Howdy, y'all!
I am beginning to feel pretty nervous - I am going to the surgeon tomorrow, and our appointment is called a "surgical consult." When I called the receptionist to confirm earlier today, I asked her what that means, exactly. She said, "it means you are making plans for surgery."
I feel really ambivalent about this - both relieved and terrified. If I wind up having surgery, it could mean that I FINALLY have a chance to feel better. That would be incredible. I can't even imagine what being pain-free would feel like....
On the other hand, the idea of surgery absolutely and totally terrifies me. I have always had a phobia of anesthesia, and I am also scared that I would be in that percentage of people who wind up getting worse from the surgery.
Oy.
I also don't know anything about the timeline yet. When would the surgery be? Soon? How long would recovery take? Physical Therapy? Guess it is time to start looking for message boards on the topic.
So, tell me - have you ever had surgery of any kind? How was it? Were you helped by it?
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10 comments:
surgery twice, both times very successful and useful -- tonsils (spring break of my senior year of college) and a cyst removed from my left wrist (it's terrible but i can't remember exactly when this was, i think freshman year of college)...but i understand your fear. make sure you are comfortable with your doctors and that you fully understand and (hopefully) that will take away some of the fear...
refuah sheleimah!
You will definitely make a fantastic Jewish mother with all your worry and guilt...
Wishing you all the best...keep us posted :)
Bradley
The Egel Nest
And a refuah shlemah of mind to you also!
I'll say a mishebeirach for you if you email me your Hebrew name!
Bradley
The Egel Nest
Last time I had surgery, I promised my surgeon that I would behave and begged to opt out of the pre-anesthesia Valium and the general anesthesia, accepting a spinal block and total consciousness instead. My reasoning? I just wanted to be able to hear everything that was said in the operating room. Dullest conversation I ever eavesdropped on.
Oh, Marci! You are going to be FINE! DO make it your business to know what to expect, and do NOT worry. You'll have so many people sending happy healing thoughts your way, including me.
You are going to be absolutely fine, hon! This is a good thing, trust me.
But, of course, you are perfectly entitled to feel nervous (you wouldn't be human if you didn't).
I have had surgery, but it was nothing compared to back surgery. As you know, earlier this year I had surgery for a deviated septum...my sinus problems were so bad that I was having severe pain on a regular basis (I even threw up in front of a friend at a restaurant).
Anyway, yes, the surgery definitely helped, so I'm glad I did it. But trust me, I was scared too! I'll echo everyone else here and say you should ask as many questions as possible and make sure YOU are comfortable.
Funny story...my doctor does these surgeries so regularly (if there was ever a routine procedure, this was it) that at the end of the surgery, he called me "Amanda"!
Please do keep me posted on everything!
I'll be thinking of you!
I've never had surgery, but both my parents and my MIL have had multiple surgeries, and aside from dry mouth/nausea from anesthesia, had no side effects at all. I have had several friends who have had back or neck surgery and others who have had other serious things like gastric bypass, breast reduction, tumor removals, etc, and every one of them has come through fine.
Ask all your questions, press for answers, and feel like your doctors know what they're doing, and you will be fine. Holding you in the light, m'dear.
Surgery once and I was scared beyond belief. I was born with some heart problems that would solve only through surgery. My parents were too scared to do it when I was young (7-8) so we waited until I was strong enough to accept it myself.
With that said, after the surgery you'll feel so much better, you have no idea! The 2-3 days after surgery you'll probably have to consume a bunch of ice cream (anything cold actually) and rest for a week or maybe too.
But the aftermath is great.
Seriously, you'll be fine!! No one could have been more nervous than I was and I never regretted it.
Best wishes.
Hi Marci,
I have had four operations. One of them was a spinal fusion/laminectomy/disc-ectomy (lumbar 3- sacral 1). They secured me with titanium and I was good to go! I can definitely sympathize with you. I would be more than happy to talk with you about the surgery or answer any questions if I can. I don't want to post my email address but if you would like to talk, I'm sure Jess would give it to you.
Take care!!
Sue
I had c-sections for each kiddo. The hormone issues were much worse than my surgery scars. You will be fine, but make sure to go through each step of the process beforehand (I had a little freak out during c-section number one).
BTW, your haiku is up!
You are all such blessings in my life - I am going to keep your assurances, encouragement, and positive thoughts with me when the big day comes. I am grateful for your candor and support.
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