How Can I Prepare For Surgery?

Once you have decided to have total hip surgery it is important to plan for your procedure and your care after surgery. It is helpful to involve your family or caregivers in the planning process.

First you will arrange a date for surgery with your doc-tor’s office. Most surgeons have 1 or 2 specific days during the week when they do surgery. Elective hip surgery is scheduled several weeks in advance. This gives you and your family time to prepare.

Many hospitals now offer preoperative teaching classes for total joint patients. You will meet some of the nursing staff and get information about your care in the hospital. They will tell you what to bring (pajamas, slippers etc.), where you will stay, and when is the best time for visitors. They will explain physical therapy and give you information about the discharge planning process.

Your doctor may also provide booklets or written information about the procedure. If you have a computer, he may direct you to articles on the internet. Try to find out as much as you can about the procedure and what you can expect after surgery.

You will need to have testing before surgery to make sure that it is safe for you to have anesthesia and the surgical procedure. Typically this consists of blood tests, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, and urinalysis. Your doctor’s office will help you schedule a time and place for your testing.

Your surgeon may recommend that you see your family physician or internist for a preoperative medical evaluation. This is to make sure that you are medically cleared to have anesthesia and surgery. He may also ask you to bathe the skin around your hip with an antiseptic soap on the day before you come to the hospital.

Finally, your surgeon’s office will tell you when and where you need to arrive at the hospital on the day of surgery.

You should not eat or drink anything by mouth after midnight on the night before surgery unless your doc-tor tells you to take your normal medicines with a sip of water.

Linda C., a patient, says:

I had known for several years that hip replacement would be necessary. I prepared for the surgery beforehand by doing exercises and losing twenty pounds.

Cheley H., an Orthopaedic Head Nurse, says:

For many years, I have had the great fortune to be able to teach a preoperative total joint replacement class to patients scheduled to receive new hips or knees. Education encourages patients to become active participants in their own plan of care.

At times, patients are uncertain about the decision to have surgery. The only regret I have ever heard from a recovered joint replacement patient is “I wish that I hadn’t waited so long.”