Anyone ever have major surgery?

[micbain]

I have surgery next week. Kind of freaky. I know I'm in excellent hands and in excellent facilities but the whole thing feels unnatural and unnerving.

 

[rach2jlc]

When I read the title, I thought it was a general speculation/discussion topic. As such, I had a great zinger for Conne ready: Topic: Anyone ever have major surgery? post: "Ever wonder why he calls himself Countess of Mara?" BUT, then reading your OP, it's actually quite serious. Best of luck to you and your quick recovery. See you back on SF soon!

 

[JetBlast]

Never actually had surgery, but as part of my EMT certification I had the opportunity to watch a doctor insert a shunt at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. It really is unbelievable to see the things modern medicine can accomplish.

Best of luck and I'm sure you'll feel brand new when you leave hospital!

 

[tonylumpkin]

I suppose I've had semi-major surgeries. I had my knee scoped about 4 months ago. That wasn't really a big deal, but they put you under for it and you suffer all the same risks as any other surgery under anesthesia. I had a partial thyroidectomy two years ago. That was more of a big deal. They thought I had cancer (thank God I didn't) and had to remove a large mass and half of my thyroid. That one required an overnight stay and some monitoring. What are your specific concerns and what would you like to know to help allay them?

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by JetBlast

Never actually had surgery, but as part of my EMT certification I had the opportunity to watch a doctor insert a shunt at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. It really is unbelievable to see the things modern medicine can accomplish.

Best of luck and I'm sure you'll feel brand new when you leave hospital!

Yah, they can do some crazy **** these days. Thank god for modern medicine but then again I'm sure people were thanking god for modern medicine when doctors were prescribing leaches haha.

I know everything will be alright but sometimes the fight or flight pops up and I'm all flight baby. All flight. I've always associated hospitals with old people and death

 

[JayJay]

I did a few years ago. Yes, scary, but I had a great team of surgeons and everything turned out fine. I was in the hospital for a week; the worst part, however, was being out of work for about a month with nothing to do.

Please know that I wish you the very best.

 

[unpainted huffheinz]

I've had an appendectomy. If I had been born a century prior or before, I would have died at age 19. Instead I spent one night in the hospital and recovered completely in a matter of weeks.

I recently had a minor outpatient procedure under general that lasted maybe ten minutes. The total bill came to $20,000.

 

[dave]

I've had several minor surgeries over the years and am awaiting total knee replacement in the next year or so but I come from a family of none-to-bright people so I've been in the waiting room for literally dozens of majors.

Most recently, my dad (who resembles Frankenstein's monster with his shirt off due to his surgical prowess) had heart surgery to repair a small hole. QUITE unnerving. If you were not scared i would think it was a problem. follow the docs instructions leading up to the event and certainly the aftercare instructions and you'll be great.

Good luck and be sure and let us know when you're better! (I know, it'll be at the top of your to do list

)

 

[jdcpa]

I've had one major surgery; open heart surgery to fix a hole and replace a valve. I was in my late teens when I had it. It is very unnerving and scary. It seems like a very unnatural thing to happen, to have someone intentionally cut your body. However, often times surgery is the most precise medical operation one can undergo. The goal is often "remove this", "replace that" the same as replacing a part on a car. Much clearer than having to use chemical/pharmaceutical therapies. After having it described to me I felt much better. Here are a few things I found from my surgery that I worried about but turned out to not be such a problem. 1. Pain: I was really worried that the surgery would be painful or the weeks after would be painful. However, the pain is actually managed very well both after the surgery in hospital and once you return home. Of injuries I had over my lifetime, the surgery was way down the list. (Breaking my ankle falling off a ladder is probably on top). 2. Being sent home: depending on your surgery the doctors may recommend you return home very quickly. I was skeptical of this at first because I felt safe in the hospital; but it is actually much better to go home and be in your own environment. 3. Mentally, it will take some time to deal with it both before and after. Take it slow, and talk to friends and family. 4.

You will get well very quickly afterward; however you have to pace yourself. My major error was a month after surgery I felt so well I started to neglect their aftercare regiment. You tend to feel good after surgery (depending on what was done) but you still have to realize you are recovering for about 4 to 6 months. That's all I can think of at the moment. You will be fine. Good Luck and we all await to hear when you're all better.

 

[bbaquiran]

Good luck and heal fast!

