Patients
As a patient waiting for an operation, there are many uncertainties. What to expect? How best to prepare? How soon will I be able to return to normal activities?
In stressful circumstances with lots of information to process, much of the advice from health professionals can be difficult to understand, and often doesn’t sink in. CHEERS DREAM is an acronym for health professionals and patients alike to simplify those important goals of preparing for and recovering from an operation.
CHEERS..
Stands for:
- Carbohydrate loaded (not hungry)
- Hydrated (not thirsty)
- Euvolaemic (the right amount of fluid)
- Eunatraemic (the right amount of salt)
- Ready
- Start to….
DREAM..
Stands for:
- DRinking
- EAting and
- Mobilising
Before surgery, it is important not to go for excessively long periods without food or drink. There are guidelines that you will be given and it is important to eat and drink as normal up until this point. Your body is then in a “prepared” state to take on the “stress” of surgery and bounce back as quickly as possible.
After surgery, you should be able to start drinking, eating and moving about on the day of or day after your surgery. These basic functions not only make you feel more comfortable, but are shown to speed up recovery, reduce the time spent in hospital and reduce the chances of a complication.
CHEERS DREAM is about a partnership of you and your doctor working together to improve your wellness before and after surgery.
