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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
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02-20-2004, 10:33 AM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 174
Hysterectomy: August 4th, 2004
Surgery Type: TAH
Ovaries: Undecided
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
This is great! I've been reading alot of posts and this thread has helped to settle some ?'s I had under the 'when it's all said and done' category.
The stories princesses share give us LIW valuable tools to be used on our journey. Thank you.....
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02-20-2004, 12:15 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 63
Hysterectomy: February 24th, 2004
Surgery Type: TVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
I wish I had known that the anesthesia might make me ill... I know there's no way to tell for sure in advance, but oh my.. when you have little incisions in your belly and you're trying to throw up your toes..... oh my!!
One other thought - when I had my surgery, my daughter (who was an adult by then) stayed the night with me in the hospital the first night.. What a blessing that was! Not only was it comforting to have a family member with me, but it was helpful to have an advocate who was looking out for me in my groggy nauseaous state! She has spent the night with me every surgery since, and will be with me again next week... Bless my sweet girl...
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02-20-2004, 02:30 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 295
Hysterectomy: September 2nd, 2003
Surgery Type: TAH/SAH
Ovaries: Undecided
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
cherokeegal -- i had a spinal with my hysterectomy and it worked the way it was *supposed* to -- I didn't feel a thing for over 24 hours and once it wore off, what I felt was more like dull menstral cramps. It was a marvelous thing. Where did you have your surgery done?
For things I wished I'd known -- I'd wished I'd known my appetite would be pretty bad for at least a week after surgery -- and I couldn't stand the smell or taste of coffee for about 6 weeks!
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02-20-2004, 03:39 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 36
Hysterectomy: December 18th, 2002
Surgery Type: TAH
Ovaries: Removed both
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hi ya
Hi ya Tracy
I had my op in uk and we have a pain pump might be refered to as a P C A you control it, wack the button when you need a bit more pain relief or a bit before you are moved etc ok this bit my family will wish me to warn you about!! The PCA had a bit of an "effect" on me so i was chatting away like i was tipsy nice for me but I did scare my daughter abit!
Itchy nose why! who knows i could have rubbed it of for England.
hmm well lets just say my tummy grew and grew I did have a few probs but it was massive and i mean massive!
So get them apple catcher pants at the ready cos they are the best!
Drink plenty of water as much as you can stomach it will help but everything does sort of dry out
My only little shock was internal stiches hmm I knew my cervix was being removed just didnt give how they sewed it up much thought
good luck
debbs
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02-20-2004, 03:46 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 420
Hysterectomy: January 13th, 2004
Surgery Type: TAH
Ovaries: Kept 1 or both
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sutures
Hi Ladies,
This is slightly off topic, as I knew it pre-op, but I thought I'd share it with you. I did not like the idea of being stapled shut (I was having an abdominal hysterectomy). I told my surgeon this and asked him if there was anything reasonable he could use besides staples. He said he could sutures, but the closure would not be as good as it would have been with staples. I immediately opted for the sutures. Further, he was really considerate with the way he sewed me shut. He used dissolving sutures and put them just below the surface of my skin, and then connected them all together with a long string, which was removed the day I left the castle (6 days post-op).
I had seen too many Discovery Health type shows and did not want them using that huge stapler on my tummy! I am so glad I asked. My surgeon saw me in recovery, shortly after I woke up. He said "no staples" then left the room. How sweet is that???!!!
Best wishes, ladies.
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02-20-2004, 04:10 PM
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HysterSister
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Posts: 58
Hysterectomy: January 30th, 2004
Surgery Type: TVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
Hi everyone! I agree with Corbrawky ... I also assumed I'd be given strong pain meds after surgery ... I woke up in the worst pain of my life, not because of the hysterectomy but because of the bladder sling, it felt like someone took a rock/boulder and slammed it into my pubic bone ... anyway, the urologist and gyn had already left the hospital and the nurses started me off on the more mild pain meds ... I was in recovery for 5 hrs, finally after 3 hrs of horrible pain, they started morphine, then had to send out for demoral an hour later, I didn't know my hospital was a "demoral free" hospital ... thank God the demoral calmed the pain down, but the terrible thing was, because they gave me so many meds in recovery, I just about ended up in the ICU with a tube down my throat ... so please everyone reading this, make sure you talk with your dr. as to the pain meds right after surgery.