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by jdcpa

Here are a few things I found from my surgery that I worried about but turned out to not be such a problem. 1. Pain: I was really worried that the surgery would be painful or the weeks after would be painful. However, the pain is actually managed very well both after the surgery in hospital and once you return home. Of injuries I had over my lifetime, the surgery was way down the list. (Breaking my ankle falling off a ladder is probably on top). 2. Being sent home: depending on your surgery the doctors may recommend you return home very quickly. I was skeptical of this at first because I felt safe in the hospital; but it is actually much better to go home and be in your own environment. 3. Mentally, it will take some time to deal with it both before and after. Take it slow, and talk to friends and family. 4.

You will get well very quickly afterward; however you have to pace yourself. My major error was a month after surgery I felt so well I started to neglect their aftercare regiment. You tend to feel good after surgery (depending on what was done) but you still have to realize you are recovering for about 4 to 6 months.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

You will be fine. Good Luck and we all await to hear when you're all better.

You make very good points, as your experience sounds similar to mine. I agree that after returning home from surgery you tend to feel good enough to resume normalcy. However, in a day or so, reality sets in really fast.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Good luck and feel better soon.

I've had 3 lung operations, 1 at a local hospital that didnt go well, and 2 at U Penn that both went very well.

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by unpainted huffheinz

I've had an appendectomy. If I had been born a century prior or before, I would have died at age 19. Instead I spent one night in the hospital and recovered completely in a matter of weeks.

I recently had a minor outpatient procedure under general that lasted maybe ten minutes. The total bill came to $20,000.

Ouch. I suppose I should be thankful for those damn socialists who nationalized health care in Canada. I should also thank Canadian taxpayers for subsidizing my surgery

I was doing some research on this procedure (Spinal Fusion - Back Surgery) and decided to see how much it would cost in the US and it comes out to the tune of over $250k.

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by jdcpa

I've had one major surgery; open heart surgery to fix a hole and replace a valve. I was in my late teens when I had it. It is very unnerving and scary. It seems like a very unnatural thing to happen, to have someone intentionally cut your body. However, often times surgery is the most precise medical operation one can undergo. The goal is often "remove this", "replace that" the same as replacing a part on a car. Much clearer than having to use chemical/pharmaceutical therapies. After having it described to me I felt much better.

Here are a few things I found from my surgery that I worried about but turned out to not be such a problem. 1. Pain: I was really worried that the surgery would be painful or the weeks after would be painful. However, the pain is actually managed very well both after the surgery in hospital and once you return home. Of injuries I had over my lifetime, the surgery was way down the list. (Breaking my ankle falling off a ladder is probably on top). 2. Being sent home: depending on your surgery the doctors may recommend you return home very quickly. I was skeptical of this at first because I felt safe in the hospital; but it is actually much better to go home and be in your own environment. 3. Mentally, it will take some time to deal with it both before and after. Take it slow, and talk to friends and family. 4.

You will get well very quickly afterward; however you have to pace yourself. My major error was a month after surgery I felt so well I started to neglect their aftercare regiment. You tend to feel good after surgery (depending on what was done) but you still have to realize you are recovering for about 4 to 6 months.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

You will be fine. Good Luck and we all await to hear when you're all better.

Thanks for the tips. The part I'm not looking forward to is the 6months of recovery where I'm not cleared to get back to work. Sitting around the home at first sounds great..I'll play xbox and watch Appreciation in the day...but it really sucks. I've been off work for 6 months due to major major back pain.

 

[jdcpa]

The 6 months can very a lot and sometimes you can get back to work. For back surgery I think it takes a time before you can work again. It also depends what one's job is. I was able to go back to work after about 2 to 3 months but not at 100% capacity. However, my work isn't physical so it wasn't really a problem.

A good tip I found for being stuck at home for long periods of time is to take Online classes. UCLA extension has a great online program with a wide variety of subjects. Its also a good choice because while you are on recovery, you are still acomplishing things and when you return to work you return even more skilled. I have found employers and universities are really impressed when one mentions "oh I had surgery, but during recovery I got 3 classes done for a certificate in XYZ". Its also nice mentally because you keep doing academic work and, perhaps most important, you don't feel lazy or as if you are disabled. That can be a big mental part of recovery. Understanding you need to take it slow and that you aren't 100%. The classes can be a big step in your career and its a prefect time to do them; plus you never feel you are just wasting time at home. I would often get cabin fever and worry that I was hurting my career and life by staying home. The classes made me feel better and I actually gained employable skills. Its definitely something to consider.

Cheers.