The sort of lifestyle changes you make before surgery in Australia will have a bearing on your recovery, how fast your wounds put themselves right and whether any complications are inclined to put in an appearance. So what is the way to prepare for surgery in Australia? The short of it is to put an end to smoking or vaping at the earliest opportunity, put your diet in order, be sensible with alcohol, stay active, see your care team about your medicines and supplements and have any chronic conditions well in hand before the operation.
We have put together this guide for those with an elective procedure, day surgery or a more protracted hospital stay in mind and who would prefer something with evidence behind it to the old “just rest up” line. Liliana Ashcroft has a simple way of looking at it: you should make the most of the weeks that precede surgery since the healing process is already under way long before you are wheeled into theatre.
Why Small Changes Matter
Some would have you believe the surgeon does all the hard work and after that it is down to chance. It is not. Whether you have a smooth recovery or one that is as rough as guts depends on your body’s reserves of protein, its immune and lung function, blood sugar and so forth.
It is the accumulation of everyday habits that can trip you up. A little too much of a good thing with the booze, inadequate sleep or hydration, low protein and even the odd “social” vape can raise the prospect of pulmonary issues, postoperative infection, a slower healing wound and time in hospital. Understanding the nicotine impact during recovery is crucial for better outcomes.
What The Evidence Shows
You will find perioperative optimisation and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) feature more in Australian perioperative care. To put it plainly, hospitals are intent on putting your system in better nick prior to the procedure so as to speed your recovery, not merely address the surgical issue.
There is cause for this. Uncontrolled diabetes is tied to more infections and slow healing; the same goes for smoking and higher complication rates. Fitter and better nourished patients stand up to the stress of an operation better, which is why prehabilitation is now a routine recommendation from health systems across Australia.
Your Timeline At A Glance
One does not make the best pre-op changes on the eve of surgery. It is more like packing for a long bush track than throwing a toothbrush in a bag at the eleventh hour. The sooner you get to it the more room your body has to manoeuvre.
In reality many put off the healthy stuff. A few days will do some good but for anything meaningful like giving up smoking or building up your protein you want four to eight weeks.
| Time Before Surgery | Main Focus | Why It Helps |
| 4–8 weeks | Cease smoking and vaping, get fitter, up your protein and cut back on alcohol, control your diabetes | For the sake of your lungs, circulation and glycaemic control, to heal well and keep risk of complications down |
| 1–2 weeks | Put your house in order with transport and home help, stay hydrated, confirm with your doctor what medications to stop and steer clear of illness | To head off any last minute cancellations or bleeding risks from medication and the stress of it all |
| 24–72 hours | Observe the fasting rules, no alcohol, have your fluids and bowel prep as instructed and get some sleep | Makes for a safer anaesthetic and nips delays in the bud |
If You Are Short On Time
With a week to go you should concentrate on the important things: abstain from smoking, vaping and heavy drinking, see to your hydration and bowel function and have a word with your GP, pharmacist, anaesthetist or surgeon over every supplement and medicine. It is not ideal but there is value in it.
Several weeks is the preferred window to do proper preparation where you can shift the dial with exercise and nutrition rather than just tidying up the edges.
Eat For Better Repair
Surgery is an ordeal for the body and your diet beforehand is of consequence. It requires fluid, vitamins, minerals and calories to stave off inflammation and put tissue back together without the immune system surrendering.
The mistake is to eat “light and healthy” and end up with not enough energy or protein. Salad is not going to be enough for major surgery. Have some real nourishment.
Protein, Vitamins, And Fluids
When it comes to pulling the right levers before an operation, protein is hard to beat. There is value in keeping up muscle and aiding tissue repair as well as the immune system. Eggs, chicken, fish and lean meat are fine choices, as are dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese, or tofu and legumes. Where appetite wanes a patient might be put on an oral supplement of the Abbott Ensure variety (Ensure Australia), but that is only at the behest of his or her clinician.
Plenty of emphasis is placed on vitamin C and zinc for healing purposes. They are important yet no kind of magic fairy dust. It is better for most to have a varied diet of fruit, vegetables, protein and so forth than to go loading up on high-dose supplements of one sort or another without first consulting the hospital team.
Then there is the matter of being well hydrated prior to surgery. This can be overlooked, yet it is good for circulation and the kidneys and bowels; all of which is of consequence when pain medication is in prospect. A dehydrated patient is apt to be more uncomfortable after the operation and may find constipation an unwelcome side quest.
