5 Things To Do Before You Arrive for Surgery

You know how your mom always told you, "Don't leave the house without clean underwear"? Well, after working in surgery, I believe in this statement! Of course, it is impossible to know what is going to happen to you when you leave your house every day, but if surgery is planned, certain hygiene procedures can be done prior to your arrival.

Below are 5 things that every surgical patient should pay attention to before arriving for their scheduled surgery:

1. Make sure you shave. This is in particular for women---underarms, legs (I know there are some cultures that don't do/allow this) but do it if possible. Especially, if you are having a breast biopsy or axillary node dissection. Because, trust me, it will be shaved for you in surgery if you don't! Another area to shave if you are having any type of vaginal procedure such as a vaginal hysterectomy is your pubic area, but only if you can do it safely without nicking yourself. Again, this will probably be shaved in surgery if you don't!

2. Clean out your belly button! This is not typically an area you would think would be dirty, but you'd be amazed at what type of gunk I have had to clean out of patient's belly button holes (after the patient is asleep, of course!). This is particularly important if you are having any type abdominal surgery or laparascopic surgery because one of the holes made in your abdomen is usually via the belly button and it needs to be clean to help avoid infection.

3. Remove all jewelry. This is important not just because they are valuable and you don't want anything to happen to them, but also because they can create a means of being burned in surgery if an electric cautery device is used. This includes ALL piercings...ear, nose, lip, tongue, nipple, belly button, etc. including vaginal and penile piercings. Yes, I said penile piercing....we indeed had a young man one night for an emergency surgery and he had an earring on his penis! We told him we would remove it in the OR. After he was asleep, I tried but was unable to get it off. The scrub tech took pity on me and she was able to remove it, much to her credit! We put it in a bag and sent it with the patient.

4. If at all possible, clean and trim your fingernails and toenails. Again, it is amazing what nasty stuff appears in an OR!

5. Bring patience and understanding with you. When you arrive, most of the time, you will be asked to disrobe and put on a hospital gown. Yes, you do have to remove your undergarments. Many patients don't understand why they have to remove their underwear ("they aren't operating there!") but, if some kind of complication occurs and you need a foley catheter inserted during surgery, that area needs to be easily accessible.

Therefore,Wear Clean Underwear!!

These are my top 5 things to do before surgery.