How To Prepare For A Breast Reconstruction Surgery

If you are planning to undergo a Houston breast reconstruction surgery, your surgeon will give you some instructions to follow before the surgery. Generally, these tips also prove helpful while preparing for the surgery.

· Follow all instructions given on your pre-operative appointment, including blood tests, EKG and chest x-ray.

· You have to stop taking aspirin and blood thinners, any medication containing vitamin E and any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications like those with ibuprofen.

· As narcotic medication can trigger constipation, you may need to take a stool softener twice a day for a few days before the operation.

· You have to stop smoking as smoking produces nicotine and carbon monoxide that constricts the blood vessels in your skin. This in turn slows down the wound healing process.

Smoking also increases anaesthesia risks, which is why you need to quit smoking as quickly as possible after your diagnosis so that your body has time to recover from the smoking effects.

Make Travel Arrangements

Make arrangements to have someone take you home after your breast augmentation surgery, and perhaps to stay at home for a day or two. You will also have to make arrangements to have someone drive you to your doctor’s office for follow-up appointments. Plan meals in advance as it proves very helpful after the surgery. Do not do any vacuuming or laundry, and any repetitive motions like scrubbing pots and pans.

You need to dress comfortably after your surgery. As most patients will not be able to pull a shirt over their heads, you will have to buy some soft and oversized button-down shirts before your operation. Loose fitting trousers that are one or two sizes bigger also prove comfortable with patients having TRAM flap reconstruction. Look or trousers with elastic waistbands that you can pull on the tender scar line of the operation.

Pillows and Measuring Cups

Buy some extra pillows as you will need them to place behind your back and under your legs. This way you will be in a position where your hips and knees are flexed when in bed. You could also buy soft pillows to use under your arms too.

Have measuring cups ready in your bathroom to empty the drains and a pen and pad ready to write down the volume of the drain every time you empty the drains. Also keep a tube of anti-bacterial ointment, your phone, antibiotics, pain medications and some good magazines or books on your bedside table, within arms’ reach.

If possible, have friends and family help you care for children and to help you with your household chores so that you can relax after the surgery. This is necessary as the more and better rest you have after your operation, the better your body heals. By taking care of all this, and making all these preparations before the breast reconstruction surgery, you will be able to rest better with peace of mind after the surgery.