Selected Podcast
Surgery and What to Expect
Hearing the word 'surgery' can cause anxieties for a lot of people but most surgeries are same day, fairly routine, and complications are rare. Dr. Rajiv Shah discusses what to expect if you're having surgery.
Featuring:
Rajiv K. Shah, MD
Rajiv K. Shah, MD is a General Surgeon with St. Francis Medical Associates.Transcription:
Scott Webb: Just hearing the word surgery may cause some anxiety for folks, but my guest today wants us all to know that most surgeries are same-day, fairly routine and complications are rare. And I'm joined today by Dr. Rajiv K. Shah. He's a general surgeon with St. Francis.
This is Word on Wellness, the podcast from St. Francis Medical Center. I'm Scott Webb. Doctor, thanks so much for your time today. I know that you're a general surgeon. So typically, who has surgery or what are the most common surgeries that you perform?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: The most common surgeries I perform are thyroid surgeries, gallbladder surgeries, hernia surgeries, hemorrhoid surgery, and lumps and bumps, pretty much all over the body, boils, fistula surgery, which, you know, people see very commonly in their lives and sometimes they don't know that they need any surgery for that.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And that's why it's good to have surgeons, especially a general surgeon who can just kind of, you know, perform just about any type of surgery. So when a patient is facing surgery, what types of concerns do they typically have?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: So most of the patients, the concerns they have is what's the recovery time; are they gonna have cancer, if it's a lump or bump, which has been there a long time; how they're going to do after the surgery, how they're going to function. So those are mostly the concerns most of my patients have.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And you say lumps and bumps, do you find that many people sort of have these lumps and bumps and they don't typically come in in a timely fashion because maybe they're concerned as you say about it being cancer or something more serious?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Right. So some of the patients, they don't come in because they don't have pain or they don't have any symptoms. And the reason the patients would come in is sometimes they see their primary doctor and say, "Oh no, you need to go to a surgeon and get this checked out." So there are a couple of reasons they come in early or sometimes they're late.
Scott Webb: So when we think about the day of surgery, like the actual day in the OR or in the office, if it's an outpatient type thing, whatever it is, what do patients need to know? What's expected of them in terms of eating, not eating that kind of thing? What kind of prep is typically involved and so on?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Right. If it's surgery related to your gastrointestinal tract, means you're intestine, then you usually need a prep which would be cleaning up your whole GI tract. But if it's any other surgery, maybe say hemorrhoids, gallbladders, hernias, fistulas, or even lumps and bumps, you don't need any prep. You just don't either drink the night before. And then you show up on the day of surgery, the hospital usually calls you and sets all that up for you. And after the surgery's done, you recover in the hospital for a couple hours and then you're back home. So that's typically what we call same-day surgery.
Scott Webb: Same-day surgery. Yeah, that's kind of the dream, I think for most patients. And when we think about the same-day surgeries, what's the typical recovery time? How quickly do most go home? Is it always the same day? And then maybe once they are home, let's talk about some of the things that they need to know. What are maybe some of the typical restrictions and so on.
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Recovery time and going home depends on what type of surgery. So say if you have lumps and bumps, which are small, you can pretty much go back to work the next day, do all your normal activities. If it's a hernia surgery, you usually have to not lift and push heavy objects for a couple of weeks. The wounds usually heal in two to three weeks. So at that point, you start going back to normal work. And otherwise, we are most worried about infection of the wound. The patient typically comes to my office one week after surgery. So I make sure that there's no infection. If there's sutures to remove or staples to remove, I do that.
And usually, it's same-day surgery. So they go home two hours later, but sometimes it's a pain tolerance or pain issue for the patient. So we tend to keep the patient for 24 hours depending on the patient and what their symptoms are.
Scott Webb: Yeah, I see what you mean that, even though it is a same-day surgery, they may stay overnight. When we think about the pain, right, and the different tolerance people may have for pain, let's talk a little bit about the types of, you know, whether they're over-the-counter things that they may take at home or what they might be prescribed. How do you manage pain?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: So, you know, nowadays, I'm sure you heard that the narcotics are not good for us. So I try not to give a lot of narcotics to patients. I give very minimal, the lightest one, which we call Tylenol with codeine. It has very minimal narcotic. Because you have surgery, you need something. So I start with that. And most of the time, you can supplement Advil or Extra Strength Tylenol and you should be good. And if patients still have pain, then, you know, we go a step higher. But I start with the lowest narcotic, so they don't get addicted to it. And narcotics have their own side effects. Addiction, that's the main thing, you get nausea, vomiting, you can't drive. Every patient's different and we go accordingly.
