Category: Presurgery Nutrition

Hunger and Our Emotional State: Why Fasting Before Surgery Isn’t Always Your Friend

There’s a reason “hangry” has become a well-known term in our culture (merriam-Webster even added the oh-so-real adjective to its list of Words We’re Watching). Today, we’re covering “hangry” as it relates to surgery (and your recovery). We’ll break down:

• The symptoms of hunger
• Why entering surgery hungry is never a good idea
• Why medical professionals are now recommending pre-op carb-loading with a beverage like ClearFast in place of fasting after midnight

As any restaurant host knows, hungry people can be easily (and quickly) agitated. Even those iconic Snickers® advertisements remind us time and time again: “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Hunger and our emotional state are most definitely connected—as anyone who’s ever skipped their lunch break can attest to—and we’re now beginning to learn how hunger plays an important role in medical procedures and surgery. In fact, when it comes to fasting before surgery, an array of modern medical research points to the fact that being hangry in the waiting room may mean an uncomfortable surgery experience—and lower patient satisfaction—overall.

The Symptoms of Hunger

We all know the symptoms of hunger well—irritability, headaches, forgetfulness, dizziness…the list goes on. According to the New York Times article, A Serving of Reality with Surgical Fasts, which reported on a medical study of 155 patients, “The consequences of prolonged fasting are not trivial. Besides hunger, thirst and irritability, the researchers noted that some fasting patients also suffered from headaches, dehydration, low blood volume and low blood sugar. A third of patients failed to take crucial medications the day of surgery because they had been told not to swallow anything after midnight.”

Hunger and Surgery

Now, think about the emotional state surgery puts you in—you’re stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, nervous for what’s to come, and probably even a little bit frightened (going under can be scary, after all!). When we follow the antiquated fast-from-midnight rule, we pile hunger—and all of its symptoms—on top of an already heightened and stressed-out emotional state. It’s like sending our body to battle with no armor: The battle may be inevitable—but there are certainly proactive steps we can take to better prepare ourselves for the stressful event that’s to come…properly nourishing our body being a critical one.

The Solution

To reduce the problems posed by fasting before surgery, more and more research is now pointing to the fact that foregoing traditional fasting-from-midnight and opting for a complex carb-rich, clear preop drink like ClearFast instead may be the key to better surgery outcomes. ClearFast is essentially a “liquid food,” so it works to safely hydrate and nourish patients before anesthesia—which ultimately makes for less patient stress, a more comfortable surgery experience, enhanced recovery after surgery, and higher patient satisfaction overall.

In fact, a medical study focusing on the effects of oral carbohydrate with amino acid intake before surgery, found that, in addition to an array of other benefits, intake of a preoperative carbohydrate drink “can provide better preoperative mental health compared with complete fasting.” According to another controlled study, researchers also found that patients in the pre-op area who drank ClearFast were 5.5-6.5 times more likely to describe themselves as “comfortable” than their cohorts who underwent traditional fasting before surgery. All of this tell us that hungry people are not happy—and that being hungry (and irritated…and dehydrated…and uncomfortable) before surgery is no longer a required part of the process. We now know that patients can safely consume the ClearFast preop drink before heading into surgery—leading to less stress and a better surgery experience overall!

Ready to take proactive steps to help reduce the stress and discomfort that accompanies old-school fasting before surgery? Talk to your doctor to ensure ClearFast is right for your surgery, then order your ClearFast Preop Beverage here, or reach out to the ClearFast team at support@drinkcf.com if you have any questions at all. We’re here to help replace stressful surgeries with seamless ones…one hangry patient at a time.