Food In The Final Days
In the week or so before the procedure, eschew the crash diets and takeaway excesses in favour of something dependable. A bowl of porridge with berries and yoghurt, dhal with yoghurt, rice and fish with your vegetables, eggs on toast or a soup with some beans or chicken. Not particularly glamorous, but solid fuel.
On the eve of an operation you will be bound by the pre-op fasting instructions. See to it you follow them to the letter. Do not be swayed by what a neighbour says or read on a forum or what was done for another procedure half a decade ago. Every hospital and anaesthetist has his own rules on the subject.
Move Without Overdoing It
Prehabilitation is simply a way of getting the body ready for surgery. There is no call to put in the kind of training required to cross the Red Centre on foot, but then again inactivity is seldom the answer unless the doctor has said as much.
As Liliana Ashcroft would have it, steady consistency is preferable to a heroic bootcamp that has you hobbling as though you have had words with a staircase. Surgery does not reward drama.
Safe Activity Before Theatre
A daily walk and a few strength moves are enough for most adults to see off the risk of blood clots and put lung function in order, which is of particular import with abdominal, chest or orthopaedic work. Walking, light resistance and breathing exercises are where one starts.
Intensity is the trap. Those who are older, deconditioned or in chronic pain should not be putting in high-intensity intervals because the internet touts a quick fix. That is not for the unguided beginner. Let a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist at the pre-admission clinic put together a plan that is safe.
Substances That Derail Healing
Here is where some will try to make a case for it: a vape, a couple of drinks, an herbal gummy or a painkiller left over from someone else. Will it be alright? Sometimes it will not be.
Such things have an effect on bleeding, sedation, blood pressure, the delivery of oxygen and the chances of postoperative infection. Honesty is called for rather than any pretence of being the healthiest patient around.
Smoking, Vaping, And Alcohol
Put an end to smoking and vaping as soon as you can. Nicotine constricts the vessels and starves the tissues of oxygen, hindering the healing of wounds. The consequences for recovery are not to be trifled with; it can slow everything down and up the risk of complications. Some make the error of thinking a vape is innocuous for want of smoke. If there is nicotine involved, be open with your team. Quit (Australia) or the Cancer Council NSW and a GP can provide the necessary support.
Alcohol is another consideration. Excessive use puts a strain on the liver and immunity and raises the spectre of withdrawal in hospital. A short-term cut back is helpful. But if you are a heavy or daily drinker, do not attempt to white-knuckle it on your own, medical advice is needed.
Medicines And Supplements
Whether a medicine is to be stopped or adjusted or must in no circumstances be discontinued will depend on the procedure and one’s health history. That goes for blood thinners, anti-inflammatories, hormones, diabetes drugs and weight-loss injections. Review is in order for such items as well as fish oil, garlic, ginseng, ginkgo and vitamin E in high doses.
One has to wonder at the notion of guessing. Instead, make a complete inventory of what you are on: your prescriptions and over-the-counter wares, powders and injectables, patches, nicotine, herbal remedies, the lot. “Natural” is not synonymous with safe in the context of surgery, as hospital pre-admission paperwork and the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (plasticsurgery.org.au) will be at pains to point out.
Stabilise Any Chronic Conditions
Pre-op lifestyle is of greater import for those with anaemia, heart disease, asthma or COPD, sleep apnoea, obesity and diabetes. You are after better control and to avoid any post-surgical hiccups, not some kind of perfection.
Folks tend to under-estimate the logistics in this regard. A case of blood sugars being all over the place, an unsafe blood pressure, chest symptoms making an appearance, or having failed to put forward your sleep apnoea equipment can see the operation cancelled at the eleventh hour. Better to have these matters in order than to be trying to sort them while in one of those gowns that open at the back, which is no great outfit, and you are fasting.
Matters of Lungs, Weight and Diabetes
With diabetes, glycaemic control is paramount; elevated glucose levels will hamper wound healing and leave you more open to infection. Do not be left to your own devices when it comes to tablets, insulin, fasting and continuous glucose monitoring, ask how best to handle them well before the day of the op.
Asthmatics and the like should employ good inhaler technique, give up smoking and do their breathing exercises to stave off pulmonary complications. Those with CPAP for sleep apnoea should inform the hospital and enquire if they are to bring the machine. As for putting on weight, there is no call for a crash diet ahead of surgery, just sensible nutrition, some movement and a plan to mitigate risk.
For current Australian consumer guidance, Healthdirect’s surgery information is a relevant official starting point. The site is government funded and has the advice a patient needs on recovery and preparation.