Scott Webb: Yeah. As you say patient-specific, right? I'm curious with surgeries that you typically do, the same-day type surgeries, you know, is there ever a time when folks had to go back into the OR? What are the outcomes, I guess I'm asking? And do you have to go back in very often?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: No, the same-day surgeries, which are very common, which I just talked about, initially usually you do not have to go back for any reason. The problem you would have would be wound infection. If there is a wound infection, I can take care of that in the office, prescribe antibiotics check the wound in the office. More likely than not, you're not going back to the operating room for any reason.
Scott Webb: It's been really helpful today, doctor. As we wrap up here, what would be your words of wisdom, if you will, to patients who maybe have these lumps and bumps that they've been, you know, putting off and speaking to their primary or being referred, or they know they need surgery, but they're sort of letting the thing, whatever it is, affect their quality of life? You know, what would be your best advice to them about sort of overcoming whatever fears they have and having the surgeries that they need?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Yeah. So my advice to all the patients who would have any of the problems I discussed is that not to be afraid. I would consult any general surgeon. And they would give them the best advice. And like I said, most of the surgeries are straightforward, usually do not have complications, and they would actually put at ease their concern, because once that lump or bump is out or whatever, hernia or gallbladder, they would actually feel better and their quality of life will be better. And in the future, they won't have to deal with this problem.
Scott Webb: Yeah, I think that's a perfect way to put that, you know, and as we know, as you know as an expert, surgeries, the technology, everything just keeps getting better and more minimally invasive and faster recovery times. So there's every reason, if you have a lump or a bump or anything you've been told you need surgery for, go ahead and do that, right? As you say, they're really straightforward, very low risk of complications and so on. So doctor, thanks so much for your time today. You stay well.
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Thank you very much.
Scott Webb: For more information about St. Francis Medical Associates or to make an appointment with one of our medical providers, call 1-855-599-SFMC, that's 7362 or visit stfrancismedical.org.
And thanks for listening to Word on Wellness from St. Francis Medical Center. If you found this podcast to be helpful, please be sure to tell a friend and subscribe, rate and review this podcast and check out the entire podcast library for additional topics of interest. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well.
Scott Webb: Just hearing the word surgery may cause some anxiety for folks, but my guest today wants us all to know that most surgeries are same-day, fairly routine and complications are rare. And I'm joined today by Dr. Rajiv K. Shah. He's a general surgeon with St. Francis.
This is Word on Wellness, the podcast from St. Francis Medical Center. I'm Scott Webb. Doctor, thanks so much for your time today. I know that you're a general surgeon. So typically, who has surgery or what are the most common surgeries that you perform?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: The most common surgeries I perform are thyroid surgeries, gallbladder surgeries, hernia surgeries, hemorrhoid surgery, and lumps and bumps, pretty much all over the body, boils, fistula surgery, which, you know, people see very commonly in their lives and sometimes they don't know that they need any surgery for that.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And that's why it's good to have surgeons, especially a general surgeon who can just kind of, you know, perform just about any type of surgery. So when a patient is facing surgery, what types of concerns do they typically have?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: So most of the patients, the concerns they have is what's the recovery time; are they gonna have cancer, if it's a lump or bump, which has been there a long time; how they're going to do after the surgery, how they're going to function. So those are mostly the concerns most of my patients have.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And you say lumps and bumps, do you find that many people sort of have these lumps and bumps and they don't typically come in in a timely fashion because maybe they're concerned as you say about it being cancer or something more serious?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Right. So some of the patients, they don't come in because they don't have pain or they don't have any symptoms. And the reason the patients would come in is sometimes they see their primary doctor and say, "Oh no, you need to go to a surgeon and get this checked out." So there are a couple of reasons they come in early or sometimes they're late.
Scott Webb: So when we think about the day of surgery, like the actual day in the OR or in the office, if it's an outpatient type thing, whatever it is, what do patients need to know? What's expected of them in terms of eating, not eating that kind of thing? What kind of prep is typically involved and so on?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Right. If it's surgery related to your gastrointestinal tract, means you're intestine, then you usually need a prep which would be cleaning up your whole GI tract. But if it's any other surgery, maybe say hemorrhoids, gallbladders, hernias, fistulas, or even lumps and bumps, you don't need any prep. You just don't either drink the night before. And then you show up on the day of surgery, the hospital usually calls you and sets all that up for you. And after the surgery's done, you recover in the hospital for a couple hours and then you're back home. So that's typically what we call same-day surgery.
