Any other Nurses out there?

I'm a Surgical/Trauma nurse and know way too much! I am so nervous. I have to have my Gallbladder out next week and then 4 weeks later a TAH/BSO. My surgery will be done at my hospital and I will be on my own floor. I have already talked to all the cute doc's and told them to stay out of my room - I don't want them to see me naked. I hope to have all the good nurses lined up to take care of me - if staffing is what it should be??? Just nervous with way too much information in my head.

Hi Lorbun,

I'm sure being a nurse and knowing all that goes with the surgery can be scary but you also know as professionals you will be afforded the same courtesy as other patients. Being on the floor you work on will certainly have advantages but anything you do or say in your drug induced state may be used as a party joke by your closest colleagues. Nurses usually have a great sense of humour!

As far as surgery went I must say I'd read it on this site numerous times that waiting was the worst and that is so true. I had far more pain prior to surgery that afterwards. My worst pain was in recovery and I was off all pain meds by day 5.

Everyone heals differently and has a different tolerance to pain depending what they find in surgery. I wish you a speedy and uneventful recovery and don't panic about the gallbladder surgery .........I was driving 2 days post op from mine!

Take care........Karen

Lorbun,

Well, I'm not a nurse, but I admire you nurses so very much! I am a unit secretary on the med/surg floor, and even with my job, I know more than I wish I did...so I'm really freaking out! I'm having a TAH/BSO this Monday!

I chose to go to a different hospital than where I work, however. I felt a little awkward having my co-workers see everything I've got! I'm glad you feel comfortable with them, and wish you the very best.

Again, nurses are the unsung heroes of the world from everything I witness on the job!

I'm a Pacu nurse. I had my TVH at a different hospital then I work but was very scared not wanting to wake up not breathing ect. But I woke up very smooth. My doctor took excellant care of me, but he also had the fear of my coworkers, since we usually work with him once a week. Your surgery will go fine, my problem in the hospital was my nursing ears. I felt like I needed to care for my roomates. Good luck

I'm thinking how am I going to walk the halls - I can only imagine what I will look like! Maybe I'll just pace back and forth in my room Maybe I'll take out my own Foley! OMG - well I'm sure the floor will have plenty to talk about once they see me on Dilaudid. I have wonderful friends at work - but it is true I will be a party joke for years to come.

I'm a nurse who works out in the community and even though I didn't know the dr or nurses at the hospital, the nurses knew where I worked and they seem to look in on me a lot and make sure all was ok. I too was going to take out my own foley but you know when the time came the next day after surgery and being up most of the night because of n&v it was nice to be the patient.
When it comes to walking the halls you really need to because the gas pains are not too pleasant and you really wont care what you look like. Believe me, you'll do fine.

I also work at a hospital, I'm in x-ray, I work with the transporters. Makes me a little nervous being a patient and knowing a lot of people. Our nurses are all wonderful, the unsung heroes.

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Originally Posted by Lorbun I'm a Surgical/Trauma nurs2-4e and know way too much! I am so nervous. I have to have my Gallbladder out next week and then 4 weeks later a TAH/BSO. My surgery will be done at my hospital and I will be on my own floor. I have already talked to all the cute doc's and told them to stay out of my room - I don't want them to see me naked. I hope to have all the good nurses lined up to take care of me - if staffing is what it should be??? Just nervous with way too much information in my head.

Hi! I am a nursing supervisor and had TAH, Burch procedure to keep my bladder way high Do to the fact that I know the staffing patterns and the acuity of the floor, I sort of let people know 2-4 weeks prior to surgery that I was coming. The staff on the surgical floor are very competent and thorough so I felt pretty comfortable being there. However, as you know being a nurse and a patient do not go hand in hand. You must have faith and confidence that your comrades will take good care of you. You are a VIP. Yes I know that all patients are VIPs but you know (RN to RN) we take care of our own! I felt that I got excellent care! I did have a few problems like donating too much blood for my surgery and ended up w/ hemoglobin of 5.3 after surgery so I got my 2 autologous units plus 2 more donor units. I diagnosed myself w/ retroperitoneal bleed and thank GOD I was wrong So please try to be a positive patient and let your co-workers take good care of you!

What a great site - glad to know there are so many of us! It's good to have resources and people to share my thoughts with. I'm personally hoping for good nursing karma with these surgeries. Just finished the Hyster Sister Guide - think my husband thought something was wrong with me when he came in the room- he said I was so pale looking. I told him I just finished the chapter about HRT, not being able to pee right again, sweating all the time, lack of energy and insomnia. I can pee great now, I sleep great, and can run around work like a chicken with my head cut off and usually don't sweat! Wonder what it will be like with no HRT, might be a little cranky- ya think? Oh the joys of having organs that don't work properly. Not to mention vaginal dryness and atrophy - Good God- I may be turning one set of problems in for another. Well so be it - it must be done! At least I can laugh at myself Thanks for your input - it's appreciated.

I bet when your labs came up your co-workers were hopping. 5.3 now that's low. Just had a patient with a 5.0 last week and she wouldn't sign a consent for blood until her daughter arrived from out of town - ugh 4 units later she was much better and so was I. I love to self diagnose, as far as I can tell I am the longest living person with a terminal disease - I'm not sure what I have but I'm always diagnosing something. Nursing school was great fun, my study partners and I survived many diseases! HA HA Your right RNs do take care of their own. I have sounded the horn and everyone knows I'm coming - I will try to be a good patient, but not sure what I act like on opiates. I'm personally a Motrin fan. We'll see. Thanks for sharing.