Q's about open incision surgery!

Hi, ladies! Thanks for all you responses to my other post! I am having surgery on May 12th and it's going to be open incision (not laparoscopy) b/c the cyst is pretty big. I'm going to be sedated and given a spinal. Anyone had that done for your surgery? How was it? I am scared to death of general anesthesia which I why I chose to do it that way. Other question is, how long will I be in the hospital? Doctor is saying 2-3 nights but why so long? My husband had an appendectomy and he only stayed for 1 night! I don't want to leave my babies for 2-3 nights!:-( Last question is about the recovery. I've never had a c-section and I know this will be similar. Is the pain unbearable afterwards? Will Vicodin help? Will I be able to take care of my kids at all? I will have help from my husband and mom for 2 weeks but after that I'm on my own (unless I can recruit mother-in-law). Will 2 weeks be enough time or do I need help longer than that?

Sorry for all the questions!

Thanks!!!
Becky

[birdcarver]

Hi - let me know how your spinal goes if you can. My surgery is on the 16th and I am hoping to do it the same way. Yes, 2-3 night in hospital is necessary. You will have pain similar to the Ceasarean and will need some form of pain control for a few days. You will  need help at home for a while if possible as you will be advised to not lift anything over 10 pounds for about 6 weeks. Everyone heals differently, but this is a shock to your body and you need to give it time to rest. Doing too much too soon will only cause you to have a longer recovery time. Be good to yourself.
Good luck,
Michelle

[susieq_not]

Ok I'm having an open surgery also. It's the only way they think they can save the ovaries. (very delicate procedure as the cysts are very large and very little healthy tissue left)I had a c-section with my daughter and was in the hospital for a week but I had an infection. I understand normal is 48 to 96 hours. I understand that you don't want to leave your babies. I am a single mom - just me and my daughter at home. I'm hoping to be able to go home after 48 hours.

[momtocole]

Uh Oh, I hope I can lift over 10 pounds b/c my baby is 15 pounds! Well, I guess all I can do is hope for 48 hrs  instead of 96.:(

Becky

[brthbbs]

I insisted on an epidural and that's the way to go.  The recovery is better than with a general and the anesthesiologist can put morphine in the epidural after the surgery and you're fully covered for pain for the next 24 hours which helps with recovery.  The only pain I had to deal with was referred pain to the shoulders from them having fiddled with my diaphragm during the surgery and I was able to use the percocet for that pain.  I had surgery Thursday and was walking around with my daughter and grandson at a Halloween carnival on Saturday.  I was slow to be sure but was out and about.  It helped too that I had a lower horizontal abdominal incision rather than a vertical--I'd lobby for horizontal, it's a nicer cut and easier to get around with after surgery  I actually was awake for the first part of the surgery talking and joking with the surgeons--so regional anesthesia is a good thing.
I'm a health care provider and even though I knew the surgery team, the hospital and what was going on in general Iwas still scared out of my gourd.
Hang in there!
Louana

[mgtargirl]

Becky - I was scared to death of surgery/anesthesia too!  I had a laparatomy to remove a large cyst also, on March 9 (she ended up taking my left ovary too).  I'm actually glad that I was put under general anasthesia.  I don't think I would have wanted it any other way....I did not want to know about ANYTHING that was going on, but that's just me.  I was really nervous that it wouldn't work, and I that I might wake up in the middle of the surgery, but after he said "you're going to start feeling light headed in about 30 seconds", my immediate thought was "yeah right".  Next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room with a hilarious old man across from me telling a nurse "i want out of here!  I need to go home!"  She, of course, consoled him and told him he just got out of surgery.
My dr said I would be in for 2-3 days too, but I actually got to go home the very next day.  I was only in for 1 night.  
My dr was going to make the incision vertically, but thank God, when she got in the o.r., she changed her mind and did a horizontal incision just like a c-section.  I was also scared of getting staples (my dr calls them skin clips, which sounds much nicer), but they weren't bad at all!  It took me a day to look down to see what they looked like.  ha.  The pain was not as bad as I was expecting.  I was fine with taking 600mg Ibuprofen and Percocet(sp?). 2 weeks of someone helping out should be fine.  I was walking up and down our stairs after about 4 days, but I chose not to over-do anything.  You shouldn't have a problem taking care of your kids.  One thing I remember was, it was  really hard for me to bend over to pick things up, and to sit up in bed for the first couple days.  Enjoy the help and relax.  You need your body to heal perfectly and the only way this is done is by relaxing.  Let your family spoil you for 2 weeks.  Let us know how everything goes.  YOu'll be totally fine!  :)
Janet

[livertrans]

I only had the one c-section and that was after a long labour the was't not going too well near the end.  I had not slept for two nights so I was not the most reasonable by the time they did the surgery with the epidural.  I could not feel anything but I was still scared silly.  I was up walking around the next day and I was moving better than the vaginal delivery ladies.  I went home after 5 days and my sister stayed with me for two weeks. My husband was there but working full time.  I could not do everything after two weeks but I was ok for a lot if I took my time.  I carried the laundry downstairs in week three and started to have some vag  bleeding again.  So I backed off a bit after that.  Don't push it and if you have help go for it.
Good luck.

[nanik]

Hello, I've had two c-sections, or course awake for them and just with epidurals. You will do fine but I have one suggestion for you...if you don't have one already, try to buy/borrow a "glider" type rocker (baby stores sell them as well as regular furniture stores). You will at first not be able to use your stomach muscles the way you are used to.I found that the gliders were VERY easy to get in and out of til the incision starts healing.

HOpe that helps, good luck. You will do great.

[PPhelps]

I've had 2 c-section. The first I was in the hospital for 5 days because of fever, and I had to have 5 days on IV. (They waited to long to do the C-section after water breaking.)  But my second one was a breeze. I was more alert. I was able to tell the anesthetist I was getting a head ache. He lifted the bed so my head was more upright, and I was fine. I was out of the hospital in 3 days. The more you do on your own the quicker they release you, but don't over do it. They said I had to have a bowel movement and pass gas before I could go home. They give you stool softeners, so you don't strain yourself. First day is hard. You will be sore. I had help for about a week after. Then I was on my own. Everyone is different in how they heal. I heal pretty fast.

[md1johnson]

I'm having my surgery May 9th epidural or spinal. I've heard it's the only way to go. It's going to be a little weired awake while they are cutting on me. I can't have General because of the lung problem I have (Pulmonary Hypertension). As long as there's no great amount of pain to deal with right after. So, I'll let you know how it goes.