Our Emergency Department is very busy right now and some people are experiencing long waits. If you do not require emergency care, please use an alternative such as 111 online.
People waiting for major surgery can do simple things to get prepared and for recovery afterwards. Our expert staff in hospital say it’s proven that better general fitness can help people get out of hospital sooner, recover more quickly, and experience fewer post-op complications.
If you are unwell, or recovering from illness at a time when you have some scheduled surgery, then there is a chance that you may not be well enough to actually have surgery performed - or you may significantly affect your chances of a rapid recovery. There is emerging evidence indicating the positive benefit of getting fit for surgery, particularly major surgery.
At Barnsley Hospital we are really keen to promote the ‘getting fit for surgery’ mantra and want to extend this to ‘keeping fit for surgery’. Below are some suggestions to help give you the best chance of avoiding illness, getting your surgery on the date it is scheduled, and helping you recover as quickly as possible.
-
Try and do some form of exercise once a day, outside if you are able (if you have medical problems please check with your doctor first, but there is usually no issue doing exercise with well-controlled medical problems. In fact, sometimes you can reduce the need for medications by improving your fitness). This does not need to be at high intensity, or long duration. Something like a 20-minute walk is fine, but, if you can, try and walk briskly so you get a bit ‘puffed.’ Indoor cycling is great, as are online workouts, swimming and so on.
-
Make doing some exercise part of your lifestyle and make it a priority. As well as physical benefits, exercise is linked to reduced levels of stress and improved wellbeing.
-
Eat as healthy a diet as you are able to. We all like junk food occasionally, but make this a treat, rather than every day.
-
Get any vaccines available to you.
Among those helping people get fit for surgery is celebrity fitness coach Joe Wicks. Joe has partnered with the Centre for Perioperative Care and others to release exercise videos for people waiting for surgery. Learn more here: a campaign by the Centre for Perioperative Care featuring Joe Wicks