Well, my matter isn't the need to find some excuse and conspire to get granted permission to rid my wife, bless her as she has been very supportive, however, I have come upon a small but dreadful health issue. I have had pain for months and now I have elected to accept surgery to likely correct the problem. I am an active person; I mountain bike, exercise, drink beer, hike and do all the good things a young 34 year should be able to do. However, my pain has disabled me from anything of the such (except maybe the beer :) At my current state, I wouldn't even be able to walk more than 10 mins through a faire w/o experiencing pain and then having to set down, lol, that would only be half way through the parking lot at some faires :) The problem is, I didn't realize how allergic I was to surgery until I have had several days to ponder all the "what ifs". Which I have about 20 I can rattle off the top. It is outpatient surgery and from what I understand is considered a rather simple surgery. But, when they noted I would have to be completely out (some procedures only require mild sedation), lol, my first thought was anesthesia sounds way too close to euthanization. I have some concerns to address w/ my doc/surgeon I the next day or two, however, I feel most of my dramatized concerns simply are created from fear, and that being the case, fear is really not a reason to postpone or withdraw from a procedure that could correct my problem. It is but a few days away and I have been plagued with thoughts of worse case scenerios and unlikely turnouts.
I know very few of you personably, however, this community is filled with great people, and I figured I might get a good laugh or comfort from some of you that certainly would cheer a fellow up in his few days prior to. The more I talk about it, the better I do feel. I guess what got me on the theme of renaissance is I was wondering how these matters where delt with in medieval times. I knew of surgeons-barbers and of the four femurs, blood letting, it kind of made me laugh to see how crazy, to us today, things where viewed back then. As much as I love the renaissance history and faire, the advancement in the medical field is something I would never be willing to trade off for a chance to live as though they did during the 15th and 16th centuries. If anything at all, thank you for reading!
Many thanks.
james
I sympathize with your dread of going under the knife since I too ended up having an outpatient surgery years ago, though I expect not for the same reason as yours. Trust your doctor and your wife, and you should pull through and be able to go back to the type of life you want. We'll have you in our thoughts as you go through this.
Let me tell you from personal experience, it can be rough during recovery, but the long-term benefits beat the heck out of a few days/weeks/months of recovery (depending on the surgery).
The Rule: Get to know your anesthesiologist. He holds your life in his hands. If he/she asks you a question about your drinking or "other" habits, you tell the truth. Legal, illegal, whatever...this person needs that information, trust me. Anything you tell him is confidential, so you don't have to worry about that.
Now...preparing yourself? Realize that these people do this every day. Sure there are "what ifs." My wife, who works in an OR area, was more worried than me before my first surgery. Admittedly, it was a humdinger, but I just figured it's either do this or everything would come crashing down later. I had heart valve replacement surgery. The down side was an extended recuperation period. The up side is that I literally tick now (mechanical valve) which is great fun at parties and informal gatherings. It has caused problems in the recording studio, however...
Your brief description...hernia? I had a repair done two years ago. My age made recovery a little slower, but it wasn't all that. A couple days off work. I was cracking jokes with the doctor as they wheeled me to the OR. This trip I actually got to see the inside of the room while I was still awake. Cool!
The fact that you are but 34 should make your recovery quick. I was 46 when I had my valve job. For that, they crack your chest, spread your ribs apart, stop your heart so they can replace the valve. My surgery was on Thursday, I got out of the hospital on Sunday, and I walked a mile, albeit very slowly, on Monday.
Cheer up, lad...you'll be fine!
I know how you feel.
I am recovering from major hip surgery (left side), and I had two surgeries on my right hip (two due to two dislocations) back in September. Believe me, has been over six months since anyone has seen me. I've lost over 30 pounds, and not a single faire outfit I have will fit me, they will literally fall off! Guess I'll be using some belts to hold my skirts up.
Recovery may take time, but the outcome will be for the better.
Quote from: JJames on February 13, 2011, 09:25:38 PM
I know very few of you personably, however, this community is filled with great people, and I figured I might get a good laugh or comfort from some of you that certainly would cheer a fellow up in his few days prior to. The more I talk about it, the better I do feel. I guess what got me on the theme of renaissance is I was wondering how these matters where delt with in medieval times.