Scott Webb: Same-day surgery. Yeah, that's kind of the dream, I think for most patients. And when we think about the same-day surgeries, what's the typical recovery time? How quickly do most go home? Is it always the same day? And then maybe once they are home, let's talk about some of the things that they need to know. What are maybe some of the typical restrictions and so on.
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Recovery time and going home depends on what type of surgery. So say if you have lumps and bumps, which are small, you can pretty much go back to work the next day, do all your normal activities. If it's a hernia surgery, you usually have to not lift and push heavy objects for a couple of weeks. The wounds usually heal in two to three weeks. So at that point, you start going back to normal work. And otherwise, we are most worried about infection of the wound. The patient typically comes to my office one week after surgery. So I make sure that there's no infection. If there's sutures to remove or staples to remove, I do that.
And usually, it's same-day surgery. So they go home two hours later, but sometimes it's a pain tolerance or pain issue for the patient. So we tend to keep the patient for 24 hours depending on the patient and what their symptoms are.
Scott Webb: Yeah, I see what you mean that, even though it is a same-day surgery, they may stay overnight. When we think about the pain, right, and the different tolerance people may have for pain, let's talk a little bit about the types of, you know, whether they're over-the-counter things that they may take at home or what they might be prescribed. How do you manage pain?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: So, you know, nowadays, I'm sure you heard that the narcotics are not good for us. So I try not to give a lot of narcotics to patients. I give very minimal, the lightest one, which we call Tylenol with codeine. It has very minimal narcotic. Because you have surgery, you need something. So I start with that. And most of the time, you can supplement Advil or Extra Strength Tylenol and you should be good. And if patients still have pain, then, you know, we go a step higher. But I start with the lowest narcotic, so they don't get addicted to it. And narcotics have their own side effects. Addiction, that's the main thing, you get nausea, vomiting, you can't drive. Every patient's different and we go accordingly.
Scott Webb: Yeah. As you say patient-specific, right? I'm curious with surgeries that you typically do, the same-day type surgeries, you know, is there ever a time when folks had to go back into the OR? What are the outcomes, I guess I'm asking? And do you have to go back in very often?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: No, the same-day surgeries, which are very common, which I just talked about, initially usually you do not have to go back for any reason. The problem you would have would be wound infection. If there is a wound infection, I can take care of that in the office, prescribe antibiotics check the wound in the office. More likely than not, you're not going back to the operating room for any reason.
Scott Webb: It's been really helpful today, doctor. As we wrap up here, what would be your words of wisdom, if you will, to patients who maybe have these lumps and bumps that they've been, you know, putting off and speaking to their primary or being referred, or they know they need surgery, but they're sort of letting the thing, whatever it is, affect their quality of life? You know, what would be your best advice to them about sort of overcoming whatever fears they have and having the surgeries that they need?
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Yeah. So my advice to all the patients who would have any of the problems I discussed is that not to be afraid. I would consult any general surgeon. And they would give them the best advice. And like I said, most of the surgeries are straightforward, usually do not have complications, and they would actually put at ease their concern, because once that lump or bump is out or whatever, hernia or gallbladder, they would actually feel better and their quality of life will be better. And in the future, they won't have to deal with this problem.
Scott Webb: Yeah, I think that's a perfect way to put that, you know, and as we know, as you know as an expert, surgeries, the technology, everything just keeps getting better and more minimally invasive and faster recovery times. So there's every reason, if you have a lump or a bump or anything you've been told you need surgery for, go ahead and do that, right? As you say, they're really straightforward, very low risk of complications and so on. So doctor, thanks so much for your time today. You stay well.
Dr. Rajiv K. Shah: Thank you very much.
Scott Webb: For more information about St. Francis Medical Associates or to make an appointment with one of our medical providers, call 1-855-599-SFMC, that's 7362 or visit stfrancismedical.org.
And thanks for listening to Word on Wellness from St. Francis Medical Center. If you found this podcast to be helpful, please be sure to tell a friend and subscribe, rate and review this podcast and check out the entire podcast library for additional topics of interest. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well.
powered by: 