Undergoing Outpatient Surgery in Japan

There's no better way of ending or starting off the year with a clean bill of health.

Outpatient surgery in Japan doesn’t have to be anxiety-inducing; knowing what to expect can help.

Most of us living in Japan have a good understanding of our health, thanks to annual check-ups. Those on National Health Insurance have until March of the following year to use the various incentives they’re given to get checked out by experts, including free or reduced-cost cancer screenings.

So say one day you’re not quite yourself. Then notice that you’re not getting better either. Maybe you have a new mole or changes in an old one, or even a cut that’s not healing. Perhaps there’s something off about you that you can’t attribute to stress or aging.

If you’re concerned enough to start asking Dr. Google for a diagnosis, it might be time to make an appointment with your doctor.

Getting Referred To & Seeing a Specialist

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If you can speak Japanese or are part of a multilingual clinic, after you see your usual doctor, you’ll either be given the all-clear, a diagnosis and treatment plan or referred to a specialist.

In some regions, you may have your choice of specialists or hospitals to be referred to. Which is very helpful when you have work and/or family schedules to consider. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until there is an opening. And, make do with your symptoms (and anxiety) until the appointment arrives.

If you are given a referral, you’ll be provided with a sealed letter detailing your health concern/symptoms, your doctor’s differential diagnosis and any other pertinent details about your medical history. These forms might also be faxed to the specialist’s office. However, make sure you take your copy to the appointment anyway.

For specialists with their own clinics or in hospitals, you’ll need to sign up for them just as you did for your home clinic. In return, you’ll be given a patient card for that specialist/hospital, and have a file started there.

Once you see the specialist, they’ll examine you, consult the form from your doctor and likely order some tests. This may mean making another appointment to go over the results. Or, waiting several hours for your results to come back and be analyzed that day. In either case, you likely won’t have any procedures done the day of your first visit or even your second if you’re particularly unlucky.

Outpatient Surgery Realities

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Let’s say you’ve gotten your results. Your specialist has decided that the best course of action is a minor surgical procedure. In many places overseas, this is quickly done while you’re still in your usual clothes—like at the dentist.

Not (always) the case in Japan. In some areas, you’ll have the same sort of in-and-out treatment. In others, outpatient surgery is “still surgery” and “is treated with just as much care as inpatient procedures” (General Surgeon).

Outpatient surgery in these situations is performed in surgery suites. You’re also hooked up to a blood pressure cuff and heart monitor, even if all you’re getting is local anesthesia. “It’s safer for the patient in case they have a medical issue during the procedure. Say if they faint or worse” (Surgical Nurse).

While it varies based on your procedure, there is a general list of guidelines that anyone having outpatient surgery will be given and expected to follow.

Day Before Surgery

• Bathe/shower and eat as usual.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Remove any nail polish or fake nails.
• Don’t take any non-prescribed medications or supplements or drink alcohol.

Day Of Surgery

• Don’t eat breakfast or take any medications or supplements (unless told otherwise).
• Drink only clear liquids up until one hour before the scheduled procedure (water, basically).
• Remove any and all piercings and jewelry, and dress comfortably.

All standard things to keep in mind. However, some things that might not occur to you or to your care team can crop up. For example: surgical gowns. If you are on the petite to low-average size, Japanese hospital gowns should easily fit you. Anyone else will likely need to take a more drastic approach to hospital/surgical wear. You may have to double the gowns, wear scrub pants/paper pants under the gowns and so on.

This goes for the in-hospital surgical slippers too. You may need to wear them just on your toes or wear hospital-provided anti-slip socks to make your way around. You might be allowed to wear your own shoes, but you’ll have to take them off and wear paper booties before you walk into the surgical suite.

Yes. You will likely be walking yourself in and out of surgery instead of being wheeled in. “If it’s not that major, then keeping them moving distracts the patient; it prevents anxiety on a momentary basis at the very least” (Surgical Nurse).

Speaking of anxiety, if you suffer from medical/stress-induced anxiety, inform the nurses and the doctor. Your blood pressure won’t be what it normally is, and unless you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, there will be a lot of concern and possibly a referral to a cardiologist in the future if you don’t say something.

Post Procedure Follow-up

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After the surgery is complete, you’ll be asked to sit for 20-30 minutes with a nurse to make sure you’re alright. If you are, then you’ll be allowed to get redressed, told when to return for results and/or to have your stitches removed, and given a prescription for painkillers and antibiotic cream to apply to any stitches.

Take good care of yourself in the meantime. Don’t push yourself too hard to get better or ignore any changes to your health post-surgery, either. As with any medical treatment anywhere in the world, you need to advocate for yourself and stay on top of any changes.

Try not to let anxiety over potential results get to you either. Staying positive sometimes is just as vital as taking care of your physical health. Hopefully, when you see the specialist again, you’ll have great news and can go back to life as usual, or perhaps with some slight adjustments to improve your health even more. Here’s to a happy, hopefully healthy end of 2024 and the start of 2025!

Note: This is a general outline of what to expect during an outpatient surgical procedure, and might not fully reflect your experience or treatment.

Have you experienced outpatient surgery in Japan before? Feel free to share your experience in the comments.