Recover from your cold
Dear Sneezy,
Sorry that you're sick. In general it is best to wait at least week or two after complete recovery from a cold or flu before having surgery. The waiting period will vary depending on the nature and severity of your illness, and on your other medical problems.
The problems with moving ahead too soon is that there will be residual inflammation in your lung tissues and your respiratory infection may relapse. After surgery it is important to have clear airways so that you can cough and clear your secretions.
If your move forward too soon you are setting yourself up for a miserable recovery that could be complicated by pneumonia. If your your cold leads to a cough, your incisions will hurt. If you can't clear your secretions and get pneumonia, you could end up in the ICU on a ventilator.
Lastly, if you come into the hospital while sick, you risk infecting others. If you sneak past the admission screening by taking cold or cough suppressants, you may pass your cold or flu to your nurses, your doctor, and other patients.
So I know it's a tremendous inconvenience, but it's really a safety issue. Do the right thing for yourself and for others. Reschedule your surgery in two or three weeks when you are completely over the bug.
Dr. C
Last edited by Dr. Callery; 10-14-2009 at 06:42 AM..
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