Upcoming Surgery

[Naamah D.]

I will be getting surgery soon and am very excited. I've been in back pain for quite some time and am getting surgery to fix that!!! Has anyone ever had surgery? How did you recover from it? Were you nervous or excited?

 

I was nervous and first and was actually crying in my mom's truck, but didn't shed a single tear at the appointment. You don't have to tell me where you got the surgery, but just wanted to see if anyone has had these feelings before. If anyone and been nervous before, but then feel very thankful you had it done afterwards.

[LillytheGrundo]

I've had surgery twice. Both times of my forearm. I had a bar and four screws put in to pin my bones back together after I had a compound fracture (this is a break where the bone breaks and sticks out through your skin.). And then I had another surgery on the same arm where they had to break the bones again and fix them. Both times it was really scary, but the doctors and nurses were super nice and helped keep my mind at ease. I remember the weirdest part was basically losing a day. Going to the hospital in the morning, going to sleep, and then waking up at night was totally strange. Felt like I was abducted by aliens or something. lol

 

I was really nervous both times but if I hadn't done the surgeries I would have ended up crippled in that arm and then not able to do a lot of things. If we had not fixed my arm then I may have been in pain my whole life and then ended up having more issues later on. It sounds like your surgery is going to be a really good thing for you. It's tough but all there is to do is be brave and know that things will be better when you come out on the other side.

 

I don't know how much that may have helped but Good Luck to you! Keep us posted!

 

Also, I LOVE your signature! Hole is one of my favorite bands. :-)

[BEE.]

I've had surgery 4 times. The fourth was a big one and has changed my life for the better!

I don't really remember much about them all (even though they were all done between 2006-2010) But I was a little nervous yes. Recovery for me was totally fine, once I got past feeling sick, and being dizzy. Personally, I found the fact that you're still able to fall asleep easily for a while afterwards due to the anaesthetic rather amazing, because I could catch up on any missed sleep :P everything went really well, and my doctors/nurses were really kind.

 

I think I was mainly nervous about the IV, because that sort of things kinda freaks me out, but luckily I was never told when it was being inserted as someone would always distract me by asking questions. Not being able to eat & drink was hard. Especially if someone who is with you are eating in front of you -.- But I was allowed to suck a lollypop to stop my mouth from going so dry while waiting - As long as I didn't eat it of course!

The day after surgery I felt much better, still a little dizzy but able to walk a short distance to the main hospital from the childrens to get something to eat. (Hospital food is gross.) I felt so good the day after the 4th operation, that I attended a film premiere with 2 IV's in my left hand and a tube in my stomach. I ended up meeting Jennifer Aniston. Now that was fun xD

 

If it helps, try and read or listen to some music before you're taken down to operating theatre to calm your nerves.

Good luck for your surgery! I'm sure everyone gets nervous when it comes to it, but it's okay afterwards, :)

[karmacow]

I've never had invasive surgery done, but I've had things cut off (birth marks, a wart type thing - not really sure what it was, but it had to go). So I'm not a source of much information in this regard. But I just want to say that it's great that you're having surgery to fix your pains. I hope it won't be too uncomfortable for you and that you'll recover quickly :)

[coltom]

Personally, I have electronics implanted for a failing heart. Each day I do not deserve, so I will cry not for the shortness of the ones I have remaining.

 

As I used to be a biomedical engineer, I am very curious about what area of the spine you are going to have tinkered with. If you were my age I'd suppose you'd be looking at a L3-L4 correction, but as you are likely young and they are doing a surgical I'd have to guess a C-5/T-1 correction. Hoping its not a surgical fusion, hopefully just removing some spurs or roughness to correct an entraption?

[Welcome Back Apathy]

I've had spinal surgery before. I don't know how invasive yours will be, but mine was veeeery invasive. They had to deflate my lung to do it. Not pleasant.

[Naamah D.]

Personally, I have electronics implanted for a failing heart. Each day I do not deserve, so I will cry not for the shortness of the ones I have remaining.

 

As I used to be a biomedical engineer, I am very curious about what area of the spine you are going to have tinkered with. If you were my age I'd suppose you'd be looking at a L3-L4 correction, but as you are likely young and they are doing a surgical I'd have to guess a C-5/T-1 correction. Hoping its not a surgical fusion, hopefully just removing some spurs or roughness to correct an entraption?

 

The surgery isn't going to be on my back. I'm getting a reduction surgery on my umm.....chest area.

[coltom]

OOOOOh, if the forward weight is too great in your chesty area, than that cause back pain. Yes, hopefully insurance will pay fully for that as it is a good preventive procedure that staves off years of backpain, and potentially degenerative disc issues. A good friend in college had that done, as she had freakishly large forward stresses on her spine, I'd say about a 38 DD on a 5'4" frame. She had several pounds removed, and it did end her back strain. She's a physician now.

 

While I am not a particular fan of that part of a female's form, she did also mention it was nice when men could start looking at her eyes and not her sweater.

