Hi guys. I will be undergoing surgery next Wednesday, and it will be my first time. I'm already feelin the anxiety and stress, but I also want to be sure that I am going into it with the best possible advice. All I can really say on the matter is that I will be under anesthesia, there will be incisions and sutures, and it doesn't involve any of my major organs, so it should be a somewhat minor surgery.

Anyways, do you guys have any advice on preparations in order to reduce the chance of problems that will happen? I am already switching to a more normal diet, with less herbal supplements because I heard a few of these supplements cause the blood to be thinner, something I DO NOT want during surgery.

I also had a question about recovery times after surgery. I have heard many stories where people leave surgery completely fine, and are able to resume everyday activities almost instantly. I have also heard stories where people are in severe pain after the same type of surgery, and take days, even weeks to recover. What causes this discrepancy in recovery time? Does it have to do with the immune system, do the people that recover faster have certain aspects of their lifestyle different than those who don't? Thanks for any advice, this is very important to me, so I would appreciate any responses.

Really I can't honestly tell you much without knowing what you're going in for. "Anestesia, sutures, and no major organs" leaves a lot of room for interpretation. It could be anything as minor as getting your tonsils out or huge as getting an L4-L5 laminectemy. Both would fit into the criteria you mentioned; tonsils are pretty minor, laminectemy you can expect a 4-7 day hospital stay.

As far as general things to do go, nothing to eat or drink at least 12 hours prior to surgery. That and read whatever literature they give you. Otherwise I can't tell you a single thing about what to expect without knowing what it is, some surgeries require a hospital stay, some don't, some can be extremely painful, some are pretty much pain-free. Lifestyle and recovery times also vary on the surgery.