I have only been under general anesthesia one time in my life thus far, and I was very probably just as terrified as you are before then.
Turned out, they gave me a little something to relax me, started an IV, rolled me into the operating room, and the next I knew, the nurse was asking me if I wanted something to eat. Once I had lunch to prove I had no lingering affects from the drug, I went home. It was that simple.
Back in the Renaissance if they need to anesthesize someone they either knocked the person out by bashing them over the head or otherwise inducing a 'faint' by causing them such additional pain as to make them pass out. Booze was probably an expensive and time consuming way to put someone to sleep, so I figure it wasn't used that much in an emergency (regardless of what movies would like you to think). Opiates were only just starting to be used as medicine. In any case, anesthesia was very probably used exclusively to amputate something, since anything less was a 'Here, bite this piece of leather whilst we hack at thee' scenario. Give me Morphine!
Thank you all very much for sharing and your thoughts!
Thank you Lady Dona Catalina, I sincerely appreciate your sharing and your thoughts, thank you! Lol, any surgery to me seems dreadful too, perhaps I'd rather be out and not know what's going on.
Merlin, a hernia, no (although this was suspected for a while), believe it or not it is likely a cyst, although they are usually harmless, this cyst or area has caused me tremendous pain for months and is just in the right spot to do so. I keep telling myself that there are surgeries, such as your heart surgery, that are far more risky than mine. I usually donate blood and needles don't bother me so much, lol, but anesthesia and scalpels are little different.
I appreciate your advice as well! I have researched and have learned more about the anesthesiologist's job than I thought I'd ever care to know, and it is just like you say.
Heart surgery certainly sounds very complicated, it is great however that you have had success, these are very encouraging words! Thanks again and I look forward to reporting back.
RumbaRue, thank you for sharing! I am feeling more confident about being patient during recovery time. I have followed doctor's orders to a T in regards of not doing any of my usually activities, ha ha, anything should be doable after the many weeks I have been compliant! I wish you well !
Thank you lady Rowan, I am hoping and likely know the procedure should be rather simple and go well. As many have mentioned, the first go of surgery is likely the scariest. Not that I want or expect surgeries in the future, but, if needed, at least I have a chance to start with something not so complex.
Thank you all.
Hopefully it's one of those surgeries where you get all the ice cream you want.
Look around you. Family, friends, best wishes here.
Lots of people love you and are pulling for you.
You'll be fine. A snip snip here and a snip snip there. And you'll be doing the Limbo in no time.
Ferret
In the OR where my bride works, they do 30-50 surgeries by noon each day.
It is a bit scary if you try to analyze it too much. So here's a tip: don't analyze it! The surgery is the easy part!
If you're hell-bent on being scared, what you should be scared about is the hospital food. The garbage they kept bringing me was inedible, so my tray kept going back with little gone off of it. They weren't going to turn me loose because I had no appetite! Finally the nutritionist came to visit me. I told her that I couldn't eat their food. If she wanted me to eat something, send raisin bran and milk, and I'd eat all they sent up, so I had cereal for my three squares. The heart surgery was nothing. They were planning on starving me to death.
Thank you ferret; "Hopefully it's one of those surgeries where you get all the ice cream you want." LOL, dont know, but, if I can just leave the same day as scheduled, I can skip the ice cream ;)
They wheeled me into the OR and gave me a shot. I asked, "How long will it take?"
The Anaesthesiologist replied, "Right away."
I replied, "Oh yeah, there it is..."
...
The next thing, they were wheeling me out of the OR. I asked, "When do I get this thing out of my nose? (some kinda cone for breathing)"
The Nurse replied, "As soon as you reach up there and pull it out." Which I did right away.
Then I asked, "When do I get this catheter out of my,..."
The Nurse replied, "Well, that's gonna stay in a while.
