Wanting to know if i can use a topical cream 4 days prior to surgery-they told me not to take medicine npo?

i was on prednisone for poison ivy but have taken all of the prescription, but now i am not allowed to take my medicine 7 days prior to surgery, well the poison ivy is still here and getting worse, have a desonide cream and was wondering if and what your thoughts were about being able and allowed to use this since it absorbs through your skinWanting to know if i can use a topical cream 4 days prior to surgery-they told me not to take medicine npo?
Speak to your surgeon about this. They will NOT want to do surgery on anyone who has an active infection (unless the surgery is because of the infection) or anyone with poison ivy. (If you are having surgery because of the infection, they refer to this as ';dirty surgery.'; They do their best to prepare the site of the incision to prevent infectious agents from getting in there. However, if you already have the infection, they cannot avoid introducing infectious agents since they are already present.) They generally don't want to do surgery on a person who has an infection because his/her immune system has been compromised by the infection except when the surgery is because of the infection or the surgery is an emergency. Poison ivy is highly contagious and if you have it on your skin, everything you come in contact with could become infected. If you still have poison ivy after your medicine is finished, you need to see your doctor for follow up care. Schedule an appointment with your primary care physician to deal with the poison ivy rash that isn't gone yet. Cancel your scheduled surgery. Reschedule it for a sometime after the poison ivy is all cleared up.





The medications that they want you to avoid prior to surgery generally have to to with the effects of the medicine that can compromise you during surgery and recovery. How long you have to avoid the particular medications has to do with the specific effects of the medication. One common things to avoid prior to surgery is any type of NSAID. NSAIDs thin your blood and you will bleed more profusely during surgery and have a greater degree of likelihood of having bleeding problems following surgery. Often they recommend that you avoid NSAIDs for two weeks prior to surgery. They tell you to be NPO prior to surgery since anything in your stomach when you have surgery makes it more likely that you will throw up and that you could end up with some of that in your lungs. This is a serious problem.

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