The Practicalities
You will heal better for having your life in order. It is not exactly glamorous but it is so. Make provision for parking, transport, scripts, meals and a clean space to get over it. And someone to stand in for you when you cannot cook, drive, lift or bend for a while.
Too often the operation is the focus and the journey home is an afterthought. Discharge times have a way of running long and parking at some hospitals is extortionate. Even a same-day procedure will want a responsible adult on hand. This is not the time for a spontaneous stroll on the Noosa coastal track, it is about knowing where the thermometer is and having the meds to hand.
In the week or day prior
- Put down who is to pick you up and check on transport, parking and the time you are due to arrive, as well as the fasting rules.
- Have your GP, surgeon, pharmacist or anaesthetist look over your medicines, supplements and nicotine products.
- See that you have prescriptions for pain or anti-nausea, fibre and fluids, easy meals and any wound dressings you may have been told to have. If mobility is going to be an issue, put someone on to help with the house, the stairs, the kids and pets.
- Do not let yourself get run down, dehydrated or sunburnt in the last few days.
When you get back
Before you head to the hospital, have a recovery area ready. Glasses, water, chargers, important phone numbers, pillows and snacks should be at hand. Opioids will be part of the picture for some; put in a word about bowel management early on, constipation is as much a given after surgery as mozzies in the wet.
If you are to be less mobile, take stock of the toilet height, the shower, handrails and steps. In short, audit the home. There is nothing dramatic about it, only good sense. A setup that is smooth will save you from expending energy when you are in no fit state and feeling the ache of it all.
Calm The Nervous System
Being under stress is not a sign of weakness, it is what one would expect of a human being on the eve of an operation. Yet uncontrolled stress has a way of disrupting your sleep and appetite, putting up your blood pressure and making it hard to take on board instructions, so manage it where you can.
For this you do not need any of the lofty wellness waffle, simple tools are more effective. A short walk, some breathing exercises, journalling or a bit of practical planning will do. Australians tend to find Smiling Mind a handy mindfulness app for its straightforwardness; there is none of the incense-and-mantras affectation.
Sleep And Mental Prep
In the week or two leading up to surgery make an effort to guard your sleep. Be sensible with caffeine and alcohol, put the phone down and do not doom-scroll in bed. Should anxiety get the better of you, put in a call for help. One minute you are fine, the next it is the night before and your head is full of every conceivable disaster as if they were uninvited guests.
Very anxious? Make it known to your treating team. Surgeons and anaesthetists are used to it. You are hardly the first to be rattled and will not be the last.
Final Reflection
The sort of lifestyle adjustments one makes pre-op are seldom Instagrammable and never fancy. They are the basics done properly: put the nicotine aside, have less alcohol, see to your protein intake, hydrate, be safe with your movements, get your meds in order and deal with any chronic conditions. Arrange for support at home.
Liliana Ashcroft puts it plainly: a recovery is usually better when the lead-up is given due respect and not written off as dead time. The weeks before are for active healing, not just sitting in the waiting room.
Frequently Asked Questions
What To Do Before Surgery To Heal Faster?
Stick to the fundamentals. Cease smoking and vaping, put some protein in your pre-surgery diet, remain hydrated and within safe limits keep moving. Heed medical advice on fasting and medicines. For those with diabetes, lung disease or sleep apnoea, having these in a more stable condition will cut down on complications.
What Not To Do 7 Days Before Surgery?
No smoking, vaping or binging on drink, nor should you start any extreme form of exercise. As for supplements or medications, do not put them to the test without asking your care team; too many are taken aback by fish oil, anti-inflammatories, herbal remedies or weight-loss products.
What Not To Eat The Night Before An Operation?
Whatever the hospital’s fasting rules say is what you should adhere to. The anaesthetist and the procedure will dictate when you can have food, milk or clear fluids. To risk your anaesthetic or have surgery put back, have a greasy takeaway or ignore the clock.
What Are The Best Foods To Eat One Week Before Surgery?
Opt for meals that are easy to digest and high in protein. Think eggs, yoghurt, fish or chicken, tofu, legumes, soups, oats, rice and the like, along with fruit and vegetables. You want solid protein reserves and to be well hydrated, not to be on a crash diet or detox.
How Early Should I Quit Nicotine Before Surgery?
Ideally a few weeks in advance, the sooner the better. But even if time is short, stop now. It is worth telling your GP or surgeon of your use of cigarettes, vapes, gum or pouches; the product is beside the point when it comes to how nicotine affects your recovery.