Surgery on Tuesday and Scared!!
 

Hi I'm cindy from canada.I have been waiting 2 years for surgery and I just got the call today to have my surgery on tuesday!!!I have had alot of different surgeries but this time I am scared!! I am also scared that the pain medication after surgery is not going to help enough with my pain because I have been on pain meds so long.I have been on many different pain meds over the years.2 years ago i was put on slow release morphine.I take it every twelve hours and have regular morphine for break through pain.I had bowel surgery 2 years ago and had a really rough time because of my tolerance to pain meds. They gave me all that they could and it just wasnt enough so I am very scared .I also have severe fibromyalgia so that just makes the pain worse. I am having left side rib removed and muscle bands cut.I have been having really bad heart palpitations lately that take my breath away for several seconds.I don't know if it is safe for me to be put to sleep with this .Does anyone have any advice or information to help me stop feeling so scared.Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

I had the surgery in April, and I was sooooo scared! IF only I had known what a breeze it was, and with Fentanyl, I felt Noooooo pain. Really, my experience was a cake-walk. I hope yours is, too.

As for feeling better, it wasn't until 9 months later that I really noticed benefits. You MUST give your body time to heal those nerves.

God bless you! :hug:

Thank you very much for your reply!! I pray that I can come thru my surgery as well as you did.I do know from reading that it seems like it will be a long recovery .It will be worth it if I can have a litle bit of life back.:hug:

Cindy-
I would certainly bring up the heart palpitations bit in your pre op visit. Sound like you have been thorugh a lot. I haven't had surgery myself, so all I can say is good luck to you.

I was reading yesterday that pain level has a lot to do with the amount of morphine you can handle at any one time (b/c the pain conteracts the sedation effects of the morphine) it was interesting.
I don't know what the source of this page is, but it *appears* credible.

Maybe if Trix is around she would have some advice. I think she had surgery with someone in Canada.

Best of luck to you.

Johanna

Idid have surgery in Canada
 

I had my surgery with Dr. Nelems in Kelowna. He is considerd one of the foremost experts on TOS in Canada. I had both sides done two days apart.
I remember waking up in recovery after the first surgery in intense pain. By the time I got to my room though the pain was under control.
After the second surgery the pain was under control right from the beginning.
They continued my pre-op pain meds orally, in addition to the morphine through-out my hospital stay.
After the surgery I felt wonderful. I felt truly pain free for the first time in over a year. Once I got out of the hospital, the pain was definitley present, but I am mostly able to control it with my oral meds.
I have started PT this week. I am three months post-op, and I will return to seeing my chiropractor in February.
All in all, I am very glad I had the surgery. So far, I have a marked decrease in the numbness and tingling in my hands. I feel better over all, I do have a lot of burning pain, but Dr. Nelems thinks that is normal. He keeps reminding me that it can take up to two years to recover from this surgery. Even if I only see a small amount of change from where I am today I will consider my surgery a great success.
Tracy

Hi Cindy
 

I haven't had TOS surgery yet so I can't answer questions specific to your upcoming surgery. But I did want to respond to your concern about the heart palpitations....I know when I've had more minor surgeries (carpal tunnel) they would not proceed with the surgeries until after obtaining the results of ekg (ecg?) tests to ensure that my heart was okay. I assume that they will do the same for you in your pre-op testing (unless things are different in Canada?). Also, I used to get heart palpitations too but after testing it was determined they were nothing serious, so hopefully the same will be true for you.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

we have some threads and posts about how the muscles spasms or even the nerve there can be affected and make it feel like palpitations.

but be sure to mention that to your dr to be sure it's not heart related.

I'll try to search up a few posts.

