Most of the time no one wants to go to the hospital, and nobody especially wants to have to return after they have been discharged.

Sometimes, though, it does happen because not all readmission and emergency room visits are avoidable.

Being overweight is a health issue can affect your day-to-day general health, but it's a condition that can make surgery significantly more challenging. Additionally, carrying extra pounds will also increase your chance of surgical complications, including forming dangerous blood clots and developing postoperative infections.

For an easier surgery and recovery, Logansport Memorial Hospital offers a weight-loss program—called Health Management Resources (HMR)—that can help you get prepared. 

Keep reading to learn how being overweight may cause problems during your operation and potentially slow your recovery.

This article is part of the Complete Guide to Wound Care.

Whether it's a rough tumble onto the pavement or a deep cut with a kitchen knife, there's always a chance for scarring when you damage your skin during the healing process.

The same risk of scarring is there when you have surgery (matter how skilled your surgeon is) because your surgeon can't control all of the factors—such as your age, race, genetics, chronic illness, and size/depth of your scar—that will impact your healing. That's why post-surgery scarring and how you heal is typically so different from person to person.

Cigarettes are addictive, and it can be tough to give up smoking.

But if you're a smoker, quitting will improve your life in many ways.

It will especially make a difference if you have an upcoming surgery scheduled because smoking increases your risk of experiencing problems during surgery and while you're recovering.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer for both men and women, and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Although it is common and deadly, it’s estimated that more than half of all cases of colorectal are preventable.