I totally get it. I recently had a hernia repaired and the same sorts of things went through my mind. But in the end it was easier than pie (seriously, have you ever tried to make a pie crust from scratch???). Being comfortable with your anesthesiologist (or however you spell it) and your surgeon is definitely the key. Mine were both very forthright and welcomed any questions, even the ones I thought might be dumb. The nursing staff was great, and my only gripe was that they had me on a liquid diet (I had to stay overnight as I use a CPAP machine and they wanted to be sure that the anesthesia didn't mess with my breathing). I had specifically asked if that was going to be the case and my doc said no, but it was marked on my chart anyway. Hrmph. Ah well, 24 hours of liquid diet never hurt anyone, I suppose. :)
I hope that it goes easily and that your recovery is a smooth one. Better to get 'er done than to keep suffering! Right? :)
Here's hoping it goes the very best for you!!
I dont blame you for being uncomfortable about it, I think thats normal.
But then I am a big baby when it comes to those sort of things....I had a bone marrow biopsy (low grade leukemia) and stressed about it for days.
I think you are a lot braver than I! :)
The drugs are great!..... :D
Thanks for the encouragements!
VIII "When do I get this catheter out of my,..." I have had one of those before. LOL, I dont think I could stomach the pain to remove it myself!!! Thank you for sharing!
Mairte- thank you. Yeah, I am assuming the wait was for the results? Either way, testing and waiting are just two terrible things that unfortunatly go hand in hand!
Lys1022 - You happen to mention one my concerns. I have symptoms of apnea. My brother was diagnosed for it a few months ago and uses a machine. Sleep study is on my list of things to do, lol, but I can only deal with some many medical issues at once. I have already mentioned to my doc and plan to speak with the anethesiologist tomorrow prior to my surgery regarding the issue. Im sure at that time I can address those concerns. My wife promised she wont let them poke me w/ no IVs until we know my concerns are addressed :)
Better to get 'er done than to keep suffering! Right? " Yeah, lol, I told my wife that it has to happen tomorrow, I dont know if I could hold out much longer!
Thanks for the replies. I know it may not seem like much, but honestly, your replies are comforting and (some) entertaining!
You may end up staying the night and they may put you on a CPAP just to be safe. Better to err on the side of caution than to be reckless! And if you think you have apnea, I highly recommend getting the sleep study done. I never realized how tired I was until I got my machine and actually SLEPT through the night. Apparently I was waking up 88 times per hour. Yup...per HOUR. It's a sneaky disease, and very easily helped. You'll feel tons better if you take care of it! :)
Good luck tomorrow. I know you're going to be fine. Remember, you're your own best advocate. Never be shy about asking questions or getting better explanations. It is YOUR health, you have every right to feel comfortable with how it is being addressed.
Let us know how things are when you feel up to sitting at the computer again! :)
Ha ha, well, I made it through very well. Thank you for your replies, thoughts, and comforting comments. The surgery, as many of you attested, was not as bad once I got there. They took really good care of me and sent home w/ some good meds ;). It was seriously one minute I am taking to the anesthesiologist and the next I am in the recovery room w/ my wife. I unfortunately won't know the success of the eradicated pain until a few more days, as there is pain from the incision and the surgery itself. I am thankful for my wife and daughter who have taken care of me, today I was able to get back to some things, lol, like my pc :).
You all were really helpful, thank you again!
james~
Glad to have you back! Cheers!
Quote from: JJames on February 18, 2011, 07:47:14 PM
It was seriously one minute I am taking to the anesthesiologist and the next I am in the recovery room w/ my wife.
james~
It you ever need to go under the knife again, you know what to expect now ^_^.
Good to see you back!
See, it wasn't all that bad.
I have to admit myself I was scared to death just before my first hip surgery (right) back in Sept. 2010, as I didn't know what to expect. Well having my hip dislocate twice and two surgeries on the same side (yes the defective part was replaced with a better one), it sure opened my eyes.
But I went into the next hip surgery on my left side back in Jan. 2011, with a better view of what to expect.
As of today, I'm just starting to walk without the walker, a little at a time. But eventually I will be able to walk normally, and with both legs the same length - something I haven't experienced for years!
Glad it went well and everything is good! Take care of yourself and don't overdo things. That was the hardest part for me, taking the healing slowly enough yet fast enough to get going again.
Glad to have you back and on the road to recovery!