Getting Ready for Surgery: How to Take Care of Your Body

Although the aim of surgery is to improve your wellness, it can be a health concern all of it’s own. Patient safety is always the top priority for surgeons or physician anesthesiologists involved in medical care, but to ensure your procedure goes as well as it can, you also need to take steps to care for your wellbeing. Important actions such as exercising and eating right in the weeks and months before surgery can help make the procedure as safe as possible, decrease your chances of complications and help you get back on your feet faster.

 

Dr. Jane C.K. Fitch, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), notes, ‘Surgery is usually the solution to a problem, whether to replace a painful knee or repair a hernia, but there are always risks. Physician anesthesiologists, surgeons and other medical specialists work with patients before, during and after surgery to help ensure a successful outcome. Patients can take control of their own health by having critical conversations with their physicians and getting healthy before surgery.’ So how can you get yourself in shape for surgery? Here are some top tips from the ASA:

 

1. Eat healthy: According to the ASA, ‘Adjusting your diet to include healthier choices in the weeks leading up to your surgery can help you become stronger and recover quicker. If you have a loss of appetite or recently lost weight without trying, be sure to tell your doctor, who might suggest you see a registered dietician. The dietician may prescribe a nutritional supplement to boost your immune system, help prevent infections and shorten your stay in the hospital.’

 

2. Stop smoking: The ASA explains, ‘Among the many reasons to kick the habit is that smoking and anaesthesia – which you’ll need during surgery – don’t mix. If you smoke, your heart and lungs are compromised and don’t function at full capacity. You are also far more likely to suffer breathing and lung-related complications during surgery and are more likely to need a ventilator after surgery. By quitting smoking before surgery, you’ll not only decrease the likelihood of these risks, but you’re also less likely to have a wound infection, heart attack or other complication.’

 

3. Better Your Breathing: ‘Taking deep breaths on a spirometer – a simple device that helps you exercise your lungs and improve their function – is a routine activity after most surgeries,’ the ASA asserts. ‘Doing these exercises before surgery can help strengthen your lungs so you’re less likely to develop pneumonia.’

 

4. Control your blood sugar: The ASA warns, ‘People with diabetes whose blood sugar (glucose) is not controlled, are more likely to suffer potentially fatal complications following surgery. If you have diabetes, make sure your blood sugar is controlled. If you don’t, your immune system may be weaker, making you more vulnerable to pneumonia and other infections. Controlling your blood sugar will help you heal faster and you’ll likely spend less time recovering in the hospital.’

 

5. Get Active: ‘If you exercise, keep it up, and if you don’t, try to responsibly increase your activity level in the weeks before surgery,’ suggests the ASA. ‘The sooner you begin to move around after surgery, the less likely you are to develop blood clots and pneumonia. Consider getting into an exercise programme – it can reduce complications and shorten hospital stays.’

 

6. Drink Less Alcohol: The ASA cautions, ‘People who have more than two alcoholic drinks a day are more likely to suffer complications after surgery than light drinkers and those who drink heavily are more than twice as likely to suffer complications that can result in death. Heavy drinkers are also much more likely to get an infection after surgery, have difficulty breathing, and be admitted to the intensive care unit than non-drinkers.’

Categories: Blood, Blood Sugar, complications, Healthy Eating, hospital nbsp, nbsp, physician anesthesiologists, Stop Smoking, suffer, suffer complications, surgery

Warning: Serious Air Pollutants Are All Around You

It’s quite worrying to think about it, but the air that you breathe every day could be harming your health. There are lots of different particles in the air, and some of them can be damaging or dangerous for your wellness and wellbeing, particularly if you suffer from asthma.

 

Air pollutants are all around us. They come in the form of cigarette smoke and fumes from car exhausts, both of which release particles and gases into the atmosphere, and these can then irritate your respiratory system.

 

Leading charity Asthma UK believes that pollution actually plays a very strong role in causing asthma in the first place, both in children and in adults, as well as being a strong trigger to exacerbate the symptoms of those already suffering from the condition. Two thirds of people who suffer from asthma feel strongly that fumes from traffic make their asthma symptoms worse, and about 42 percent of asthma sufferers actually said that the worry about the effects of heavy traffic fumes would cause them to avoid areas with congestion. A strong 85 percent of those who suffer from asthma say that they feel very concerned about the effect that the increasing levels of vehicle fumes will have, both on their own future and that of their children in the years to come.

 

There is strong evidence that links the development of asthma with certain residencies, such as those who live next to roads with heavy traffics, particularly roads that are frequently travelled by diesel-fuelled lorries and busses, which cause the highest levels of pollution. Some studies suggest that asthma that starts when you are an adult can have the strongest link with pollution. This study links adult-onset asthma with pollution in the home environment, rather than any association with travelling or the workplace.

Categories: air, air pollutants, Asthma, fumes, pollutants, pollution, strong, suffer

What Everyone Ought to Know About Sex During Periods

During menstruation, many people do not feel sexual at all and so refrain from having intercourse. Others may worry that their wellness and wellbeing may be compromised by having sex when they are on their periods. This feeling can come from folklore, tradition or religion, or simply a feeling that it is ‘not right’. In some traditional households, women are not allowed to pray, touch anything holy or go anywhere that is thought to be ‘near God’ when they are menstruating.

 

Nevertheless, many people do not fully understand about having sex during their period, and wonder if intercourse during their period means that they will not fall pregnant. In truth, the chances of falling pregnant during your period are minimal, because your body is shedding the lining of the uterus, and even if the unfertilized egg happened to be present, it would be unlikely to stick. The hormones are not generally conducive to pregnancy during your period, either. This does not mean that it is impossible, however, and you should still take every precaution to make sure that pregnancy does not occur. You are also even more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases during your period, making condoms even more of a necessity.

 

Many women suffer from painful cramps and bloating during their periods, and may also suffer from mood swings. This may make sex the last thing that they feel like doing, and that is perfectly normal. It is interesting to note, however, that sex when you are on your period is actually more intense, as your sexual organs are engorged, leading to increased sensitivity and better orgasms.

 

IF you do have sex whilst on your period you may find that the contractions of the uterus and the hormones in the semen cause your period to ‘speed up’ and that the whole thing is over much quicker than you might expect.

Categories: Menstruation, nbsp, period, Periods, Sex, suffer, uterus