Preparing for Surgery
The short answer
Preparing for Surgery covers nicotine, medications, transportation, home setup, and instructions that matter before an operation. It may suit patients with a scheduled procedure who need to organize a safer, practical recovery plan. In Northglenn, Dr. John Samas reviews your anatomy, your health history and your goals before recommending a plan.
The preparation that genuinely changes how the operation and the recovery go.
In short
What else should you know?
The three things that matter most are stopping nicotine in every form, disclosing every medication and supplement you take, and arranging real help at home for the first days.
Everything on this page is general. Dr. Samas gives you written instructions for your procedure and those take precedence.
Nicotine
Every form, not just cigarettes
Nicotine constricts blood vessels and reduces the oxygen delivered to healing tissue. Tissue that is short of oxygen heals badly, and in surgery that means wound breakdown, worse scarring and, in procedures that lift and move skin, the risk of losing tissue at the edges.
This applies to cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, vapes, patches and gum. Patients routinely assume the patch and the vape are exempt because they are not smoking. They are not exempt. The nicotine is the problem, not the smoke.
Typical guidance is stopping at least 4 to 6 weeks before surgery and staying off it for at least 4 to 6 weeks afterward. This matters most in operations that lift and reposition skin, such as abdominoplasty and breast lift.
The week before
Set the house up first
Recovery goes better when the environment is ready before you are in it.
- Arrange a driver for the day of surgery and an adult to stay with you the first night.
- Fill every prescription in advance and keep it together in one place.
- Set up a recovery spot with pillows, easy access to water, chargers and anything you read or watch.
- Stock simple food you can prepare with one hand and without bending or reaching.
- Put everyday items at waist height. After abdominal surgery you will not want to bend or stretch upward.
- Arrange childcare and pet care, particularly for anything involving lifting.
- Buy loose front-fastening clothing. Pulling things over your head is unpleasant after chest or abdominal surgery.
Medications
Disclose everything, then wait for instructions
Give the practice a complete list: prescription medication, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, herbal products and anything you take only occasionally. Several affect bleeding, and some interact with anesthesia.
Do not stop anything on your own initiative, particularly medication prescribed by another physician. The instruction to pause a drug should come from Dr. Samas, in some cases after speaking with the doctor who prescribed it.
If your health changes between the pre-operative visit and the date of surgery, including something as ordinary as a chest infection, tell the office. It is far better to move a date than to operate on someone who is unwell.
The day itself
What to expect on the morning
Simple, but worth reading the night before rather than in the car.
- Follow the fasting instructions exactly. Operations are postponed when they are not.
- Shower as instructed and skip lotions, deodorant, makeup and nail polish unless told otherwise.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing that fastens at the front.
- Leave jewelry and valuables at home.
- Bring your identification, your medication list and your driver.
- Expect to be at the facility considerably longer than the operation itself, because of preparation and recovery time.
FAQ
Preparation questions
This page is general information. Candidacy, recovery and what to expect are discussed at your consultation.
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