Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters this morning.
Hydration is important every day, but it’s also incredibly important for surgical procedures.
Sommer said, “Water is 60% of the human body. It’s essential for regulating temperature, circulating nutrients, supporting organ function, and flushing out the toxins, the alcohol.”
Circulation is critical for surgery.
Sommer said, “Circulation, a well hydrated body, maintains its blood pressure and ensures oxygen reaches every cell, and that is needed to help with wound healing, which is very important, especially if you’re undergoing surgery and if you’re going to have a recovery time afterwards.”
It also improves kidney function.
Sommer said, “It does help with clearing the medications from your body, which includes anesthesia. So you want to make sure, like getting back to removing the toxins, your kidneys are the filters of the body, so you want to make sure that you’re hydrated enough so it doesn’t put strain on your kidneys.”
Well hydrated veins are easier to find and hydration reduces nausea and fatigue after surgery too.
Sommer said, “I don’t know why when people say nothing to eat or drink after midnight, people tend to not drink the whole day before surgery. So they come in, I don’t know if it’s a mindset, or they’re worried that they’re going to forget, but a lot of people tend to drink less I find before surgery. I don’t know why but it happens. Hunting and pecking for those IVs when you’re dehydrated makes the job really hard, and it does help reduce nausea and fatigue after surgery. You don’t want to wake up from anesthesia feeling worse than you did before you went in.”
What happens when you’re not hydrated properly before surgery?
Sommer said, “You’re most likely going to experience low blood pressure during surgery, that also increases your risk for post op complications including kidney issues. We talk about the kidney again and slower recovery. Your kidneys can take a hit when you’re dehydrated, so it’s really important. I can’t stress it enough. You’ll wake up with like, dry mucus membranes. That means your mouth, your nose, you’ll almost feel like you might even feel stuffy and it’s because during anesthesia, they maintain your airway so that can tend to dry out during the procedure. So if you already go in there dehydrated, you’re going to come out with drier mucous membranes, and your skin won’t heal as well if your cells are dehydrated because again, we talk about the skin as being the largest organ in your body, so it’s important to keep it hydrated, to maintain that skin barrier and have it intact so you can heal.”
If you’re on some blood pressure medications, dehydration can make it worse.
Sommer said, “These two medications, they’re essentially given to you to protect your kidneys, which are ACE inhibitors, and they’re called ARBs. It’s like the Lisinopril and the Losartan. Those are the types of medications that a lot of times if you’re a diabetic, they’ll put you on those to protect your kidneys. However, if you’re dehydrated, it could work against you and hurt your kidneys, especially diuretics. Diuretics are made for people that a lot of time, their heart doesn’t pump effectively, so they need help getting rid of excess water. You hear people like, I’m retaining water. I ate too much salt. You still need to have a certain amount of water, because when you take a diuretic, it takes out all the water. It can offset the balance in your body.”
Dehydration can sneak up on you very quickly at any time.
Sommer said, “It definitely can. A lot of times too the summer, your schedule’s not as what it normally is you kind of are a little more laid back, so you might tend to not drink as much water as you do when you have more of a routine schedule. So just try and keep in mind to always carry water.”
You can actually begin hydrating several days before surgery.
Sommer said, “Think of it like training for the Olympics. So start early. Begin hydrating several days before, not the night before. So if your surgery is a week out, it’s really good idea to have a plan on what your diet’s going to be, depending on the type of surgery you’re having, and just make sure you drink enough water every day leading up to your surgery.”
Alcohol should be avoided the night before surgery.
Sommer added, “And too much caffeine. So alcohol and caffeine, plus the heat down here, can dehydrate you. So try and limit those things leading up to your surgery, especially the day before. There are foods that are, while we talk about like carrying a water bottle, you don’t have to have a gallon jug with you wherever you go. There are foods that are water rich food, cucumbers, watermelon, broth based soups. Celery is also really good. They’re all good for hydration. So you don’t have to necessarily get all your water from a bottle. It can come from foods as well.”
Some surgeries do allow clear fluids up to two hours before anesthesia.
Sommer said, “So if you’re prepping for bowel surgery, like a colonoscopy or a big bowel surgery where they have to remove part of your colon, hopefully not, but it does happen, oral hydration solutions or electrolyte drinks can be helpful. So I know Gatorade has a lot of sugar in it, there’s sugar free Gatorade. A lot of times, though, colonoscopy, you’re on a clear liquid diet before, and if you’re not a diabetic, I tell people it’s okay, you can have some of the drinks that have sugar in it, so then you feel like you’re getting calories or like jello. Jello is good. I know a lot of people don’t like it, but it’s like you’re eating something. So I say if you can stomach jello, eat it, because then it feels like you’re eating.”
Hydration is healing.
Sommer said, “Hydration becomes even more important to protect your kidneys when you’re on blood pressure medication.”
Hydration can also help your skin.
Sommer said, “It has a barrier function. It reduces the dryness and irritation that when your skin is dehydrated, and if you have wrinkles, it’ll look more pronounced, so you you’ll actually look I don’t want to say the word older, let’s say more tired. They’re the little wrinkles that when you’re dehydrated, you’ll see them. They’re kind of like really fine, fine, tiny lines and a lot of times, Botox and fillers won’t fix that, and that is because they’re there from dehydration more. So when you’re hydrated, your skin does have a glow. Just by incorporating more water into your routine, it will make your skin look so much better.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/