- What are all of the treatment options for your situation?
- What are the benefits and risks to having this surgery or other treatment options?
- Do you have the best surgeon for this procedure? How many of these surgeries does he/she do per year?
- Find out in writing the name of the surgery and what is to happen during the surgery.
- What type of anesthesia will you have? Local at the site, general when you are asleep on a breathing tube (ventilator) or something else.
- What care, treatment or follow up do you need after surgery? For example, sinus surgery requires many office visits after surgery and knee replacement surgery requires a lot of physical therapy to get back to normal. These are not one time visits, but are an important part of recovery back to normal that can take months.
- Get a second opinion from a surgeon that is not a friend or referral by your present doctor. You want an unbiased second opinion on whether you need surgery, what type of surgery, what type of anesthesia, and what treatment is needed after surgery.
- Have you done all the possible non-surgical treatment available?
There are many areas to review and think about when you hear surgery might be in your future:
Article of Interest
Your Doctor Says You Need Surgery, Now What?
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