No deodorant (or lotions/sprays) for THREE days before surgery??!!??

[fulafoto]

Down here in Oz I have been given two packs to wash with - one the night before and one the day of surgery and same as you guys; no deodorant etc. after the first wash.
5 days does seem extreme to me as you would think if you did the wash properly you would not get a great deal of benefit after the first one as far as being cleaner?
I have also been given suppositories to use the night before and the morning of. The instructions say stay close to a toilet which is well and good for the one the night before but the one in the morning may cause some problems as I live a 40 minute drive from the hospital. Could be an interesting drive!!!

 

[Chessie]

@fulafoto Yikes! My drive is longer than that (an hour) so that would be very difficult to do! I have not been given any, and I sure hope that I don't!

OH - congrats on your date!!!

 

[fulafoto]

Thanks so much @Chessie - I would imagine if you needed the suppositories they would have given you then at your pre-op appointment. That is where I got them at my first pre-op appointment. Not sure if it is common practice here in Oz but will tag @Vetgirl and @Poppet to find out if they were given suppositories before their surgery or maybe it's just my OS who wants to give me the ...... I wont say in mixed company

 

[Poppet]

Hi there dear Bill, @fulafoto - no, no suppositories for this girl.. Thank goodness.. X

 

[frieds]

Exactly. I didn't have a three day thing and no one told me not to do deodorant. Guess that was all I was trying to point out in my previous post ;). And my hospital as I said, took precautions super serious but they didn't ask for three days prior etc


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[shrinkette]

@fulafoto SUPPOSITORIES!!?? The morning of surgery!!?? A 40-minute drive?! Oy-oy-oy! Here's a thought: what if the morning ones "activate," so to speak, DURING surgery!? Guess they're used to that possibility, & you won't know, anyway. No prunes for you THAT morning! This is a "first", I think. You'll handle it.

 

[moms4tne]

Here's pictures of info straight out of my hospital's pre-op handbook:

So, you see, it's instructing use the special soap sponges for three days prior to, and the morning of, surgery; not to use lotions, deodorants, etc., the morning of surgery; and not to shave the area around the surgical site for a week prior to surgery. Then, no manicures or pedicures for a week prior, and no nail polish (I was told they want to watch the nail bed for signs of oxygenation. Hope this helps. I'm sure the routine is similar to this at most hospitals, and either the person instructing you was misinformed or you misunderstood.

 

[frieds]

@moms - I think different hospitals have different guidelines just out of preference. The information in writing I was given was different and did my require the three day thing or special soap or no deodorants or lotions. Mine was far simpler with nothing day off except the wipes they provided to use night before post shower and morning of at hospital. Therefore I think chessie is safe and educated enough to make right decision for herself. The reality is my procedure went excellent


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[psychteach]

Yeah.. All are different. I had 5 days if nasal ointment to prevent Mrsa, 5 days of antibacterial washes.. No washes at hospital. I was allowed to wear toe nail polish.. Had it done day before and my pedicure looked oh so pretty to look at lying on my butt in the hospital


LTHR Direct Anterior May 19, 2014

 

[Chessie]

@moms4me...No I absolutely did not misunderstand because the 3 days is written in the instructions for the product itself. It say specifically to not use any deodorants or other lotions/sprays after the first wash, 3 days prior to surgery. I was never *told* this by the staff at my appt. They simply said it was a pre-surgery wash/scrub and the instructions were in the bag.

 

[nogods]

perhaps the facility you are going to has an infectious disease problem that you may want to avoid by using another hospital that doesn't have such unusual pre-op requirements. If everyone else in the room is wearing deodorant then how does the deodorant free patient help the cause? Maybe it is just one smelly hospital.

 

[Chessie]

perhaps the facility you are going to has an infectious disease problem that you may want to avoid by using another hospital that doesn't have such unusual pre-op requirements. If everyone else in the room is wearing deodorant then how does the deodorant free patient help the cause? Maybe it is just one smelly hospital.

