When you schedule an appointment for an endovenous laser ablation, you'll get instructions on what to do before and after the procedure. Some of them make sense, such as taking it easy after the procedure and not driving when the sedatives haven't yet worn off. Others, however, may seem normal because you've heard them from others who have gotten the procedure, but when you think about them, they might not make that much sense. They do have their purposes, and when you understand why you're being asked to do them, complying with instructions becomes much easier.
Not Eating Before the Procedure
Endovenous laser ablation done on your legs sometimes does and sometimes doesn't require general anesthesia. If you're going to receive general anesthesia, you should not eat for a certain amount of time before the procedure because the anesthesia makes your normal digestive checks and balances relax. In other words, the muscles that prevent food and stomach acid from traveling back up into your esophagus and throat relax, and you are at risk of choking and vomiting. Not eating for a while before the surgery ensures your stomach will not cause problems.
If you're receiving local anesthesia with sedation, you still shouldn't eat before the procedure if instructed because sedation can also cause your muscles to relax enough to allow food to head back up toward your throat. That doesn't always happen with sedation, but you don't want to take the risk if your doctor has advised fasting for a few hours.
Telling the Doctor About All Medications, Including Herbal and OTC
If you're having surgery on your leg, why do you need to let the doctor know about your use of aged garlic extract or that ibuprofen you took yesterday? Medicines interact in weird ways, and the doctor needs to be sure that nothing you have recently taken will interfere with anesthesia, sedation, clotting, or other natural processes that your body needs to work on as you recover. For example, ibuprofen is known to act as a blood thinner. If you take it before the procedure, you could end up bleeding even more.
Why You Can't Drive but Have to Walk
Obviously, you're not going to be in any shape to drive after the procedure. But after this type of ablation, you may be asked to walk around. While surface incision sites often need to form a clot to help stop the bleeding after the procedure, much like a cut, you don't want clots in your veins. Walking after the ablation helps reduce the chances of clots.
Ablations don't take long; the pre and post-op times may make it seem like a long procedure, but you'll get through it quickly. Keep these tips in mind when looking for endovenous laser ablation services near you.
Share4 November 2021
My name is Katie Langer. For a long time, I was bed ridden and I felt like I had no control over my life. I simply went along with what was instructed by my doctor and I didn't ask questions. It wasn't that my doctor wasn't willing to work with me, but I preferred to simply not think about the illness I was suffering from. I didn't realize that some of the symptoms I was suffering from were side effects of my medication and were not normal. After communicating more with my doctor, I was able to alleviate my symptoms. Since then, I've taken an interest in patient-doctor relationships and how to improve them.
