Has anyone had a cold prior to surgery

bbblampwork · October 2, 2005

Hi all,

Maybe this is just me getting all worked up over nothing but I have a head cold (stuffy nose, coughing). Today is Oct 1 almost the 2 and my sugery is on the 11th. Should I worried? Would they cancel my sugery because of this? Should I fake that I am fine and say nothing? ok too many questions. I am worried that they will cancel my sugery. I am not so sick that I can't work. I have been working.

fee · October 2, 2005

if its only a cold you should be fine

NJChick · October 2, 2005

I am scheduled for surgery on the 24 and I am worried too. I've been coughing my head off for 2 weeks now, I mean coughing like every 10 seconds non stop. My chest burns from it. I went to the doctor friday and got some antibiotics and nasal spray.

I'm worried b/c I feel like my lungs are taking a beating right now.

adp240 · October 2, 2005

I had a cold with violent cough that started 3 days before surgery and I had surgery as scheduled. don't worry it will be ok

Joyce in VA · October 2, 2005

I think I would go to the doctor and get some antibotics. Mainly because if you are coughing it will hurt to cough after the surgery. Call your surgeon and see if they will call you in a prescription. It couldn't hurt.

bbblampwork · October 2, 2005

You ladies have made me feel much better and put my mind at ease (sigh). Thank you

bbblampwork · October 4, 2005

Went to my PCP and I have a sinus infection that is draining in my throat YUK.

So I called surgeons office to make sure meds are ok. She says um I dont think so. You can't be on antibiotics before sugery. The band is a foreign object and the antibiotics could mess with it. So I am scrambling (while driving, and talking on the phone):phanvan to find the Rx. Doc gave me this stuff called Z Max one time dose. So I say wait this is one time I take it today and that is it. I will not be on it when I have surgery. She goes and talks to the doc and he says OK. Whew, that was too close.

Jachut · October 4, 2005

I had a general anaesthetic to have all 4 wisdom teeth removed when I had a headcold coming on (and I got my period that day too, what a freaking disaster, lol).

Nobody was worried about the fact that I was sick but of course, what with having had 4 wisdom teeth removed and then the cold developing into its full glory, man was I miserable for a day or two.

I wouldnt go filling myself up with cold medications or pain medications though just prior to surgery. But you could look forward to the general anaesthetic reliving your cold symptoms too for a while!

PamRN · October 4, 2005

As long as you aren't on a high potency antibiotic, and aren't running any fever, I can't see why they would cancel a surgery. I do agree with Joyce in VA about the cough thing though. It will hurt like hell to have to cough hard for the first couple of days, and if you have a need to cough, in order to clear your airway, but can't that cough could possibly take a serious turn toward pneumonia.

My advise would be load up on the liquids, extra sips of Clear Liquids will thin the secretions so you can easily clear them out, or break them up.

chicken Soup works, the garlic and onions in it are natural cold fighters.

Steam or cool vaporized air helps. Use a vaporizer or,

Make your bathroom a mini steam room with your shower running on hot while you sit outside the shower breathing it in.

Make a steam tent over a pot of boiled Water, shut off the heat under it, then drape a towel over your head, and lean over the steam, breathing it in. Don't get too close!

putting a few drops of essential oil in the steam would make it nice too, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil or menthol help clear passages.

good luck, I do hope you are feeling better!

j_war06 · October 5, 2005

Actually I had a pretty serious cold whenever I went into surgery, I didnt tell my doctor because I was afraid he would rescedule, but it turns out it was great. #1 the antibiotics from the surgery viz my IV got rid of the cold, #2 I couldnt taste the medicine they gave me after surgery, and #3 (most important) I could not taste the Barium after surgery. Be in reminder though, I had a cold/sinus infection and not bronchitis or the flu so if you feel it is serious you might want to go see your regular doctor, because the worse part of the whole cold surgery thing was the fact it came back a few days later and with the sores + cough=pain and the liquid cold medicine was HORRIBLE, I still think its better than the Barium would have been, I am pretty happy with my decision to have the surgery with the cold.

"with the band" · October 5, 2005

Same thing happened to me 10 days prior. My nurse at the hospital told me to call my Dr. and get a script for that real strong antibiotic that you take only two or three pills and you are sure to knock it out. I think it is call Z-pack (Zythromax) or something. Maybe someone else will know what I am talking about. The anestesia guy told me he would not do it if I was not well and did not get this script to clear me up before surgery. You should call your family doc and ask them about it. It does matter with anestesia.

DeLarla · October 5, 2005

Yes, be very worried. I'm finally not kidding this time. I was feeling a little cold/sore throat coming on before surgery. I ran to my local doc and got antibiotics because he saw a little red in my throat. I started feeling okay, so I kept my surgery date. I felt a little fuzzy on the plane to Mexico, so I told my surgeon. He didn't care, so they did my Band that night. Boy oh boy, by the time I came out of surgery I had full-blown bronchitis. It's like the tube they stick down your throat irritated me and kick-started a horrible bug.

I never slept the first night cause I couldn't breath. Stuffed up, coughing my brains out. I was afraid I'd hurt my band from all the coughing, and the Mexican hospital ignroed my please for cough medicine for 24 hours. Then my surgeon promised all the coughing wouldn't hurt.

I ended up having my port removed due to infection a month later. The doctor insists that it had nothing to do with my cough, but I disagree. I always thought that's what went wrong with my port - like I coughed a stitch or dislodged something that got infected.

I could be wrong, but my motto is, "better safe than sorry." Just push the date another week to be on the safe side. Being sick after surgery was MISERABLE. The plane ride home was awful because I was so congested that I thought my head would blow off.