More Crazy ???'s, I Just Need To Know

I go for my surgery on Friday, which I know now is a TAH/BSO. I've never had surgery before and this is all scary to me :cry: . I have a couple of questions, and I know they are silly, but ladies please hang in there, I'm new. First of all, what exactly does cause all that nasty gas after surgery? Second which way is better, staples or stitches? Thanks for everything, I think probably the waiting is the worse, but the not knowing gets me also

Just Waiting For It all to be over

Hi Margaret (fellow hystersister and lover of antiques)! I'm glad you posted. Noone here will think you are loony for posting ANY question. We've all been there...done that. So ask away!

I had a vaginal hysterectomy so I really can't answer your question about that. I'm sure others will be along to answer that for you. In the meantime you may want to do a search. Just click on the search button and type in staples or stitches and see what comes up. It seems like what I hear most here is staples.

Question #2: Not trully sure what causes gas, but I did notice after my surgery if I stayed away from carbonated beverages I did better. You may also want to get some GasX before going to the castle and take it along. I know when they do the LAVH procedure they fill the belly up with gas in order to see. I didn't have ALOT of gas, but have heard that some women do.

Have a nice !

s

Sherry

Margaret and welcome to Hystersisters. I had tah/bso March 2000...had staples on incision area that were removed the day I left the hospital and steri strips applied. Of course there were internal stitches that dissolved starting around 5th week.

I had some gas...but not a lot.

As Emma says...no questions are silly.

Hi Margaret! and welcome to the site!

I had an LAVH and had three little incisions with stitches that dissoved.... The gas I had was from the gas they inflate your belly with to help them see better inside (for laparoscopy surg.) I am not sure if they use it for abdominal surgeries... but the gas can also be caused by just being opend up I THINK... I'm not sure... I took phayzyme and that helped and gas x too...

The waiting is definately the hardest part! I look back now and wonder why I was so afraid! It's easy to say that now though!

Don't be afraid to ask any questions on this site...everyone is SO helpful! You can do a search with a key word and it will bring up posts with that subject matter... that helps to give you a list of questions to ask your doctor.

Also .... get a small notepad to keep by your bedside... once you are home you can use it to write down when you've take what meds if you need them.... I had a hard time remembering what I took when ... the note pad helped a lot... It also helps in the hospital... A nurse sat down with me and wrote down a list of questions to ask the doc before I left the castle.... The docs are in and out of there so fast it's easy to totally forget what you wanted to know!!!

Good luck on Friday! We'll keep you in our prayers and come back and let us know how you are doing! Remember to take it slow and get lots of and drink lots of water...

It's great on the other side!!!

Sheila

Hi Margaret --
don't feel bad about asking questions, there are no silly questions here, this is the place to ask without having to worry about sounding silly.
I was scared to death before my surgery, had never had surgery before, (well I had but it was always out-patient stuff never had to stay in a hospital before and never had a big incision like that) and yes, it sure is scary.
I had a TAH/BSO 1/5/01 (almost a year, I can't believe it!). I think all the gas comes from them opening you up in the first place. I'm not really sure. I had some pretty intense gas pains during my first few days at home but they usually passed quickly. Staying away from carbonated beverages is a good thing -- a lot of people think they help, but actually they make it worse.
I had internal stitches and staples on my actual incision. The staples were removed 1 week post-op, then steri-strips were applied. I was anxious for the staples to be removed as the skins was starting to pull around them and they were getting uncomfortable. The steri-strips drove me crazy itching and my doctor told me to put hydrogen peroxide on them 3 times a day which I did and they fell off in a few days.
The waiting is definitely the worst part. Hang in there you'll be on the other side soon...............
hope you had a good Xmas holiday, I know what it's like with this hanging over your head -- last year I had a bunch of tests before Xmas and then my appt with gyn on 12/26 and surgery was scheduled for 1/5 and our wedding anniversary is New Year's Eve -- I sure didn't feel much like celebrating I was too busy worrying about upcoming surgery!
Hope all goes well for you --
Peachy
TAH/BSO 1/5/01
cyst, fibroids, endo, adeno, adhesions
.625 premarin