Hi CindyJ,
My worst pain was when they woke me up in the operating room or post op and made me tell them I was in pain. At least that's the way I remember it. I seem to recall them saying my name and asking where it hurts. I thought I told them my side. Anyway after that I think they hooked me up with morphine.
After that it was off to recovery where I'd get morphine every 4 hours along with percocets. They also put some other pain med in my IV every six hours.
I really had minimal pain in the hospital.
The worst pain after that was the first two or three days after I was dischaged.
Prior to surgery I thought I'd just be real sore for a few days after surgery.
My surgeon clearly told me I was mistaken and to take up my Mom and Step Dad's offer of taking care of me at their house.
I'm so glad I did! Even with the percs and vics I still needed help to get in and out of bed. If I did it on my own I'd need to stop for minutes to catch my breath because I could only take little rapid breaths. Deep breathing was terribley painful.
Today is my three month anniversary post surgery and I can honestly say I'm still quite sore from the surgery.
At this point I wouldn't say I regret getting the surgery but I wish I knew then what I know now.
I'm still trying to be optimistic.
Good Luck! :)

Wow you are so very helpful and friendly!!! I am sooo glad I was able to find my way back here. I am pretty sure they will do an ekg on monday at my pre op visit.If not I will ask to have 1 done.As you all know there are so many symptoms that go with this and fibromyalgia, that it is hard to distinguish what is a symptom and what is an unrelated problem.I have a lot of choking feelings too which I have read go along with TOS.The hospital is 2 hours from where i live so we will be staying in the city overnight after my preop, as my surgery is the next mornig.They said I would be in 1 night, which is a little scary going home so soon after surgery, but they need the beds for other patients so out you go lol!I don't know how soon afterward I will be able to get online but I will update as soon as i am able. Once again thank you all for your help!!

HI THERE. YOU WILL BE FINE. YOU REALLY WON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED CUZ YOU'LL BE OUT OF IT FOR A DAY OR SO. JUST TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF AND I'LL PRAY FOR YOU:hug: :hug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Hi Cindyj,

you mention the choking feelings,
I had those from SCM and scalene muscle spasms pulling the top rib and collar bones up - felt horrible and made my symptoms so much worse with any use of my arms.

After my chiro relieved the spasms - I had an independent evaluation by an advanced PT {hoping for better proof to use on work comp appeal} but it turned out he was able to drop my top ribs- they got stuck raised up from those spasms.
In a one time session and it made a world of difference for me.
- it's called rib mobilization

I don't know if anyone has tried something like that for you in any PT or anything- rib mob is also used in Peter Edgelows therapy techniques.

one night
 

hi Cindy,

I too had a one night stay at the "inn" it was ok....other than the fact that the doctors resident sent me home with too little pain meds...but my GP delt with it. I was scared but knew I was in good hands only a couple of surgeons do the surgery in Ontario as they are only reimbursed $250.00 what a load of garbage that was.

one night is not so bad I was feeling much less pain than I did the day before aside from the post op pain which sort of felt like being run over by a truck when I was undermedicated so make sure u are comfortable all the time no reason ever to be in pain......

It took me three months to feel well enough to do things on my own....lifting light dishes out of the dishwasher with my unaffected arm of course but still moving neck and turning....I am hoping you are having supraclavicular incision...under collar bone....you heal faster from that one.

the next day my mom helped me in the tub but to get in and out and with balance....I just used the tub to bath for a week or so until I took the dressing off then I showerd and did some of my exercises he gave me in the shower as my muscles were warmed up in there....

oh get your hair done before you go then you won't have to have it done for a while.....just a tip I had my mom wash mine outside....it was July/august so I lay on a sunbed and she hosed my head.....cold water....:eek:

anyhooo......best of luck my dear and cash in on all your help for things dont be the hero you will need help so don't be afraid to ask for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't emphasise that enough......obviously...eh??????
So it will all go well we are rooting for you! You are now a member of our little (growing) family and we are a tight bunch so welcome and ask questions and fire away.........

love and hugs,
Victoria

Hey CindyJ!
Wow, I didn't quite realize what short notice you got, especially after waiting two years.
Just as gibbrn said......CASH IN YOUR FAVORS!!!!
Do stuff like clean and grocery shop prior to going in.
I spent the last two days before surgery, "surgery proofing" my home/apartment.
This included cleaning, grocery shopping, paying bills, laundry, pet supplies, etc.
Basically I thought of stuff I'd like to have done prior to surgery so I didn't have to do it or deal with it for a while after surgery.
Post surgery I spent 3 or 4 days at my parents. Once I was home I accidently fell asleep in my recliner. What a great discovery!
For several days I found I slept much better sitting up in the recliner than I did laying in bed. Often I'd sleep in the recliner and when I'd wake up I'd go sleep in my bed.
I think this reduced a lot of strain and pain as I had so much trouble getting up from a laying down position.
Sleeping sitting up post surgery may not be good medical advice as my Docs never suggested sleeping while sittling up, but they never warned against it.
I'm just saying what I found that worked for me.
Good Luck and take it easy after surgery. Do everything slow and don't feel bad about it or let anyone make you feel bad about it.
Take Care!:)

