Preparing for Surgery
Learn about preparing for cancer surgery in this guide from The ONE Group (Oncology – Nutrition – Exercise) at Penn State College of Medicine.
What you should know
What is surgery?
Surgery is a way to treat cancer. It is when a surgeon removes the cancer from your body. Surgeons are doctors who have special training in surgery.
Types of cancer surgeries and their benefits
Curative surgery:
Removes the cancerous tumor from the body
Preventive surgery:
Removes tissue that may turn cancerous
Diagnostic surgery:
Determines whether cells are cancerous
How is surgery performed?
Surgeons often use small, thin knives and other sharp tools to cut your body during surgery.Surgery often requires cuts through skin, muscles and sometimes bone. After surgery, these cuts can be painful and take time to heal.Anesthesia keeps you from feeling pain during surgery. Anesthesia medications are drugs that cause you to lose feeling or awareness. These drugs can cause constipation and may take days to weeks to get out of your system.
What you can do: Exercising before surgery
Benefits of exercise before cancer surgery
Decreases risks and side effects of cancer surgery
Enhances blood flow and heart rate
Makes it easier to exercise after cancer surgery
Decreases symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments
Increases movement and strength of bones and muscles
Increases chances of successful surgery
Tips for exercising before surgery
Ask your doctor which exercises are safe for you.
Take it slow. Increase volume of exercise gradually until surgery.
Do exercises that you enjoy.
Possible exercises you can try
Walking
Swimming
Resistance exercise
Playing sports such as racquetball
Note: Exercise in the weeks prior to surgery is well-documented to improve surgical outcomes.
Notes
Contact your physician if:
You feel extreme pain.
You pass out while exercising.
You experience loss of control.
References
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Stanford Health Care