dealing with it all

The last few days for what ever reason have been very hard. I have alot of pain, more then normal. I'm not sure if it's stress or what. I'm feeling like if I have the surgery which is on November 4, 2010(Chiari surgery) and it does not work or makes me worse then what. Is it normal to feel this way? Everyone around me is very positive and telling everything will be fine and I know they mean well, but the thought of something going bad or getting worse just scares the crap out of me, I feel like I would be letting down my husband and my kids if something went wrong. I know that is not logical but that's how I'm feeling. I trust my dr. and I know he is very good at what he does. I'm just hurting. I feel like I'm lost right now. Is there anything anyone can say to help me know I am doing the right thing.

Thanks,
Alisa

[selmaS]

Ne surgery has the same risks...knowing this surgery is meant to help slow progression.

It does take time to heal ...u have to be patient.....and how u r feeling is normal.

I also felt the same, in fact once in the OR b4 they started to give me sedatives I wanted to stop...I didn't say nething as I remembered all I went thru to get that far....we all have been thru soooo many drs...and pain to get a dx and finally treatment...so, that alone helped me...and a very nice anesthesiologist.

Focus on u...and do not put added pressure of letting ur family down...if u focus on u...u may find it easier to stay calm.

I can not say u will be 100%  after surgery....or a yr after...there r no guarantee's....u have to do what u feel is best for u...if u know u run a risk of perm nerve damage...and ur quality of life is non existent than u know when u r ready for this step.

Take some quiet time to relax...not feeling well is most likely getting to u.

"selma"

[lu7997]

Any surgery will have u feeling anxious bedore u go in.  It doesn't matter the idea of not having control and putting your life in the hands of a stranger brings it's doubts for even the most common procedure. (I was up for three days straight sick over getting my tunes tied for crying out loud not much could go wrong there)


Secondly take a deep breath and tell yourself this... "with out the surgery this is the best I will be with it I have a chance at feeling better".  The percentage of things going wrong and things getting worse is relatively low compared to the percent of u getting better without it


My sugery isn't till April so I haven't put much thought into it so I don't fret for 6 months but I do understand and ur feelings are normal


Family support as nice as it is puts stress on all of us to be better when tomorrow we might not be than we feel as though we let them down.   Try and make yourself clear to them that it will take u a long time to recover. And that the day you are released post op doesn't mean everything is back to normal. There is no magic wand that turns a pumpkin into a cartage. This like any other surgery is correcting a problem and it has to be able to do so. It takes years for chiari to show it's ugly head and could take years for it to hide again as well


Good luck and I will keep u in my prayers

~Angela~

[Lissy821]

Thank you so much.

Alisa

[Lissy821]

Thank you so much also!

Alisa

You both are so right.

[dpulum]

Alisa,

I had my surgery last November...and I was scared too.  I had all kinds of what I call irrational fears.  I'd seen my sister and nephew have the decompression surgery too, for my sister it was really hard, for my nephew it was very easy, so I didn't know what to expect and feared the worst.  I had the decompression along with another surgery to fix a couple of bulging discs the same day.  I'd had sinus surgery a couple of months before the decompression and I honestly think the sinus surgery was much worse to recover from.  

I didn't end up with a spinal headache or any of the bad post-op issues and my recovery went well.  I was completely off pain meds within 10 days and I really thought the spinal fusion caused me more issues with recovering than the decompression, although I was really afraid about having the doc operating on my brain.  My herniation was huge (21mm) and they weren't able to take it all off, I still have a 4-5 mm herniation, but I am well.  All of my symptoms except for a slight tremor are gone.  So I know that this surgery can be reasonable to recover from and that it is possible for your outcome to be a really good one.  I had lots of people praying for me when I had my surgery and I believe that it worked, but I was really afraid at the time.

Hugs to you and I'll say a prayer for peace for you. :)

Tina  

[Lissy821]

Tina- Thank you so much, I had some bulging discs fixed in  July and I healed from that pretty well. I'm still on some meds, I'm hoping after the decompression surgery I will be able to stop those. I'm sorry to hear you and family have chiari that's tough.
I feel that I'm in good hands my Dr. is Dr Oro and I also have a great support system. My family is wonderful. I totally agree it's like without prayers there is no way to get thru anything.
I think what scares me the most is the thought of something bad happen and I don't get to see my kids growup. I can deal with pain I have been dealing with it for more then 10 years. Well thank you for your response it helped a ton!!!
Thanks,
Alisa

[dkdean]

Haven't had surgery yet (And it's not scheduled/on the horizon), but just wanted to tell you I'm thinking of you...and I share the same feelings about making things worse or not being there for my children and husband--but on the same token, the children/husband aspect concerns me with the chiari progression...I guess it's just part of this whole journey.  Anyway--you are certainly no alone and I am sending positive thoughts your way.