One of the most common fears that we see around having any type of breast surgery is anesthesia. Today we want to talk about how to set yourself up for success. Here at The Chrysalis Method, we believe that knowledge is power and want you to be as prepared as possible to have the safest surgical and anesthesia experience.
Be As Honest As Possible with Your Anesthesia Provider
Think this is the time to leave out a medication on your medical history form? Think again! Its absolutely CRUCIAL that you tell them your entire medical history. Include:
Prescribed Medications
Over-the-Counter Medications
Herbal Medications/Supplements
Essential Oils
People can react differently under anesthesia when using different things like supplements, oils and over the counter meds.
Other Past Medical Conditions or Reactions are Vital too
If you’ve ever had a complication with anesthesia such as nausea, vomiting or problems waking up, your anesthesia provider should be made aware. No complication is too small to disclose.
Be sure to list any history of medical conditions such as:
Heart
Liver
Lung
Kidney
Diabetes
Sleep Apnea
These are all these things that your anesthesia provider will ask about, and they are as thorough as possible. But the only way that a provider can provide the best and safest care is for you, the patient, to be honest with your anesthesia provider. According to our CRNA Katie Cooper, “you have the best chance of having a positive anesthesia experience if you’re open and honest.”
Quit Smoking and Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices
We touched on this in our blog about preparing for surgery, but it is important to do your best to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle before your procedure.
One way to do this is to quit smoking. According to The American Society of Anesthesiologists, quitting smoking even the day before surgery can help to reduce complications such as:
Developing Pneumonia
Needing a Ventilator after Surgery
Your Surgical Site Becoming Infected Due to Reduced Blood Flow
While quitting any time before surgery is helpful, most doctors recommend quitting at least 4-6 weeks before surgery if possible.
However, if this is not possible for you, or you are simply willing to take the additional risk of being a smoker undergoing surgery, always be honest with your providers.
Follow Preoperative Instructions
Did you know that not eating before surgery is actually not to prevent nausea?
Katie set the record straight for us this week!
“I’ve had people say, ‘Oh, I’ve never gotten sick with anesthesia, so I’m just going to eat breakfast before I come in and not tell anyone."
But It’s not actually for nausea. It’s actually because when you’re under anesthesia everything relaxes in your esophagus and your stomach, and the chances of getting food and liquid into your lungs is higher if you’ve eaten less than eight hours before surgery.
Sometimes it can be easy to think that anesthesia providers are being too strict, but every single instruction you are given is for your safety.
For example, if you are diabetic and your blood sugar is getting low, you can let the anesthesia provider or nurse know and they can give you something that will not increase any surgical risk to increase your levels. It is simply not worth the risk to deviate from preoperative instructions.
Download Our FREE Anesthesia Checklist
We want you to have the safest and best anesthesia experience possible. We have created a free checklist for you to download to bring with you to your pre-op visit in order to ensure that all your bases are covered for a great anesthesia and surgical experience!