LOL!! No I would not be going there if they had such a problem...I did my research.

 

[Chessie]

I was allowed to wear toe nail polish.. Had it done day before and my pedicure looked oh so pretty to look at lying on my butt in the hospital

Yup. And I have to have my nails completely devoid of polish. But I'm okay with that.

 

[OneHipDone]

I'm having my R THR this coming Thurs 26 June. I was given a tube of wash liquid and instructed to use it only on day of surgery. I'm being admitted on same day. I won't use any deodorant or lotions afterwards bug will wash and dry my hair that morning too!

 

[JoeL]

Try and contact your O.S. ask him/her about this and follow His/Hers instructions to a tee, rather then just generic advice the hospital may give out. He may have a different idea. In my case his instructions and the hospitals were a little bit different on things like incision care and restrictions. I of course followed his advice. These folks go to school for a long time and even though often different O.S.'s seem to contradict each other, they have their reasons. Remember we are in this for the long haul and you are putting your trust and your life in his/hers hands. Good luck on your future surgery and for an uneventful recovery.

 

[Poppet]

Amazing how many different protocols there are, I am following this thread with interest..

 

[fulafoto]

@fulafoto SUPPOSITORIES!!?? The morning of surgery!!?? A 40-minute drive?! Oy-oy-oy! Here's a thought: what if the morning ones "activate," so to speak, DURING surgery!? Guess they're used to that possibility, & you won't know, anyway. No prunes for you THAT morning! This is a "first", I think. You'll handle it.

Oh Ellen my DW and I just read your comment and we are killing ourselves laughing!!! Definitely no prunes that morning LOL

 

[Vetgirl]

Hi @Chessie @fulafoto and everyone

I of course asked more questions the more times I had surgery.

You are asked to use the chlorhexidine washes usually 3 days prior to surgery as it is an antibacterial wash. The best way to use it is to wash your hair and everything else prior to using the wash. Then Wash your body from the neck down with the wash, rinse and dry as normal.

You should use a fresh towel each time and then go about Your normal daily duties....you can even play with the dog!!! (I asked this question because I didn't understand the three days prior washing if you could do all the normal daily activities that might potentially carry bugs..answer coming!) On the morning of surgery repeat, fresh towel and dress. I used fresh clothes to get into......avoid playing with the dog today. Follow your other preop instructions re deodorant, creams etc. I personally wouldn't be putting any type of cream on my leg the morning of surgery.....

The reason they get you to wash on the days prior to the surgery is because chlorhex builds up a film on the skin and keeps working afterwards. By using it a few days prior you are building up that layer on the skin. I was given scrub brushes. If you are given these DO NOT USE THE BRUSH SIDE.....SPONGE ONLY. The brush is for the nails, and the surgeons and nurses use this when scrubbing prior to surgery. The brush if used on the skin brings up more bugs etc because of its abrasive nature. I just ripped mine off. When washing get a nice lather going too.

I hope that helps explain it all a little.

Good luck everyone

 

[nogods]

it seems to be an outdated ineffective method of preventing surgery site infections which unfortunately ends up inhibiting the progress toward real solutions because hospital administrators think they have found a solution when in fact they have not

Surgical site infection is a serious complication of surgery and is usually associated with increased length of hospital stay for the patient, and also higher hospital costs. The use of an antiseptic solution for preoperative bathing or showering is widely practiced in the belief that it will help to prevent surgical site infections from developing. This review identified seven trials, with over 10,000 patients, that tested skin antiseptics (chlorhexidine solution) against normal soap or no presurgical washing. The review of these trials did not show clear evidence that the use of chlorhexidine solution before surgery was better than other wash products at preventing surgical site infections from developing after surgery.

broken link removed: https://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004985/preoperative-bathing-or-showering-with-skin-antiseptics-to-prevent-surgical-site-infection

 

[frieds]

I only was asked to use wipes the evening before surgery and right before putting on hospital gown. Took shower as normal with my own products, dried off and then wiped with the clothes provided. Was easy and obviously worked for me


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