Questions Questions

I am scheduled for surgery Jan 13 and keep thinking of more questions here. Funny what we can find to worry about here.

Firstly if you have the surgery where you stay awake with the spinal freezing do they still do the tube down the nose thing.

Also how many days after surgery are you allowed to take a shower.

Do we really need to take a tummy pillow or will the hopital supply an extra pillow.

what else do I need to know.

Just think -- one month from today you'll be a !!

I can't help you out with your first question -- but I'm sure another sister can. I believe that even if they give you a spinal, you'll probably still be sedated -- but maybe not in all situations. I definitely had the tube down the throat, but I never suffered any ill effects from it.

I had my surgery on a Monday, and on Wednesday I took my first post-op shower, even though I had three drains coming out of me! After I got home, they actually wanted me to shower every day (even twice a day if I was up to it) and let the warm water run over the incision area. This really helps keep it clean, which of course is important in warding off infection.

Lots of ladies report wanting to take a tummy pillow with them. I did not. The hospital provided all the pillows I needed, and my hospital's pillows were really nice.

Hope this helps!

Hi GrandmaAngel4

When I had my op (TAH/BSO) on 19th November I had a spinal which worked really well. They didn't put a tube down my nose, nor have I ever heard of anyone else having that done with a spinal.

I had my op on the Friday and I had my first shower on the Sunday morning. I felt very weak and worried that I was going to faint but a nurse took me and made sure I was OK. That first shower really does make you feel much better.

The hospital where I stayed was excellent. You could have as many pillows as you needed (I had about 6 at one point).

It's only natural to have lots of questions to ask but you're really lucky that you've found this site before your op, I only found it two weeks after I had mine but I use it on a daily basis now (in fact several times a day), which i'm finding really useful, everyone's so very helpful and positive which is what you need.

Good luck for the 13th, i'll say a prayer for you.

Best wishes

This is a truly wonderful site. Thanks so much it is so nice to get some answers. Sometimes these questions seem so silly like worry about a shower after major surgery but I am just a worry wort.

No question is silly in this situation. "We fear what we don't know", and "knowledge is power" really fit the situation well I think. Not to mention that thinking about showers is nicer than some of the other stuff that runs through a woman's head at a time like this! I'm glad you asked so I learned too! Good luck with your surgery and recovery!

I had my surgery on Monday morning. First shower was Tuesday morning. It felt WONDERFUL to get all the Betadine prep and tape stick-um off my skin, and give my hair a freshening. Consider taking your own sample or travel sized shampoo and shower gel with you - the comfort of familiar smells can help you feel "human" again. (I don't like the sterile smell of Dial soap on my skin!)

I didn't find this site til after surgery, so I didn't know about Tummy Pillows before hand. However, my nurse brought me a hospital blanket that I folded over to the size of about a pillow (maybe wider across me than a pillow would have been) and laid across my belly incision. It helped trick my body into thinking I was laying on my tummy (can't sleep on my back, normally) because it was weightier than a pillow. A blanket was easier for them to clean if I had gotten any drainage on it. Also, if it helps you feel better, they can bring you WARM blankets - I don't think they will warm a pillow for you.