TVH: diet beforehand- now stressing out again

my doctor , in all her wisdom, decided to put me on a VLCD right before my surgery. Which of course is stressing me out even more.

This is my GP/PCP ( GP in australia means general practioner).

i do suffer from anxiety- for which i aam on medication.

I had a steroid injection about 4 weeks ago into my right shoulder joint- now my shoulder is playing up again.

i am sick and tired of having chronic health issues. i fought for 7 YEARS to have the hysterectomy, but i feel the health problems and mental health issues will make it hard to recover from.


i thought hubby was being supportive. but every time i try and bring it uphow nervous i am.... he walks away. so do my twins, 18 years old, b/g - they are just hiding away from it- even when i ask them is there anything they want to know about it. daughter reckons i could be up and around and doing work when i get home- when i explained that wasnt the case, she got all angry about it- and virtually said i was lying....

would it be wrong for me to ask for a extra couple of days in the hospital to get some decent rest? do you think that the doctor/specialist would allow that, given i also have fibromyalgia and i dont handle pain well at all????

You sure do have a lot going on and we are here to support you. Let's see if I can help you tackle some of your questions.
Why did your doctor put you on a low carb diet? Is she hoping you lose a few pounds before surgery or is she concerned about your eating habits? Don't stress yourself out about something like this but do try to make subtle changes to your diet by introducing more fruits and veggies and cutting out on the starchy, sugary options.

I would like to suggest you have your hubby and your children check out our Mr. HysterSisters support site. There is a ton of information there that will help them understanding what is going to happen during your surgery, how to help you in recovery and generally what to expect. It may also be good to bring one of them to your pre-op appointment so they can hear from the doctor as well. It is so important to have a strong support system at home and if you don't, then enlists friends or other relatives who can help you. You will NOT be up and around the next day. You will have lifting restrictions, a strong need to sleep and discomfort. It isn't embellishing, it's the truth and they need to understand that.

Certainly talk to your doctor and tell him about what's going on at home and with your other health issues. Generally the hospital won't keep you longer than needed but given your health history, there may be a need to keep you a night or two.

Good luck. You have a lot going on and it can really up the anxiety factor but try to focus on what YOU NEED and if you aren't getting that support at home, look elsewhere.

i will try and get my husband to come to the Anastesiologists appointment- as i went alone to the consult for the hysterectomy- he hates hospitals no end too. which doesnt help

I'd suggest being blunt with your GP. (We have GPs in Canada too. :-) ) Ask her if you really need to start the VLCD *now* when you're stressed about surgery or if it can wait until afterwards. It's common to find that your appetite is wonky the first week or two after surgery in any case, so that might be a good kick-off point for your diet.

She may say yes, she may say no, but asking certainly isn't going to hurt.

Your doctor can't keep you in the hospital longer than is medically necessary. There's a bunch of reasons for this - legal, ethical, financial, practical. *However*, "medically necessary" can have some wiggle room. Let your doctor know that you have fibromyalgia, that you're worried about pain and that you don't have much support at home. That way if your doc's looking at your chart and thinking, hmmm, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, then they're going to opt for giving you that extra day.

As for your daughter, when you get home, your #1 job after surgery is to take care of yourself. Anything else, ignore it. If she's hungry and wants something to eat, if she has no clean clothes left to wear, etc - she'll figure it out. Also ignore dust bunnies scooting across the floor. Unlike cassowaries, dust bunnies are not dangerous.