The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-01-04
Preparing for an Operation.
CRv Insanhine HilI.l

Surgery prevents much unnecessary
suffering and it prolongs many use
full and happy life; but it is such fine
art that its requirements are many
and, even to the smallest detail, the
strictest care must be observed and
| the doctors orders must be absolutely
carried out If not. there may be in
lection, and which the surgeons think
can be prevented by cleanliness accord
| ing to surgical ideas.
Before going under a surgical opera
ton the patient must go through a
routine preparation that is necessary
for her own benefit. The day before
the operation the patient enters the
| hospital (if the operation is to be per-
formed there) and submits to the prep
arationS without murmur; but it is
the patients who stay at home, and
have the operation there, to whom
want to give a word of warning. Do
not disregard any of the orders left by
| your surgeon.
He knows. and you do not Each
thing he tells you to do, or not to do,
has a reason, and a very good one. The
be more or less quiet. Do not let hys-
terical friends see and talk to you OF
horrible operations.
Do not let your family even besiege
you with attentions and get you
worked up to the pitch of nervousness
Take it calmly and leave the respon-
| sibility of it to your surgeon and his
assistants.
Go into it with the feeling that you
want to, be we'll soon and will help
yourself by not worrying. If you have
a surgical nurse with you for the time
being, let her get the run of the house
cause after the operation you should
not be worried by domestic affairs.
The surgeon will order a cathartic to
be given at bedtime the night before
the operation. l have often had pa
tents to question the sense of this,
saying the system should not be
| weakened by physic." On the other
hand, it is absolutely necessary to have
the liver in good order, the stomach
sweetened up, and the intestines in
good order before the operation.
! The dinner or supper the night be-
| fore should be moderate and nourisn-
! ing. One small chop and bread and
butter will be about enough, unless
especially specified by your surgeon &C
| cording to your own case. You should
have a warm tub bath the night before
an operation. if you are well enough;
otherwise, a sponge bath in bed, be-
tween blankets. Your head should
have had a shampoo during the day.
Remember there are two circum-
stances under which a patient under
| gies an operation. One condition is
where there is a mechanical obstruc-
ton or growth and which is discovered
before the trouble begins, Under these
conditions there is no Inflammation, nc
pain, and the patient practically feels
well, such as when there is no tumor
or when a patient has had one attack
of appendicitis and decides to have the
appendix taken out before another at
tack.
In cases of acute inflammation, caus-
ing fever and excruciat1ng pain, there
will likely be a nurse. who will carry
out the surgeons preparation. So it is
mere to the well patients l am Civ
ing a little advance, for there have
been cases where they disregard the
surgeons orders, and the consequences
were faatl.
On the morning. of the operation the
patient will be told to eat no break
fast, only to drink cup of coffee or
tea, for If you eat any solid food be-
fore you take ether or chloroform it
causes nausea. If the patient should
vomit while the surgeon is performing
the operation, ana Tying up IISdI1ellIS,
veins, and arteries, it is too important
time to stop and help the patient.
Being unconscious, he cannot help
himself. Pieces of solid food clog in
the throat and windpipe, suffocation
ensues, then death, all for the sake of
little useless food.
This has really happened, where the
patient promised to regard, the sur
geon's orders if left alone, at home,
then decided it was foolish to go with
out dinner, which she ate heartily, did
not tell the surgeon, and choked to
death while under the effects of ether.
while the picture is not pretty, it has
it's lesson. Obey those who know more
of important things than you do.
The nextathing is to have your men
tai poise. / have heard patients say:
81 went to the operating table thinking
to myself if I will trust that all goes
WE'LL" others go with a. prayer In their
heart and external calm. 1t is really
help to have peaceful feeling of
coming relief. and take in the ether
quietly. by inhaling it slowly and
breathing deep, just as the assistant
surgeon will direct you.
Do not resist the feeling of floating
in the air, but take it in deeply, and
let yourself float into Inconsistencies,
for that is what the surgeon wishes.
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r. La 0,un profecfion