Are you going to undergo a surgical procedure few weeks from now? Or is it your loved one, perhaps? Know the basics of handling a patient after a lengthy surgery today! Here are some of the ways you can take care of a patient, especially if he/she is a senior citizen.
After surgery, the patient may feel dizzy or the need to vomit.
It takes almost an hour or two for the anaesthesia to wear off a patient’s body. Enough rest is needed for the patient to recover. Make sure that the room temperature is not too cold or too warm. Prepare all the clean linen, medications and other necessities the patient might need. Most of the time, a patient might feel groggy or dizzy after a surgery. Prepare for instances wherein the patient feels the need to vomit. It is important to ensure a recovery-initiating room environment for a patient who just went under the needle and the thread. You can place extra blankets around the patient if he/she feels colder than the normal.
Listen to what the doctor says.
If the doctor prescribes a certain set of drugs for the patient to take, prepare it for the designated time when the patient needs it. The drugs the patient need might be given according to the anaesthesia used during the surgery. If epidural anaesthesia was used, morphine can be injected to a plastic tube right in the person’s back. Ask the doctor about safety measures to take and the food that the patient must eat.
Look out for complications.
You don’t have to necessarily make a checklist of all the complications you need to spot. Just observe the patient always. Ask the patient if he/she feels uncomfortable or something strange has happened to him/her. By this we mean that fever, blood clots, difficulty in urinating and defecating, loss of strength or appetite, memory loss or wound complications can occur in a patient after surgery. You can report to the nurse or your healthcare assistant about the issues.
Taking care of a patient after surgery is indeed a challenging task. However, this is made easier through our tips and our own services here at Friendship Manor. Stay tuned and check our blog for the part two of this article. Learning the basics of an important procedure after surgery can really help you and your loved one. If you are already interested in getting help for a post surgical care, then call Friendship Manor at 618-327-3041! Or visit us at 485 S. Friendship Dr. Nashville, IL 62263.
