So there you are, lying in your hospital bed, trying to get some sleep, when someone in a short white coat shows up to poke and prod and ask you a bunch of questions. He or she is followed by another group of slightly older-looking doctors, who ask the same questions again, then disappear back […] Read more »
Beyond the doctors and nurses who care for patients, there are dozens of other professionals who work in the hospital. While doctors and nurses care for patients’ immediate medical needs, these other medical staff do many other tasks that go along with caring for patients in the hospital and helping them get home.This post describes […] Read more »
Antibiotics are medications that are used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Different antibiotics are used for different sorts of bacteria. Some antibiotics work only against a very small group of bacteria types, while others are effective against a broad spectrum of different bacteria. Generally, doctors try to use the most specific antibiotic they can […] Read more »
Most of the time, when people have surgery, they wake up with a closed incision that has hidden absorbable sutures and requires no special care. But there are some operations and conditions that require placement of non-absorbable stitches or staples, or a surgical drain, and these can remain in place for days or even weeks. […] Read more »
Having an operation is a big deal. Your body needs time to heal from the effects of an operation, even if it’s a comparatively minor or minimally invasive procedure. If you have a bigger operation, have complications from your operation, or go into your operation already sick, you may need quite some time – weeks […] Read more »
Nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting how well you recover from an operation. Healthy nutrition before an operation, as measured by good levels of a protein in the blood called albumin, has been clearly shown to improve healing after operations and to reduce the chance of wound infections. Likewise, maintaining good nutrition […] Read more »
When you or a loved one goes in for surgery, you have an important job to do: Be an advocate. To do that, you need to understand that role. So, what does it mean to be an advocate? In today’s busy, complicated healthcare environment, it’s not enough for patients to come in to the hospital […] Read more »
When you meet with your surgeon to discuss your operation, you will be asked to sign a “consent” document for surgery. That document should list the planned operation and the name of the doctor who will be performing the operation. All of this will be a small part of a long document with a lot […] Read more »
One of the most important decisions that your surgical team makes when you are getting ready for an operation is what medications you should and shouldn’t take. Some medications are vitally important to continue taking during the time leading up to, and after your operation. However, there are others that should be stopped well in […] Read more »
One of the most frequent questions that surgeons are asked is when a patient can start driving, or return to work or school. Believe it or not, there isn’t a secret formula for this. Every patient is different. When doctors quote a certain number of days from the time of surgery to resuming normal activities, […] Read more »