Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need this book?

Today, more and more people are undergoing out-patient procedures where patients check out of the hospital the same day of the surgery, putting the burden of post-op recovery and healing on the patients. This is a dramatic shift in healthcare compared to previous generations when the recovery process happened in the hospital with doctors, nurses, and aides handling post-op care, medications, therapies, and other patient needs.

Patients are now more responsible than ever for their post-op recovery process. What do prepared patients need to know in today’s surgical landscape? This book addresses all of a patient’s needs from start to finish.

Who is this book helpful for?

This book is a how-to guide for anyone navigating any surgical journey, whether they’re having planned surgery or they’ve woken up in the hospital having had unplanned (emergency) surgery. It’s for patients who want to be prepared and informed –– what questions they should ask doctors, details they should be aware of, and how to make recovery smoother and quicker.

It’s for family, friends, advocates, and anyone who loves and cares for someone undergoing surgery, but may not know how to help.

How can this book help me navigate my surgical journey?

Having surgery of any kind can be an overwhelming, sometimes scary prospect with a lot of unknown factors. Patients don’t know what they don’t know. This book helps patients navigate the surgery process by equipping them with information and practical tools you won’t find in brochures from your doctor’s office.

It contains questions to ask healthcare professionals, insurance companies, employers, with worksheets and templates to help patients get their pre-op information organized and keep track of their post-op recovery strategies like recognizing the signs of infection or other complications, traditional and complementary pain management tools, dealing with post-op depression and more.

What types of surgery does this book cover?

This book is filled with resources and tools for patients having general surgery (such as an appendectomy, gall bladder removal, hernia repair), orthopedic surgery (bones, joints, ligaments, tendons including replacements and repairs), cardiothoracic surgery (open-heart, bypass, heart valve repair/replacement, lung resection), neurosurgery (brain, spinal cord, spinal fusion, nerves), plastic surgery (plastic surgery is considered surgery and carries all the same preparation, precautions and recovery), ophthalmic surgery (eyes), ENT surgery (ears, nose throat), urologic surgery (involving the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, prostate), gynecologic surgery (female reproductive system surgery such as hysterectomy, cystectomy, tubal ligation), vascular surgery (focusing on conditions affecting blood vessels, such as aneurysms, peripheral artery disease and varicose veins), to name a few.

I’m having emergency surgery. Can this book still help me?

Absolutely. This is perfect reading material for a patient or a concerned family member wanting to help. If you’ve woken up in the hospital having undergone emergency surgery, this book helps you find peace of mind by creating plans for your hospital stay, release, and recovery. As I explain in the book, emergency surgery is much smoother with help from a loved one. Preparing your home for your return, since you didn’t have time to plan ahead, is a major component of the strategies I focus on in the book.

Give a copy of this book to them so they can read about what would be helpful –– pulling up carpets if you’ll be on crutches or using a walker, moving kitchen items to avoid heavy lifting, bending or twisting, buying some healthy groceries, filling the freezer with healthy, easy to re-heat single-serving soups, organizing calendars with follow-up appointments and people to drop by and help with tasks or do errands. This book will help ensure you won’t go through recovery alone.