgery helps the liver to become smaller, and it really helps the surgeon to operate more safely.
Vitamins and minerals
You may be asked to take extra vitamin and mineral supplements before surgery. This will help replace the nutrients your body needs.
After surgery you will be eating less food, and you may need to continue taking supplements. These will replace the nutrients you are no longer getting from food.
If you are having gastric bypass or a sleeve gastrectomy, you will need to take some supplements for the rest of your life.
Ask your doctor if you should take:
- A multivitamin
- Calcium and vitamin D
- B-complex vitamin
- Vitamin B12
- Iron
Manage your medical problems
If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other health problems, your surgeon will ask you to see the doctor who treats you for them before surgery. Having these issues under control will lower your risk of problems during and after surgery. For example, if diabetes is not well-controlled, the risk of infection is much higher at the time of surgery.
Reviewed By: John E. Meilahn, MD, Bariatric Surgery, Chestnut Hill Surgical Associates, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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