I wish I had slept sitting up
 

gbsb,

good advice....I guess with all our little bits from each of us Cindy, you can piece together a plan! You will do fine...and we will help..... I hope you have Dragon software so you can talk rather than type as that will be an issue....you can pick dragon 7 up for about 25 to 20 on ebay and it works really well it's the one I have and should be using....lol....

I wish I had slept sitting up sleeping was a problem for me I was a side sleeper and since the surgery can only sleep on my back for comfort sake.....I cna't roll or lie on my side at all it is just too uncomfortable. I had a hell of a time after surgery to get comfy....took a lot of pillows and basically I sat up crying for the first few days as I didn't have enough pain meds..as I have already said but you shouldn't have this issue.....you should have no prob with the right meds....but you will still feel like you were run over by a truck on your shoulder .....not kidding.....it was heavy and I carried my arm around for a while to ease the pressure....anyhow....not to scare you it is well worth it and I had six months completely pain free until my physio screwed me up agian hardcore.!!!!
but that's another story....lol:rolleyes:

take care
love and hugs,
Victoria

WOW Cindy,

Best of Luck! Eveyone gave some great advice.

I had surgery 6 weeks ago and still recovering. You mentioned that choking feeling. That was my main complaint, I did not have as much arm/hand symptoms as mcuh as that choling feeling. Jo is right rib mob will help that. I did not have rib taken out but had anterior scalenectomy and part of the middle. And most all of the choling sensation is gone. I am waiting to go to PT with doc ok so they can do rib mob to put those ribs back in pace finally.

I also had heart palpitation which seem to have resolved after the surgery. ONe doc said the cirulatory system is a closed sysytem and if there is any pressure on it even tmp it will respond and heart will work harder. I am going in a week for heart ultrasound to make sure heart did not enlarge. Only precautonairy as doc thinks it is fine.

GBSB - what a great suggestion. Surgery proof your home! And I wish I had a recliner because you are right getting up from prone position was much easier.

Don't know if anyone mentioned this make sure to have plenty of pillows and blankets in car for ride home. It maynot have seemed to be bumpy on way there but it sure way on the way home. I got a bot naueous on the way home or maybe a little warm gingerale in the car just in case.

Take the pain meds as doc told me because pain retards healing. By day four I was down significantly from my pain meds and a week later only needed occasionally.

Afterwards I leanred to carry nothing. Hubby was happy because he thought great she won't buy any more purses she does not need. I learned to only carry my wallet. But hoping soon to go purse shooping again :p

Make sure to drink lots of water. It helps heal the body.

I wish you the best of luck and a speedy recovery. :hug:

Talk About the Bum's Rush!
 

Hi Cindy, So glad you're here - but my gosh, that is short notice for a major surgery such as this one! Maybe it's just me, but if I were you I would call the surgeon's scheduling coordinator and ask if he has a later opening you could have, to give you more time to prepare. (Just a thought, I have them occasionally...).

Also, do NOT wait for them to ask you about the palpitations if you do decide to go full speed ahead on Mon. and have your pre-op - the first thing out of your mouth should be "you guys need to hook me up to an EKG to check out my ticker; I'm having palpitations and not at all sure what that means in terms of going under the knife tomorrow" (just my opinion, it's what I would do in your situation, as well as call the Dr's. office and communicate the same info to the nurse STAT!). (Come to think of it, the heart thing could buy you a later date if you play your cards right....seriously! I'm not saying be manipulative, but stay as proactive and involved as you can as a patient - don't let the big bad surgeon run over you!)

Re the tolerance to pain meds, I really hear you on that one, because I had the very same concerns when I had my TOS surgery in 11/05. By then I had been a "chronic pain patient" (hate that term!) for so long that I too had developed severe FMS (which narcotics don't even touch in my view), as well as CRPD, and probably a bunch of misdiagnoses (my TOS diagnosis was not made until many, many years after initial onset). So I had tried by then about every pain med out there, just trying to get some relief. And they do stop working after a certain period of time, and/or a specific phenomenon takes place which I won't go into here.

