2 days preop and need support!!

Hey there,

I had my surgery on 2/5. I have a seven year old so after work I needed to be at home too. My instinct the day before was that I really needed some time alone to try to process things but that wasn't possible. However, in hindsight, being busy with work and home life was probably better.

After I came home from work on the 4th, besides taking care of my child, I put a lot of my energy into getting things ready for life after. When I am stressed the best thing I can do is stay busy. The night before surgery I:

Changed the sheets, blankets, and pillow cases.

Had a pile of clean, comfy clothes to wear after that were placed within easy reach (no lifting or bending required).

Switched things around to make it easier for me to reach items (bedside table with a light, books, a journal and pens, moved the underwear to a higher drawer :-).

Made sure I put a pile of things I would need to get to once I felt better nearby so I didn't spend my time worrying about forgetting them (I'm a grad student and have some things that are due soon).

Emailed everyone to let them know their support was welcome and very much needed (I've noticed that people don't always know what to do when we're sick so I made things clear - call me, email me, send me cards, visit at a certain point, don't let me think you've forgotten me). I've been really glad I did this because I've had much better support compared to the past.

Felt a strong urge to exercise the day before and I paid attention to how free I was to move any way I liked. I spent time being grateful for my body. Yes, I was in pain, but I wasn't recovering from surgery yet! I moved a lot just because I could.

Good luck, be well, and take good care of yourself. xo

My surgery is also Tuesday and I've been really nervous too. First of all, good luck! Try not to worry too much (easier said than done, trust me I KNOW!!) I've been trying to read since I seem to get sucked it to the world of the book & for a little while, at least, nothing else seems to exist! ALso, my dh & I are gamers (him especially) and he kind of forced the game World of Warcraft on me last week. I'm really thankful that he did since it, too, is a great escape. Extra bonus (and the reason he bought it for me) I'll have something to do on the laptop while I'm on bedrest!!! Also, there are TONS of neat game sites (like Pogo) that are free and are terrific "time wasters"!! Hope everything goes well, I'm sure it will!!

Dear Sugarandspice,
I am sure that one of your issues IS being a nurse. You know too much! Just take it easy. Do some stretching (you won't be able to do any post surgery) and/or go for a walk. I was a total mess before the surgery. It wasn't easy, but my imagined surgery was far worse than the real thing. I will be thinking of you! Phister

I agree with Physter!! Sometimes, being a nurse, we know TOO much, and that just leads to more anxiety!! My DS was rushed into emergency surgery last May, to remove his appendix. Should have been a routine surgery. However, when they got in there, the surgeon found his lymph nodes were the size of golf balls!! He removed three nodes, and sent them for pathology. He started DS on massive antibiotics IV, and warned me that he was going to be testing for lymphoma. I didn't dare tell DH or DS what that could all involve, but, they understood it was BAD, when they saw how much sleep I was losing. However, what I decided to do was to focus on the successful surgery, and try not to "count my eggs before they were hatched". Turned out, the nodes were so swollen because of "chronic infection". In other words, DS's appendix had been swelling, and healing itself for a while before it just couldn't do it any more. The nodes showed NO signs of lymphoma!
So, I am trying to focus on the routiness of the surgery (if that's a word! ). I am scared as heck, of the pain afterwards, not really of the surgery itself. Plus, I worry about how my kids will do at home, although they are plenty old enough to take care of themselves! I just can't help being maternal!