Problem: Article: The surgeon will provide you with specific instructions that begin as early as two weeks before your surgery. Some instructions deal with safe practices to avoid unwanted medical events during and following your surgery. Other instructions help your body prepare for the surgery and the healing process afterwards, including steps to help reduce swelling.  Every surgery, every surgeon, and every patient are different. The swelling that occurs will depend on many variables. Pay attention to the instructions provided by your surgeon to reduce swelling. Be very clear, well in advance of your surgery, regarding the changes you need to make in your medications. This will involve a coordinated effort with your regular doctor, any specialists you see, and your surgeon. Some medications can cause changes that may lead to problems during surgery and difficulties after the surgery, such as additional and prolonged swelling.  Make the changes in your prescription drugs, over-the-counter agents, and herbal supplements, two weeks before your surgery. It takes time for the medications to get out of your system, and for your system to return to its baseline level of functioning. Provide your surgeon with a complete list of your medications, including herbal supplements and over-the-counter agents, at least 30 days before your scheduled surgery. It takes time for your doctors to communicate with each other and determine the drugs you can stop in advance and the ones you should not stop at all.  Never stop or adjust your prescription medications without consulting your doctor. Plan early with your regular doctor or specialist. Many agents require a gradual taper downward to stop the medication. Some prescription medications should not be stopped or dose adjusted at all. Let your surgeon know of the drugs you will need to continue to take routinely, including the day of surgery. Your surgeon will know if you can continue some agents, such as acetaminophen. You will need to stop many things but not everything. Your surgeon will let you know what you can continue taking.  OTC anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin, will need to be discontinued two weeks before your surgery. This group of medications can lead to additional bleeding which causes more swelling. Stop taking your herbal supplements should be stopped two to three weeks before your surgery. It may be best to plan on stopping everything you take that is an herbal product or supplement. Your surgeon will tell you exactly how to proceed.  Some herbal products can interfere with anesthesia and others can increase bleeding and swelling after the procedure. Plan on stopping products that contain omega 3’s and 6’s contained in fish oil supplements, flaxseed, ephedra, Ma Huang, feverfew, goldenseal, garlic, ginseng, ginger, licorice, valerian, and kava. This is not a complete list. Talk to your surgeon about all your herbal supplements. A healthy diet will promote healing and reduce swelling. This means you should start following this step as far in advance as possible and continue it through the entire post-op healing process.  Include fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber. Examples of high fiber foods include peas, lentils, artichokes, brussel sprouts, lima beans, and black beans. High fiber foods prevent constipation. Pain medications provided for surgical pain often cause constipation. Straining due to constipation can lead to bleeding at the surgical site and additional swelling. Reduce your sodium intake to help decrease swelling after the surgery. Stay hydrated the week leading up to the surgery. Plenty of water will also help to promote healing and reduce swelling. If you are a smoker, then you will need to stop smoking several weeks before your surgery.  The healing process is slowed in people that smoke. Smoking also increases the risk of developing an infection. Avoid ingesting alcoholic drinks. Since alcohol thins the blood, avoid drinking alcohol for at least five days before the surgery.
Summary: Follow the directions provided by your surgeon. Start making changes two weeks before. Work with your doctor(s). Stop over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Plan to stop all herbal supplements. Eat a healthy diet. Stop smoking and avoid alcohol.

Problem: Article: You do not want to confront your partner without some kind of proof. Even if you are positive your partner is cheating, your partner may be inclined to lie or become defensive if you don't have definitive proof. Going into the situation, present some kind of evidence.  See if you can find anything that proves your suspicions. You may, for example, have received confirmation from a friend. You may also have stumbled upon incriminating evidence when cleaning the house. Evidence can also help you feel more relaxed. Confrontation is inherently uncomfortable. You will feel more at ease confronting your partner if you're sure of yourself. You do not want to run into the room angry and begin yelling at your partner. While imagining a wild confrontation may feel cathartic, it's unlikely to go over well in real life. In order to get what you want out of a confrontation, you need to have a plan.  Choose a time and place where you can both talk. You want a time that is not disrupted by outside commitments. For example, agree to talk on a weekend afternoon when you are both free. Plan on presenting your evidence rather than asking. If someone's been cheating, they're likely to lie rather than own up to the fact. Plan to start off by saying, "Your sister told me what's going on. I know that you've been having an affair." You should have some goals in mind going into the conversation. You cannot predict how the other person will react, or what he or she will want, but you can have an idea of what you hope to gain from the confrontation.  Where do you want to go from here? Do you want to come to a decision about the relationship, or have you already decided you want to end things? You may also have certain questions. You may, for example, want an explanation for the infidelity. You may want to know why your partner acted the way they did, and whether they want to work things out. You can, for example, ask something like, "Why did you go to this other person when I was right there?" It's very important to go into the conversation having a sense of what you want to say. You should write down your thoughts ahead of time. In difficult conversations, it can be hard to speak on the spot. If you formulate your thoughts ahead of time, this can help.  Think about what your feeling. What are the best ways to articulate this? How can you best make your feelings clear? Try to figure this out as you write and rewrite your thoughts on the page. Also, consider what you want again. Do you have an end goal for the conversation? If so, include that here.
Summary:
Make sure you have evidence. Plan the confrontation. Think about what you want. Write down your thoughts.