But here's the thing I want you to hear, Cindy: You have the right to speak to your anesthesiologist about your concerns re effective pain control, as well as your surgeon. They are very legitimate and both docs should be made aware of them so that you can be treated properly. Don't worry though, about waking up on the table or anything, because what they put you out with is actually gas, the narcotic (usually fentanyl) just eases the ride in and out of consciousness.

When you wake up post-op, yes you will be in pain, girl but it will not be the same kind of pain you have (sadly) been in for so long now. What you will be feeling will be acute pain from the procedure - and acute pain responds much, much better to opioids and other measures which will be taken in hospital to keep you comfortable.

You will want to ask when you call your surgeon's office on Mon. or when you see him (keep jotting down your questions, keep them handy) this question: Will I have a PCA (patient-controlled analgesia unit)? One thing I do know the doc will look at on his rounds is how many times you punch that little button. If you're doing it more often than it's set up to deliver pain medication to your body, then it signals him to up your meds! So even if they tell you it will only dose you every x mins., you lean on that thing each time you feel you need pain relief!

I wish you the best of luck, Cindy. This is a tough thing to go through and I am glad you don't have to do it alone. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other - we will be here for you!

Alison

HI CindyJ
 

I just wanted to share some of my experiences too... and some suggestions, some of them are very similar to the other's suggestions which I hope will encourage you!

I agree with gbsb, re: having things at home in order. I only had 2 weeks before my surgery to get prepared as well and I tried to have everything in order as well. I tried to have others do these tasks for me as I thought I needed to be as rested as possible so that I would be able to recover more readily. If you can, have friends or family do dinners for a week or longer. Can someone come and stay with you for the day your first week home?? That was very helpful to me.

I also slept in a recliner at night for the first week. I couldn't breathe laying flat on my back in bed. If you don't have one, maybe there is an organization in your town that has hospital beds that they loan out?? We have one in our town. THey deliver them and set them up for you and everything.

Also, for the ride home, take a FIRM pillow to hold against your chest, and pack "MOSHI" type pillows in everywhere you can to cushion you. I filled a pillow case full go under my legs and then used two under each arm and behind my neck and shoulders to ride home. Even with all of that, the ride home was the hardest part for me!! :eek:

I was fortunate to wake up from the surgery not in pain. They used a fentynl patch as well as an I.V. with dilaudid, so I did allright at the hospital. I told them about my concern for pain management at the pre-op. appt. because I too had been taking opiates prior to surgery for a while.

I didn't have palpitations so I can't comment on that. I am glad there are others here that could reassure you there!!

The only other thing I can think of to mention is be sure and get your body ready for possible constipation from the med.s from surgery. It's not pleasant to have to deal with that along with the pain! I wish I had started eating prunes and other fibers and drinking lots of fluids before surgery. They gave me senna pills and collase (sp?) at the hospital, and after I started having problems at home they recc. I get them. I had no idea they came over the counter !! :Dunno:

I'm sure that you will do well especially with all the wonderful advice everyone has offered!

Please keep us updated and let us know how you are doing and how things are going!!

God Bless!! :hug:

G ~ :)

Cindyj,

Good luck on Tuesday I hope things go well for you..

Hugs and blessings,

Dolfinz

I can't thank you all enough for giving me so much help!! I have had alot of surgeries so I usually clean my house before I go.But I had my niece and nephew 1 year and 3 year old for the weekend so there is no way I can get it all done this time.My husband is unable to work so he will be home with me all the time.I have really long hair sos I know its going to be hard to care for it, but it can stay in a ponytail i guess. I know the drive home is going to be agony, it's a 2 hour drive over some pretty rough roads, so thanks for the idea to take pillows.I know it is short notice but I have been on the waiting list for 2 years ,so I'm not passing up the chance to get it done. I am going to make sure I have an ekg before they do surgery.I think the palpitations are related to th TOS but I want to make sure there are no heart issues.Well I am going to bed to try to get some sleep.Tomorrow I am going to write down alot of your suggestions so I dont forget anything. Thanks again everyone and I really appreciate your prayers. I am putting myself in God' hands, so I trust that He will carry me through this. Hope everyone has a good nights sleep, cindy

Thank you everyone. I am off to the hospital in the morning and I will post as soon as i feel up to it after surgery.You have all helped me a great deal and I am no longer scared.I am just wanting to get it over with now and praying it will help!! You are an awsome group!!!!!