[siniri]

A good friend in college had that done, as she had freakishly large forward stresses on her spine, I'd say about a 38 DD on a 5'4" frame.

It's not very polite to refer to someone else's body as "freakishly" anything (not even if they themselves use that term), especially a part of the body that has been objectified to such an extent. Especially not on a forum where there are young people whose bodies are growing and changing and who might be feeling insecure about those changes, and especially when you conflate a very-close-to-average-sized bra on a very-close-to-average-sized body (for Americans, anyway) as "freakishly large." Bodies come in all shapes and sizes.

 

Naamah, I've had 2 surgeries (3 if you count my wisdom teeth extraction), and the worst part for me was the nausea from the anesthesia. If you're prone to nausea/vomiting from medications, let them know, and they can give you medication to prevent it (which in my last surgery only had me throw up once after my first apple juice post-op, when I was still too loopy to care; this is compared to being sick and not keeping anything down for the first 24-48 hours after my other two surgeries). If you do start to feel nauseous, let them know right away so they can give you the medicine.

 

Read the descriptions of side effects for your medications; my prescribed pain med after my first two surgeries was codeine, with a common side effect of... nausea and vomiting. I was still a teen, and my parents were taking care of me. My mom did try to call regarding my vomiting after the wisdom teeth, but the surgery was Friday, she called Sat., and the office didn't call back until Monday, by which point I'd put my foot down and been off the meds for over 24 hours. On a scarier note, I had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin once, a rash and a bit of swelling in my throat. I was about to take my next dose when I remembered that meds came with side effect warnings and thought to double-check before taking it. Had I swallowed that pill, it might very well have killed me. That's not to scare you, but just be aware of what symptoms to look out for (and make sure your caretaker is aware, too) -- the same for any possible side effects from your surgery, IV site, catheter (if you have one), etc. When in doubt, ask, "Is this normal?" A "yes" answer will reassure you, a "no" means they can start fixing it.

 

During my most recent surgery, as an adult, I was much more assertive and proactive. I told them my concerns, and they wrote me a prescription for anti-nausea medicine so my dad could go get it filled in the middle of the night if we needed to (thankfully we didn't). And the anti-nausea meds were the very first ones pumped into my IV. Make sure you ask lots of questions, and read all the forms they make you sign. If you don't understand something, ask. Ask about alternatives (my last surgery, I actually had a nerve block rather than general anesthesia, though they still gave me something to make me sleep through the whole thing).

 

Let nurses know your needs early because it might take time for them to get to you (e.g., if you need to use the bathroom, let them know about a half hour before you're at the "need it NOW" stage, if possible).

 

I hope your surgery goes well.

[coltom]

It's not very polite to refer to someone else's body as "freakishly" anything (not even if they themselves use that term), especially a part of the body that has been objectified to such an extent. Especially not on a forum where there are young people whose bodies are growing and changing and who might be feeling insecure about those changes, and especially when you conflate a very-close-to-average-sized bra on a very-close-to-average-sized body (for Americans, anyway) as "freakishly large." Bodies come in all shapes and sizes.

Speaking as a former biomedical engineer, there are situations where unbalanced weight can cause structural concerns. It is not a question of body image, it is a question of mechanics. I assume that a careful analysis of the spine was performed, they have rather nice computer simulations of a person's weight distribution and the potential for chronic pain and neural entraption that they consult before normally undertaking this type of procedures.

 

*sensitive information removed*

 

This post has been edited by a member of staff (Anime) because of a violation of the forum rules.

Referring to a patient by name when describing the work she had done and why is a violation of doctor/patient confidentiality and as such we will not allow it here. Broken federal laws can reflect on the site and get us in trouble, not just you.

Please check your user inbox to see if you have been contacted regarding this incident, then review our rules.

 

[siniri]

I was not implying that surgery is not helpful in some cases (or in your friend's particular case, although I'd highly recommend you edit out her name, as I know I would feel very uncomfortable if someone was talking about my personal medical history on an internet forum and identifying me by name); I was just pointing out the harm you could be doing to others with your careless choice of words. 38DD is not "freakishly large"; it's very close to the U.S. national average of 36DD. I do not think you know how bra sizes work; a small framed woman would not wear a size 38 band. If she was really as slight as you say, it's likely she was more like a 30H (many well-endowed women can't find bras in their size and wear inappropriately sized bras; the size they wear is often not their actual size). Which still would not be "freakishly" large, even if it's far removed from the mean. It's still within the range of "normal," it's just towards one end of the distribution. There are over 3.5 billion females on this planet. That means there are over 100,000 who are 4 or more standard deviations above the average. It's unusual, yes, but still part of the natural diversity that makes our species beautiful.

 

I thought about sending this reply via PM, but really, I want to reiterate that well-endowed women, even if they need surgery, are not in any way "freakish." Especially considering the sensitive, personal nature of what's already been shared in this thread. TDN should be a safe place for people to share things, and no one should be made to feel like they're a freak here. Women are judged by their body in enough other places.

