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What do they evaluate at pre op appointments for procedures?
I am currently sitting at a pre op appointment for my surgery tomorrow. I am getting a possible further dilation to my esophagus, injections into the sphincter muscles of the stomach to hopefully help with my slow emptying, and I will be getting a GJ tube. I have a G tube currently.
Although this isn’t as BIG as my last major heart surgery, it still requires general anesthesia and intubation.
At the pre op today, I had vitals checked, blood labs, a pacemaker check to clear me for my procedure, and met with the surgeons. I also met with anesthesia to make sure they were comfortable with my history and go over the anesthesia plan.
What do you normally do for pre op appointments that aren’t related to a major heart or lung surgery? Do you take/does your team take extra precautions? Do they thoroughly inform you of your risks/benefits of surgery?
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4 Replies
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Good luck tomorrow Brittany! I will be thinking of you and anxious to hear how it goes. Pretty much all the things that you mentioned are checked off before my son has any type of procedure done. He is on a LOT of medications post-transplant so several people go over that list prior. They always want to know exactly what he took when and sometimes there are certain things they don’t want taken until he’s in recovery.
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This is the same for me too. It is hard when it is an unexpected surgery though. I just had a procedure done last Thursday because my J tube that they had just put in less than a week ago had shifted and the top was pointing towards my stomach. This was causing bile to back up into my stomach and I was in a ton of pain. Sure enough, after looking over the scans I needed the J tube out immediately. They are putting a temporary one in on Tuesday through interventional radiology and then a more permanent one again once the tract heals some more. It is going to be a LONG summer with procedures and surgeries but going over the medication really is important (unless you can’t avoid not taking medications if it is an unplanned thing like what happened to me). Usually they have me stop my blood thinning medications like 5 days prior and I just go down to a baby dose of asprin. The less risk the better.
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I recently had cataract surgery. It was at a hospital 85 miles away. The nurse did an interview over the phone. In pre-op they went over what time I had taken each medication that I am on. That morning I could take my normal am medications except for metformin. I did not have general anesthesia, only Versed in the IV. I was on the hospital’s oxygen and the cannula that they used in the OR also measured CO2. I don’t know if all people who have surgery are put on oxygen in the OR or only people with lung issues? Or if they usually use the cannula that measures CO2. They checked my vitals and glucose in pre-op.
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Hi Elaine,
even before I was diagnosed with any breathing disorders/ lung conditions, I was given oxygen. I thought this was because of my prior history of congenital heart defects. My sister recently had a breast reduction though and she was also given oxygen when they started giving her the medication. I think it was because the medications they give can lower respiration rate and also it probably could impact oxygen levels especially or those with lung conditions. I know that it is generally given to MOST people post op though and through a procedure that requires some sedation.
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