COMMON QUESTIONS ANSWERED

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Here are some frequently asked questions to help you understand my services better. I aim to provide clarity and support to ensure your experience with any surgery is seamless.

Most commonly asked questions

When can I drive again after surgery?

When you can grip the steering wheel securely and make an emergency maneuver and no longer take any strong pain killers.

This depends on the injury/surgery you have had

The times below are for specific conditions/operations:

Carpal Tunnel Decompression 2 weeks

Trigger finger release 2 weeks

Flexor tendon repair - 3 months

Extensor tendon repair 8-10 weeks

Trapeziectomy - 3 months

Fractured finger/hand bone 6 weeks, unless it is a scaphoid fracture, in which case you must wait until the cast is off, and this can be up to 3 months

Joint replacements - 8-10 weeks

When can I drive after breast surgery?

When you can comfortably wear the seatbelt

When can I drive after any type of abdominoplasty?

When you can comfortably wear the seatbelt

Please bring a pillow to put over your tummy and under the seatbelt

When can I go back to work after hand surgery?

It depends, like everything, about what surgery you have had done, but as a guide:

Light office work: most likely after 2-4 weeks

Medium work: After 6-8 weeks

Heavy construction work: 8-12 weeks

What to expect during recovery?

All surgery requires a recovery time to heal and regain previous function.

For hand surgery, you will be referred to a Hand Therapist mostly (they are not covered by OHIP).

For simple Skin cancer surgery, we need the wounds to heal, which will take 2-4 weeks, and if you have had a lymphnode dissection, this can take up to 3 months.

For Aesthetic surgery - such as abdominplasty, you won't be able to lift anything heavy for 6 weeks, and you should wear your abdominal compression garment for 6-12 weeks. For Liposuction, you should wait 1-2 weeks, depending on the area, and for sure wear your compression garments for at least 2 weeks, if not 4-6.

Are there any risks involved?

Like all surgical procedures, there are risks associated

this is not an exhaustive list, but pretty comprehensive:

for Hand surgery: Complex regional pain syndrome, cold intolerance, infection, bleeding, scarring, prolonged swelling, decreased range of movement, nerve & vessel injuries, recurrence.

for Aesthetic surgery: prolonged swelling, asymmetry, scarring, irregularities, nerve and vessel damage, infection, bleeding, blindness (eyelid surgery), delayed healing, deep vain thrombosis and pulmonary embolus

Skin cancer surgery: for lymphadenectomies: prolonged swelling and lymphoedema of the affected limb, delayed healing , scarring, infection, bleeding, incomplete excisions

One of the major causes of delayed healing and complications is smoking, and if we are about to embark on an elective operation, you must stop smoking. No leeway for bargaining!

Of course complications related to anesthesia, but these are best discussed with an Anesthesiologist.