Hi Margaret,
It seems I read on here somewhere about the gas. When they go in it disrupts the normal happenings of your insides. As things start to work again all this gas is formed. The intestines are working very slougishly at moving things through. When everything is moving so slow it gives gas a chance to form. A word of advice, stay away from the gingerale. Ask for some juice instead, if your doc will let you have it.
God Bless
Sue

Margaret,

Sometime in the few days following your surgery, you're SUPPOSED to start having gas. As Dream Catcher said, it's your body starting to work right again. The nurses should listen to your bowels for sounds and/or ask you if you've passed gas yet. You're supposed to pass gas! Just don't aggravate the situation by ordering spicy burritos and a Coke anytime soon!

I found that walking helped my gas pains and helped me pass it. I got up and walked as soon as I could (with help of course!) and then got my body functioning normally again.

So let's review the Three Ps of surgical recovery:

1. PASS your gas
2. PEE after they've removed your foley catheter (which they seem to give to almost all of us princesses)
3. POOP like normal, but gently (no straining)

We're not accustomed to discussing our bodily functions (eewwww, it's GROSS and IMPOLITE!) but after surgery, these will be your concerns. We can pick up our proper manners again once our bodies have healed a bit.

BTW, eleven days ago, I had the same surgery you're having - - a TAH/BSO. Welcome! Just read and learn from this site and prepare for your surgery and you will be fine! I was SO well-prepared for this! THANKS again, ladies!!

Hi Margaret,
You will want a mirror you can use to check and clean the incision whether you have stitches or staples. Follow doctors instructions for cleaning.

I had 21 staples. They came out on the fifth day (no steri strips). They use a special staple remover for it. Just a little tugging sensation, it didn't hurt. The staple marks fade away for the most part.

You will have stitches too (internally). They come in different colors!

Looking forward to hearing from you on the other side. Jan

I haven't had my TAH/BSO yet, so not sure about the why's of that. I had a lapo however, and had VERY bad gas pains afterward @home in my shoulders and chest. I know the reason for those...they pump air into the tummy so they can see with the lil camera better and the air goes everywhere.
But see, glad you brought that up ..cos I was told to take gasX for it after the lapo and I just kept thinking like this....
gas in body, shoulders and so on.....
gasx in tummy....
how is THAT suppose to help?

deeeeep thoughts

Hi, Margaret, glad you found us! I had a TAH/BSO (with the extra added attraction of losing 18" of colon since my bowel was perforated) and even with the extra surgery I had, the worrying I did before the surgery was far worse than the experience itself! I had my surgery 15 days ago and feel GREAT!

Personally, I had no problems with gas pains. I drink very few carbonated beverages and don't eat things like raw veggies because I could never digest them well. The day before surgery, I was on a clear liquid diet (apple juice, water, jello) and then did a bowel prep (drinking abut half a liter of Go-Lytely) which was painless.

The bowel prep really saved me because when they found the bowel perforation and my bowel was "clean as a whistle," it was an easy repair. If my bowel had not been clean, I would have had a colostomy bag and then a later surgery. So I'm all in favor of bowel preps the day before!

I think that may have also been the reason I had no problems with gas. I was not allowed to eat anything until they could hear bowel sounds (in my case, the fourth day after surgery - remember, I had that extra surgery) - and when I could start on a liquid diet, everything tasted great and went down and back out well!

I really believe your attitude plays an enormous part in your recovery, as well as the care you receive in the hospital. I was up walking within 12 hours of the surgery and everything got better from that moment on. Drink, walk, pee, rest, and everything else falls into line!

Please feel free to write if you need any more info. Really, it's not bad at all! (Podie1956@aol.com)