Hi Cindyj
 

Today, I am 4 days post op from a redo of a scalenectomy and neuroplasty.. I can't offer you anymore advise.. Everyone here has covered every piece possible.. One thing I can emphisize is bring your pillows with for the drive home and also ask for those pain meds just prior to leaving the hospital.. It helps especially with bumpy roads..
Hang in there cindy and keep us updated.. You'll be in our thoughts..
((Big Gentle Hugs)) :grouphug:
Dawn

Hi Cyndy
 

Best of luck tomorrow!

Dr Bethune
 

HI Cindy, I am catching the posts late...I was reading you are from Atlantic Canada and that Br. Bethune is doing your surgery. I hope everything went well for you. I guess I have no advice for you since I am on that waiting list for surgery for Dr. Bethune as well. Unfortunately for me, I have only been on 6 months now so I guess I have a long road ahead of me yet. I am hoping you will be able to(when you are feeling better) share your experience with me since we have the same Doc. I will have a 6 hour drive after surgery so he said he would be keeping me a couple of days but I am curious to see how you make out. I wish you all the best....keep us posted.

Rachael

Another supporter
 

Hi Cindy,

Good luck with your surgery. I had rib resection surgery 2 years ago August. The pillow is a really good idea. Also, if you have a recliner at home, that'll be essential for comfort. One thing I would like to stress is to move your arm when you can. Try to move it as often as you can and use those muscles. The sooner you can get it moving the better off you'll be. Also, a good thing too is to desensitize the area of the arm/chest that'll be numb with different things like a cloth, etc. That'll help wake up those nerves. Also, in the hospital, if they'll give you a morphine pump, that was easier than taking pills. Good luck. This brings back alot of memories for me. Please be patient. Recovery will take a long time. It's been 2 years for me and I'm still not 100%.

Good Luck!:)

Good luck, Cindy! I know you are nervous, but you're in the home stretch now. The worrying and wondering will be over soon and you'll be on your way to better living! :Popcorn: spoil yourself and do take it s l o w and easy.

God bless you, I'll be keeping you in my prayers!
Anne

Well its 1 am and I now i should e sleeping.The hospital is 2 hours away from home and i had to come for preadmission tests today so we are ina motel for the night.I have to be at hospital at 6 am and surgery is 7:30.The preadmission went great and was very well organized.I have myself ready for this now and I am not scared anymore.I will update you all whenever I can and Rachael I will let you know all about my experience so you will be prepared for yours.Again I cant thank you all enough for the wonderful support ,prayers and help you have given me.To all of those still recovering I send you my heartfelt wishes for a pain free life( or as close to that as we can get) I will keep all of you in my prayers and I look forward to being able to get back online to share my experience with you all. (((hugs))) to all , cindy

Best of Luck Cindy

Cindy
 

Best of luck Cindy...I really do wish you a speedy and no too much pain filled recovery. Take things nice and slow and listen to your body.
Take things easy.

Rach

Hope all went well, CIndyJ! Best wishes for a comfortable recovery! :)

Wishing you a speedy recovery. Take it easy!

I hope it all went well for you Cindy - take it easy!

Prayers for speedy recovery
 

Hi CIndy,
 

I hope that your surgery was a success.. :Head-Spin: Now it is time for you to Rest :Zzzz: and as I was told use up those IOU's... :Starvin:
Many Hugs :grouphug:
Dawn

