Here it is Monday and surgery is Wednesday!!! I went to a preoperative class at the hospital this afternoon. It had a lot of good information. To start the class off the Chief Nursing Officer told us all about the hospital, how it came to be, it's mission and values. And he joked how a lot of people had the same reaction when their surgeon said they were going to have their surgey at Oasis Hospital, Oasis what??? It was too funny cause that is exactly what I thought. My doctor did explain to me the type of hospital it was etc so I did know some of the information.
Oasis Hospital is strictly an orthopedic hospital. All patients are there because they are choosing to have surgery to improve their quality of life, not because they are sick. It is a well hospital that was constructed by surgeons that wanted to be able to use their own procedures and practices not the ones that are regulated by group hospitals. They do only orthopedic surgeries so the hospital is specialized in patient care and recovery. As well as the information about the hospital, each of the different departments that anyone deals with came and talked to us. From the time we walk thru the door and sign in until we are picked up on the curb at discharge, we were told step by step what to expect. Alicia went with me because they encourage you to bring someone that will be helping in your care. They are all about patients having a "coach" that will help them to do what they need to do to have a successful recovery. I got a great handbook that has all the information as well. I really had only one complaint about the whole class, and that was that it would have been nice to have gone to it a few weeks earlier, just to be able to have known some things in advance. I did talk to the women running the class and she agreed, but I also did tell her that I did some research online so I knew about some of the things that I would be dealing with before and after.
I also had been given a list of stuff I would need to do before surgery from the doctor. I am talking about different tests and lab work, that kind of stuff. Did you know you need to get a clearance from your dentist to have surgery? I found this so odd. But then the nurse from the doctor's office explained it to me when she called, as well as a friend in my bunco group who is a dental hygienist. They told me that since this is a surgery involving a joint replacement they have to be sure I have no infections of any type. Your mouth is a big bacteria, germ and infection carrier. So to keep any infections to possibly travel to your new joint, this is something that needs to be checked before surgery. Other tests included blood work to check all kinds of different counts, an EKG, urinalysis, chest x-rays, and I'm sure a few others I can't remember. The week before surgery and up until surgery you cannot take any aspirin, vitamins, fish oil or anything along those lines, only prescribed medications. Plus you also have to wash with a specific anti bacterial soap. I did run into some glitches with getting some of my tests done, but completed them and now have two days to go.
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