Also, another big screw up that happened was they didn't remove my vaginal packing before my leaving the hospital. I told the nursing staff 5 times that I knew the gyn was going to put it in me and they all kept saying "no" you don't have any packing, that's why you have a pad. Fortunately, I noticed something wasn't right 30 hrs after being discharged and yep, I had to call the gyn and she had me remove the packing myself! There's so much more involved here but looks like I've written enough. Just thought I'd add this so any of you that does get packing along with the foley, please make sure they double/triple check in removing it for you, otherwise you can come down with a severe infection.
I didn't get to go to the castle, I went to the dungeon.
I'm 3 wks post op now and feeling okay, bye now.
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02-20-2004, 04:28 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 47
Hysterectomy: May 7th, 2003
Surgery Type: SAH
Ovaries: Removed both
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
I wish I had known they were going to come to my room at 3am and wake me up to move about. I just got myself to a sitting position with legs dangling over the edge of the bed and a few choice words and the nurse tells me " OK Hun you can lay back down now." I too wish I had found this site before surgery,but have enjoyed it since.Hope all goes well and you have a speedy recovery!
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02-20-2004, 04:41 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 6
Hysterectomy: January 21st, 2004
Surgery Type: LAVH
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
For me I would of made the arragements before I had my surgery on getting a schedule for a house cleaner to come in...then you don't have to scramble to get a date for them to come in...it was a nice treat to have somebody else do the housecleaning...
Also, my husband was a dear...he followed orders that he was to treat me like a Princess for atleast two lweeks...and he did...but it would be helpful to make a daily list of things you would like him to do (written down) that way they do not feel like you are nagging at them...
Stock up the fridge with frozen leftover meals...and have lots of light things to eat for yourself for when you get home, I didn't have much of an appetite for 3 weeks...
As for laundry...I would put it in piles out on the floor that way my husband knew to put it in the washer and then I didn't have to carry it...
Have your bedside all made up for when you get home...I had a basket of different mags, books, cards, crossword puzzles, etc. on the floor next to the bed...then I had a folding tray table that I put next to the bed for drinks, etc. I taped a bag onto it so I would have an instant trash can too. Silly things like that are so helpful.
Also got a bed tray for my meals at first and one of those bed pillows with arms to help prop me up for meals.
Start eating light before your surgery because the bowel prep is awful...I had to drink this Magesium Citrate the night before and YIKES there was an explosion at 2:00 a.m.!
Wear something like loose sweats to the hospital that you can wear home...non binding around the tummy! It took me 3 weeks to get back into jeans...the snaps hurt the belly.
Good Luck...
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02-20-2004, 05:01 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 3
Hysterectomy:
Surgery Type: TAH
Ovaries: Removed both
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
What a great question! Most of the previous advice would have been wonderful; but I didn't discover this site until post op!
One week prior to my TAH/BSO I had a miloectomy (she thought she could just remove the fibroid.) I was so upset my blood presure sky rocketed and I was scared to death! For the TAH I got pre-op meds (Valium) Took one when I woke up and one in the Hospital parking lot! Much better!
Take your docs tel #! I had a nurse who read my docs instructions wrong and would listen to me! I told her to get me the tel # or call immediately. She called and finally got it strait, but I wish I had had the # - just in case.
The other thing no one mentioned, I was allergic to the morphine in the PCA- coomon I was told. The gave me antihistamines right away, but the cool wet cloths I asked for were a blessing!
Good luck to you!
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02-20-2004, 05:13 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 12
Hysterectomy: February 17th, 2004
Surgery Type: LAVH
Ovaries: Kept 1 or both
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What do you wish you'd known pre-op?
I also had issues with my sweat outfit. It was too tight, and too hot.
My room went home in her pajamas and robe, she looked classy and was very comfortable.
I brought way to may items. Lip balm and magazines were all I needed and I am an avid reader. Brain fog was and still is my companion.
One more thing, I had bubbles coming out of my urethrea after they took the cath out, adn for the next 24 hours. Dr. said it was normal since they do put a gas up into your bladder to check for any injury after the surgery is done.
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