dVH/RALH: finally had decent consult, but still scared

It took some persistence, but I finally got a rescheduled appointment with my doctor's OR nurse to get my questions answered. I found it frightening that not only could the first nurse not answer most of my questions, but she also answered several of them incorrectly! I am so glad I decided to go ahead and just re-ask all of them except for the ones my PCP could answer for me. I am officially confirmed for 11:30 a.m. on July 14th.

I am still really weirded out by the whole catheter thing. I have had surgery before, but the catheter was always out by the time I was awake. I have had issues with vulvar pain before, so I'm afraid this is going to hurt. I'm also scared that when they take it out, I won't be able to go and they'll have to put it back in. I'm not particularly prone to UTIs but have had a few of them in my life. Is there anything I can do to make that part go more easily?

I am still waiting to hear about the bowel prep. I've had three colonoscopies and have asked if I can do OsmoPrep instead of the magnesium citrate because I have a weak stomach. I've done the pill prep two of the three times and had no problems whatsoever, but the first time, when I had to do the liquid, I was very queasy. I'm still waiting to get the answer to that question.

I am also waiting to hear about what we can do regarding PONV for me. I'm a hyperemesis survivor. One of the reasons we don't have kids is that mine was intractable. I was allergic to pretty much all the standard nausea drugs, and Zofran, which is supposed to be the great wonder drug, did nothing but give me horrible constipation, the last thing I need during all this. At least the nurse gave me the name and office number for the anesthesiologist my doc will be using. She said he would welcome my call and work with me. I would much prefer to talk with him beforehand since I have so many weird things wrong with me.

I can hardly believe this is a little more than two weeks away! It seems like it's dragging at times, but the thought of getting everything done at work that needs to be handled in the time I have left to prepare seems overwhelming too. Anxiety has crept up on me quite a bit, and my sleep isn't as good as it should be. I have to keep telling myself this will be worth it in the end and it won't be as bad as I think.

hi scared and hopeful, I am glad you are getting more comfortable with your decision. I too have had to have several conversations just to get all of my questions answered and reading this site helps me ask the right ones Up until today i hadn't really thought about the whole cervix issue.I was so focused on just whether to have the surgery. Now I feel more confident saying: keeping ovaries and cervix.Now about your concern over the cath.For me that was one of the easy parts of surgery. They tell you the are taking it out and you feel a very small burning for about 2 seconds. Nothing painful just uncomfortable. I never had a problem peeing afterwards. I wish you the same experience Best of luck....my surgery is 6/19/11.

To reassure you, I didn't feel a thing when they slipped the catheter out. The nurse told me she would do it and before I knew it, she had it in her hand. Some people like boolizzie do feel something but it isn't something I would really worry about. Also, remember that the people that post on here about difficulties with urinating after are the few that have complications. Most of us who don't have any issues don't ever say a word about it because it is a non-event.

By the way, Zofran didn't work for me. I had warned them about anesthetic and nausea but the first two things they tried didn't work. Stematil did the trick for me. There is a whole gamut of different drugs that they can try and you are wise to speak to the anesthesiologist ahead of time about this.

Good luck with your surgery and I wish you an uneventful recovery.

I am sorry that the nurse you talked to was not very knowledgable, I hope that the office educates the nurses in the future so they can give accurate information.

I can tell you that I did feel a little something when the nurse took my catheter out but it was over rather quickly. Good luck and I wish you an easy recovery.

Thanks for the reassurance. My other question is what it feels like when it's in. The OR nurse, who has also had this doctor do this exact surgery on her, said she was so doped up she didn't even really notice it was there and that it was nice to be able to just lie there and not have to worry about getting up. I just keep thinking you have to be able to feel that it's there. Of course I don't know how I will feel afterward, but from everything I've read here, I get the impression I really need to walk a fine line between being sure I get all the pain meds I need so I can rest and also getting out of bed and walking as soon as possible and as much as I can without overdoing it.

When the doc did a pelvic on me at my first visit, he said something about my ureters being in a great position for the surgery. I have no idea what that means, and at that moment, stuck in stirrups half naked with my husband the biology professor on the bottom end looking at my insides along with the doc as if I were a prime specimen, I felt too intimidated to ask!

I also forgot to mention that I looked up Stemetil. It's the same as Compazine, to which I'm also allergic.

Scared&hopeful - when I've had catheters in the past I felt pressure while it was in but that was about it. I don't remember having it put in - I must have been drugged. There was some stinging when it was removed but not too bad.

The cathetar was no problem for me at all. In fact, it was only in for the first 12 hours. I never even knew it was there. Then when the nurse removed it I didn't even feel it. It was nice not to have to get up to go to the bathroom.
It's interesting the things we focus on to worry about. I also was so worried about not being able to "P" and if I couldn't 'P" I couldn't go home. Silly silly me! The nurses will let you know when you need to walk. They will take you in little baby steps. First they just had me just sit up and dangle my feet. Later it was the short walk to the bathroom. Then there was the walk around the nurses station. I was so worried about going pee that I couldn't relax. I wish I hadn't been so worried about it. It finally came out and they let me go home.
I hope they can find a drug for you. I had nausea after surgery and that wasn't fun. It lasted for about 3 days. Manageble but not fun. At least you know ahead of time and can hopefully prevent it.
I think you should find something else to worry about. lol
You can beat the cathetar!! Cheryl

Like Caraab, I couldn't feel it at all even though I knew it was there. When it was time for me to go to the bathroom, I remember getting out of bed myself. I used the trick that my surgeon's resident had told me about earlier that morning. She told me to take a deep breath and as I was moving to get up and out of bed, to breathe out. She said that you can't tighten up your tummy muscles when you breathe out and the pain is a lot less. That is something for you to remember when it is time for you to sit, get up or whatever movement you need to do during your entire recovery until your incision stops pulling and hurting. I hope that helps.

I agree. You don't even know its there until they mention it you don't even realize you are passing urine into the bag !LOL! When you are so sleepy in the beginning it is a blessingto not have to get up to pee.