Hi everyone and thank you for your prayers! Sorry I've been so long getting this posted, haven't felt much like typing lol.I have had alot of surgery and I am not usually one to complain but this was far from the best surgical experience I have had.I am now 11 days post op and doing fairly well. I am used to alot of pain but the first 5 days were torture.They thought I had a collapsed lung 3 different times but they got an air bubble in me when they operated and I guess it was that ,that was putting the extreme pressure on my lung. I was rold the air is what caused me the extra pain but that it would absorb into my body in time. I think it is prety well gone now and it's nice to be able to breathe again. I had rib resection but I have no idea if they did anyting else. I was operated on tuseday jan,30 at 7:30 am. I was in surgery for about 2 hours and in the recovery room until 3pm .I had specifically discussed with them at my pre admission testing that I was concerned about pain control after surgery and they assured me that they take it into consideration and adjust dosage when someone has been on pain meds for a long time. I had a very rough time because what they gave me for pain was exactly what I have been taking at home for the past 2 years!! In the recovery room they gave me the fast acting small injections quite often for the first 2 hours which wasn't too bad.But when it was time for me to go to my room my room wasnt ready yet so I was in recovery an extra 2 hours longer than I should have been. The order for injections is only written for the time you are supposed to be in recovery, so when I asked for something for pain I was told they would give me something as soon as I got to my room!! Which ended up being 2 hours later. They werent even allowed to give me a drink, but if i had been in my room when i was supposed to be I would have been given pain meds and something to drink and eat.I tried my best to just put up with it all but it really was ridiculous .So by the time I finally got to my room my pain was way out of control and you all know how hard it is to catch up once that happens. The nurses were excellent but guess what, when they brought my pain medication it was a 10 mg morphine tablet which is exactly what i have been taking at home for 2 years!! So my pain was already way out of control, I had an air bubble that was causing even worse pain and they give me waht i take for everyday So the dr. I talked to at preadmission apparently did not relay my concerns to my doctor.Dr Bethune did my surgery ,but the only dr. I talked to pre op and post op was his resident doctor, dr. Murphy.I saw dr. bethune for about 1 minute before they put me out and I didnt see him before i was discharged. Dr. murphy came around once and my husband talked to him about my pain meds and the nurses did too, he told them to give me 2 tylenol with my morphine. He told the nurse they might keep me the 2nd night to watch the air bubble but I asked what to watch for and asked if i could go home. They were doing nothing to control m pain so hubby bundled me in pillows and we had a 2 hour painful drive home.I called my family doctor who adjuusted me to the right dosage and after the air bubble went away I could finally breathe again.Anytime I have had surgery thry have always given a different medication than what im on for pain control, so I dont know what was up with that. I saw my family doctor yesterday and she is quite pleased with how im doing. I had a letter they gave me when i was discharged for my family doc. so I was hoping it would say in that if they did anything besides rib resection. No one seemed to be able to tell me at the hospital but it didnt say anything in the letter either,. So I guess i hve to wait for my 6 week check up.They were supposed to call me with an appt for that this week and they didnt so i guess i have to call on monday. All in all I am doing much better now but I'm still not sure it's worth it. I am a little hopeful because when i woke up in recovery I had no pain in my arm and neck.All symptoms are back with a vengeance right now but im hoping thats just from inflamation and tissue injury from surgery. I am used to really knowing whats going on with my body so I'm not really impressed that the doctor who did my surgery didnt even talk to me.It is a teaching hospital and I had students all over me while I was in there lol, but I know they have to learn so I didnt mind.But I dont think a resident should be your only communication with your surgeon. Maybe if i had stayed the 2nd day I might have seen Dr. bethune , but I was originally only supposed to stay 1 night so it looks like he doesn't come around at all. I debated whether to post some of this because I don't want to scare the girl who is on dr. bethunes waiting list. But I thought it was important for her to know so she can make sure she addresses any of these isssues with them at the hospital. My care was good but communication seems to be a real problem there. Well I am beat from typing lol, and you are probably all bored stiff so I'll shut up now . Thanks for listening, cindy

oh cindy :( - that doesn't sound too good for that hosp or the doc!
sometimes the lack of care and concern is just too much - I can't believe that they treated you that way. :mad:

You should be able to call and request the surgery report??
maybe somebody that had surgery will know how to get that.
but you should have it, just for your own info.

I hope your recovery is much smoother than the hospital care.

oh no
 

OMG Cindy!!!

Demand (nicely) the op report after 6 weeks. Sometimes these go to medical transcribers and they have to work it in the order they come in. I'm so so sorry that they didn't address your medication concerns, and only spending 1 min with you pre-op?? Insanity.

In my situation, with the 3rd and 4th surgeries, I was given the same meds as I took at home... but with additional meds on top of that and in larger and more frequent doses. We also get a pow-wow with the entire op team - surgeon and all... before they knock me out. I get to address all my concerns, they review the whole procedure in front of me. It's a very comforting feeling. You must have been scared witless!!!