Set Your Body Up For Success: Proactive Surgery Prep with the Right Preop Drink

Going under the knife is never fun—but fortunately there is one major surgery-prep step you can take to help your ensure you enter surgery more relaxed, come out of surgery more comfortable and recover faster. Today, we’ll cover:  

• Drinking ClearFast before your surgery to:
  • Reduce dehydration and hunger
  • Make for easier, less painful IV “sticks”
  • Reduce post-op nausea and vomiting
  • Get an edge on recovery

Now, let’s dig in…

Anyone who’s undergone anesthesia knows the scene: you’ve spent the night restless and anxious about your upcoming surgery, you’re nervous and uncomfortable (and could really use that all-important cup of morning coffee you’ve had to skip), you’re getting poked and prodded with IVs…and to top it off, YOU’RE STARVING. Could it get any worse?

An estimated 232 million surgeries are performed worldwide each year, and, as many of us know, we tend to write surgery off as an experience that will be inevitably terrible, no matter what. Because of this, we often never even consider taking steps to make surgery prep and surgery recovery more comfortable for ourselves. But, the truth is, going under doesn’t have to look and feel like the all-too-familiar scene above. The key to minimizing discomfort lies in being proactive and setting our bodies up for success—rather than leaving our surgery experience up to chance.

Think about it like preparing for a marathon—you’d never show up starving, dehydrated and ill-prepared for the big run, right? No—you’d make sure your body had all of the support it needed before it took on such a big challenge. We like to look at surgery the same way—your body is about to undergo a tremendous amount of stress. Because of this, it needs to be in the best state possible for your procedure: 1) so that you’re comfortable going under the knife, and 2) so that you can recover as fast as possible.

The key to proper surgery prep and comfortable surgery recovery all comes down to nourishment, which is why medical professionals are now replacing the traditional no-food-or-drink-after-midnight rule with the instructions to instead consumer a pre-op beverage like ClearFast. By working the right preop drink into your fasting before surgery routine, you can safely and properly nourish your body for surgery (and get a huge edge on recovery).

Preparing for Surgery with the ClearFast Preop Drink

By nourishing your body with the ClearFast preop drink, you reap a number of benefits that start well before you’re ever wheeled into the operating room:

• Reduced Dehydration & Hunger

Dehydration before anesthesia is a recipe for disaster. Fasting before surgery the old way (no food or drink after midnight) leaves you hungry and dehydrated. Fasting before surgery with the the right preop drink, though, is a safe way to ensure your body is hydrated, nourished and in the best state possible for anesthesia. ClearFast acts as a “liquid food”, which means it provides your body all of the complex carbs and nourishment it needs for a more comfortable surgery experience.

• Reduced Anxiety and Emotional Stress

Heading into surgery is never fun—especially when you’re starved and thirsty. Rich in complex carbs and free of simple sugars and colored dyes, the ClearFast preop drink works to reduce the stress and anxiety that come along with surgery. In a large controlled study, patients in the pre-op area who drank ClearFast were 5.5-6.5 times more likely to describe themselves as “comfortable” than those who underwent traditional fasting from midnight.

• Easier IV “Sticks”

Hate being poked and prodded with IVs? Notice it’s often worse right before you go under the knife? That’s because dehydration leads to reduced blood flow, which can often mean multiple, painful IV sticks. Many ClearFast customers report easier, pain-free and one-time-only needle sticks as a result of using our preop drink while preparing for surgery.

Recovering from Surgery with the ClearFast Preop Drink

Not only does ClearFast set you up for success before you’re on the operating table, it also plays a major role in a smoother, faster, more comfortable recovery after surgery:

• Reduced Post-Op Nausea and Vomiting

Fasting before surgery is largely responsible for the nausea and vomiting so many patients experience after undergoing anesthesia. Time and time again, ClearFast customers who, in the past experienced nausea and vomiting after waking from surgery, report that taking the ClearFast preop drink completely eliminated this problem for them.

Ready to set your body up for surgery success? Drinking ClearFast is such a simple and easy way to get a major leg up on the dreaded surgery and recovery process. Order your ClearFast Preop Drink here, or reach out to the ClearFast team at support@drinkcf.com if you have any questions about the process at all. Our goal, as always, is to help patients enter into and awake from surgery in the best, most comfortable physical and emotional state possible—we can’t wait to answer any questions you may have.