[coltom]

I was not implying that surgery is not helpful in some cases (or in your friend's particular case, although I'd highly recommend you edit out her name, as I know I would feel very uncomfortable if someone was talking about my personal medical history on an internet forum and identifying me by name); I was just pointing out the harm you could be doing to others with your careless choice of words. 38DD is not "freakishly large"; it's very close to the U.S. national average of 36DD. I do not think you know how bra sizes work; a small framed woman would not wear a size 38 band. If she was really as slight as you say, it's likely she was more like a 30H (many well-endowed women can't find bras in their size and wear inappropriately sized bras; the size they wear is often not their actual size). Which still would not be "freakishly" large, even if it's far removed from the mean. It's still within the range of "normal," it's just towards one end of the distribution. There are over 3.5 billion females on this planet. That means there are over 100,000 who are 4 or more standard deviations above the average. It's unusual, yes, but still part of the natural diversity that makes our species beautiful.

 

I thought about sending this reply via PM, but really, I want to reiterate that well-endowed women, even if they need surgery, are not in any way "freakish." Especially considering the sensitive, personal nature of what's already been shared in this thread. TDN should be a safe place for people to share things, and no one should be made to feel like they're a freak here. Women are judged by their body in enough other places.

 

You are misapplying statistics. The biometric parameters that would warrant a reduction have no to do with the size as measured by a simple measurement, but more to do with the percentage of mass distribution upon the spine. In L's case, it was pretty severe and she was incredibly pleased with her reduction. The only complaint was even she had to go through a large amount of insurance red tape for what should have been an appropriate medical procedure. As far as gross measurement, her axis of gravity was between 2.5 and 3.25 inches forward of anatomical normal. She was to the point of starting to suffer from chronic pain. This is more important than just a cup measurement.

 

It could be I have been around doctors biomedicals way too much.

 

As far as the original post, the procedure is very routine. I would believe you are embarking upon this after a careful consultation with medical professionals. What they are unlikely to have done, is reassure you that this should be a quick recovery with a minimal amount of discomfort. In weeks you should see relief from your back and neck pain, if you have not already I can point you towards some journals that detail the high degree of patients that experience relief.

 

As I have worked with doctors in various capacities before my own health began fail, I would assume that they have done a poor job of reassuring you that your recovery should be quick and problem free. Don't be afraid to ask them point blank what you should expect, what activities to avoid while recovering. They often forget to look at the complete person, and forget what a unique and special soul that you are, beloved and cherish with your own and unique fire and spirit. Don't be afraid to insist that all of your questions be answered, your fears voiced, your mind reassured. Your doctor does know what he is doing, he's just not very good at sharing with his patients.

[hrtbrk]

Your doctor does know what he is doing, he's just not very good at sharing with his patients.

 

I think this is a very risky and unnecessary thing to say. She is asking support based off of other peoples experience as she is nervous. That does not reflect at all on how her doctor deals with her or their patients.

 

Perhaps you shouldn't state something so matter of factly, when you have absolutely no idea who her doctor is, how they run their practice or the conversations they have had with Naamah.

 

Congratulations on going forth with the surgery, Naamah. I don't think a lot of women end up going through with it and end up staying in pain, but you know what's best for your body. :) Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[coltom]

Look, the young lady is undergoing a routine procedure. I assume done by a licensed and board certified plastic surgeon, and monitored by a licensed and certified anesthesialogist. While I have often had a torturous relationship with the physicians I have worked with over the years on a number of biomedical projects, there is no reason to second guess her personal and thoughtful decisions.

 

Had she asked about suggestion about in-office versus out-patient versus hospital stay that would be one thing. That is not the issue. While the cost of the delivery of health care is one issue, the professionalism is rarely lacking.

 

If I might give some small advice. Your health care team has done this many times, and they may have forgotten the questions and concerns that a patient might have. Don't be afraid to ask questions, don't be afraid to double check what you should do if anything goes "off". I'll not go into details, as I am a tad insensitive and added myself, but get your post op instructions, get your points of contact, and DON'T be afraid to bug them if you have ANY questions or concerns.

 

-Colonel-

 

P.S. I got this from a webpage, and thought it was dang good advice

 

"Please remember that the relationship with your plastic surgeon does not end when you leave the operating room. If you have questions or concerns during your recovery, or need additional information at a later time, you should contact your surgeon."

[Naamah D.]

Hate to say it, but seriously stop with the debate. I just wanted to know if anyone else has had surgery and had any experiences with it. I've met my surgeon and she is wonderful.

 

I'm going to channel my inner Stewie and say I'm out.

[Anime]

Seeing as Naahmah has noped out, I'm closing this.

 

This topic has been edited by a member of staff (Anime).
The original topic had been answered.
Please check your user inbox to see if you have been contacted regarding this topic.
Per the reason above, this topic has been LOCKED. Please contact Anime if you have any questions regarding this action.