Hate gas bubbles...:mad: had them with many other surgeries, but not that I can recall with any done in Denver. I'm glad that it's gone for you now and it sounds like you are on the mend!

Keep us posted dear, but don't spend too much time at the computer.
:hug:
Anne

Surgery reports
 

I find here in Canada that it is harder to get a hold of any of your medical and surgical records. When I have requested them I have been told that they are the property of the treating Dr., and can only be reloeased to another Dr. with my written authorization.
When I ttry to push it I come smack up against Canada's new and restrictive privacy laws.
Gibbrn, Pam and CindyJ, do you find these problems in your area of the country?
Tracy

Hi Siccy!
Glad to see your home and posting!
Sorry to hear about the pain and not seeing much of the surgeon.
I thought it was strange in my surgery also. I saw my surgeon for all of about 5 minutes before surgery and about 5 minutes several hours before I was discharged.
While I realize they are supposedly professionals and deal with surgery day in and day out. I wish they'd realize it's a big deal for those of us who don't work in the business.
Take care and take it easy!:) :)

no prob with reports tracy
 

Hi cindy,
glad to hear you are home, don't worry about not seeing your surgeon I didn't either except in his office for follow up weeks later and I felt lke a train wreck for weeks after so no worries girl....keep that hubby busy making you comfy and heal heal heal!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had resident contact as well and he was mexican and his command of the english languge was less than to be desired.....:eek: so I don't think he understood me......oh well my family dr took care of me after

as for my med records Tracy, I dont' have a prob my family doc gives me the reports and it is your right to have them so go and demand they copy them for you even if you have to pay for it you can claim it on your taxes......

take care Cindy.....
love and hugs,
Victoria:hug:

Hi all, thanks for the great support!
GBSB---thank you soooo much for the recliner idea!!I spent the 1st night in bed and the rest of the nights in the recliner.If i sleep in bed i can't get my breath when i get up in the morniing.3 days ago i started sleeping in bed again and made out pretty well the 1st 2 nights.Last night I dont know what happened but I woke up in agony this morning and it felt like it was day3 post op all over again.I had a very rough day so tonight i am back to the recliner.As for the surgical report, I guess the surgeon will tell me everything when i see him in 6 weeks(if i ever get my appt.His ofice was suposed to call me with an appt date,they havent so i have called twice and left a message and they havent called back) I have no trouble getting any of my reports as my family doctor will give me access to anything i need.When i saw my family doc on friday she didnt have a report from the hospital yet though.
I am still having a few palpitations but nothing near as bad as what they were so it must have been TOS related. Did most of you have congestion in your lungs for several weeks postop? When I try to take a very deep breath it feels like rumbling in the upper part of my lung on the surgery side.I have been taking my inhalers because I had congestion that felt like rumbling in the bottom of my lungs, but it feels like the same rumbling feeling in the top. I was just wondering if this is normal?
I have tried cutting back on my pain meds twice and ended up in misery,so I guess its too soon to be cutting back yet. I still don't understand what they were thinking by only giving me the same dose of pain meds post op that i have been taking for 2 years at home. I could see them continuing to give me my regular meds because my body is used to them, but they should have also given me something for surgical pain! I have had a ton of surgeries and they usually put me on dilaudid or something similar for at least 2-3 days post op. My body is so used to the morphine it felt like they were giving me nothing.
Rachael one thing I want to say is ,as far as surgeons go you are in very good hands with dr. bethune.He is an excellent surgeon. I believe most of my troubles came from a lack of communication. Since my surgery i have heard alot of people saying that it is the resident who orders your post op meds and that they only go by the book..I am wondering if he looked at my chart and saw what i was taking and mistakenly thought they are what dr. bethune ordered for me for post op.
Also rachael, if you dont need alot of notice before your surgery, call dr.bethunes office and ask to be put on the cancellation list.I cant work anymore so i told them i could come within a days notice. The winter months there are usually always cancellations so it might speed thingd up a little for you. Well i guess it's time to settle in the recliner for the night.May God bless each of you with his love,and healing touch. ((((hugs)))) to all of you, cindy