Before Your Arthritis Surgery: How to Prepare

You’ve weighed your options, discussed the procedure with your doctor, and your surgery date is reserved. Ready to go, right?

A little forethought can make things a whole lot easier during your hospital stay and when you come home. And sometimes it can help prevent some unpleasant surprises.  Here’s a checklist.

Catch Up On Paperwork

This includes arranging for deposits of income and paying bills that will become due during your hospital stay and your first few weeks of recovery. And, not to borrow trouble, but if you’re like most of us, you’ll go into any operation with an easier mind if you’ve asked your lawyer to draw up a power of attorney and update your will if necessary.

Visit the Dentist

No kidding: You should have any necessary dental work done well before the operation. Bacteria from even a minor infection elsewhere in the body, like the mouth, can get into your bloodstream and travel to the joint. One thing you don’t want is to have your new joint get infected, and this can happen if unfriendly bacteria start swimming around in your bloodstream. (If you need dental work after your joint replacement, your doctor may prescribe preventive antibiotics in advance for safety’s sake. Be sure to check with your doctor before any dental work.)

Assess Your Surroundings

Look around at your home or office as though you’re seeing it during your recovery period. If you’ll be using crutches or a walker, how easy will it be to get around? Tidy up and move obstacles out of the way. If your bedroom is upstairs, consider lining up some helpers to set up a temporary downstairs bedroom and make it cheerful. Your friends will be just as happy to hold your hand in the living room.

Go Shopping

Stock up on grocery staples and household items now. Prepare and freeze meals ahead of time. Now’s the time to indulge in that novel you’ve been wanting to read or borrow stacks of videos from your neighbor. Your local library, besides lending books, probably also lends videos; update your library card and check things out ahead of time. If you have a computer and modem, often you can search the library catalogs and request titles you want and even renew items over the modem.

Consider a Class

It’s good to learn as much as you can about your operation and what to expect afterward well before the procedure is done. One study found that people who attended a two-hour class about knee replacements improved much faster after surgery than people who didn’t. The first group spent about two fewer days in the hospital than the others and needed less physical therapy afterward. So ask your doctor or call the hospital to find out about classes.

Look Ahead

Get a clear picture of what to expect afterward. Ask your doctor to tell you what are normal recovery periods, what types of exercises you’ll be doing, and how limited your activities will be and for how long.

Pack with Care

Be choosy about what to take with you to the hospital. Pack comfy pajamas and robe, non-slip slippers, an inexpensive watch or clock, magazines and phone numbers of friends and relatives. Leave your valuables at home, but do bring a favorite photo. A small inexpensive tape player with headphones can fill your mind with music.

Avoid Pocketbook Shock

In these days of confusing and rapidly changing health insurance plans, you can’t overdo the questions about what is and what is not covered.  Ask the hospital:

• Who are all the separate health care professionals I will receive a bill from? Often the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and physical therapist, for example, send a bill separate from the hospitals.

Ask your health insurance representative:

• Is this hospital a preferred or approved hospital? Which of my doctors are preferred? While your surgeon might be “preferred,” your anesthesiologist might not be, which can make a big difference in how much money you have to shell out. It’s best to know ahead of time.
  
  
• How long a hospital stay is allowed? You don’t want to be arguing this while you’re in the hospital and perhaps feeling bad. Get this spelled out ahead of time. Ask exactly what’s required if your doctor feels you need more recovery time in the hospital than your health plan specifies.
  
  
• Precisely what after-surgery care is paid for? Your doctor may want you to work with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, or a nutritionist. Find out if these are covered, and get names of preferred or approved ones.
  
  
• Are crutches, splints, or a walker paid for? If so, how do you get the claim forms? Do you need to purchase or rent these aids from a specific place?
  
  
• Is home health care paid for? If not, and your doctor recommends it, some communities offer home care for payment on a sliding scale, which means it’s based on your ability to pay. You may need only a recommendation from your doctor.

Ask your company benefits administrator:

• Do I get disability pay from work, and how much is it and how long will it last?

Last Updated: 8/23/2002
The Johns Hopkins University 1996-2003.  All rights reserved.  This information is not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor is it intended to be a substitute for consultation.