What’s Inside
Successful Surgery and Healing is your how-to guide for preparing for or recovering from surgery. It's for patients, caregivers, advocates, friends or family members looking to support someone going through the process, before or after surgery.
(PART I) Surgery: What Everyone Needs To Know contains comprehensive information for everyone, regardless of where you are in the process. It covers things like getting yourself an advocate, creating structure, how to ask for support, and creating a safe and comfortable environment for recovery.
Unplanned Emergency Surgery talks about what to do if you find yourself facing emergency surgery. It could happen after a car accident, a bad fall, or a sudden diagnosis.
Back Home: Healing and Recovery has information for patients and caretakers for when they get home from the hospital. It covers incision care, bathing and showering, signs and symptoms of complications, constipation, pain management, sleeping, resting, eating and drinking, physical therapy, exercise, weight gain or loss, the post-op blues, following up with your doctor, and more.
(PART II) If You Have Time To Plan and Prepare contains resources for those who have time to plan and prepare for surgery. Knowing exactly what to expect in the days just before surgery, at the hospital, and immediately after surgery has soothed my anxiety, and I think it will help yours, too.
Sample Templates is a section that has templates you can use to organize your important personal and health care information. These documents are useful to prepare for doctors’ appointments or just to have on hand in the event of an emergency. The templates are also available as free PDF files here.