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Got Date For Surgery - Very Very Scared.
Hi guys,
just had a call from the gyn ward at my hospital.
I am schedule for surgery on Fri 13th May - can you believe that date?? OMG I am totally freaking out now! I'm petrified. It's not the date itself which is freaking me out - any date would have made me react the same way. I am so scared of anaesthetic, of the pain when I come round, of vomitting and it causing more pain but more than anything, I'm still scared of what they will find.
They're going to have to sedate me as soon as I get there, either that or strap me to the bed otherwise I can't see how I'll cope!
I feel sick. Got to go in for pre-op assessment on Tue 10th May at 11.30 and I'm also still waiting for my MRI scan which should be sometime before I go in.
I'm booked in for a laparoscopy BUT depending on what they find it could be removal of cyst and possibly 1 or both ovaries, worse case, a hysterectomy.
I have never been so scared in all my life.
Rowdy.
just had a call from the gyn ward at my hospital.
I am schedule for surgery on Fri 13th May - can you believe that date?? OMG I am totally freaking out now! I'm petrified. It's not the date itself which is freaking me out - any date would have made me react the same way. I am so scared of anaesthetic, of the pain when I come round, of vomitting and it causing more pain but more than anything, I'm still scared of what they will find.
They're going to have to sedate me as soon as I get there, either that or strap me to the bed otherwise I can't see how I'll cope!
I feel sick. Got to go in for pre-op assessment on Tue 10th May at 11.30 and I'm also still waiting for my MRI scan which should be sometime before I go in.
I'm booked in for a laparoscopy BUT depending on what they find it could be removal of cyst and possibly 1 or both ovaries, worse case, a hysterectomy.
I have never been so scared in all my life.
Rowdy.
Great! Good news indeed! Yes, Meig's Syndrome is rather rare; I think I've read that only 1 % of the tumors are due to that condition.
Take care and have a pleasant recovery.
Take care and have a pleasant recovery.
Rowdy, is your surgery still on schedule for Friday? I just wanted to check in and let you know that I will be praying for you to have a good outcome and comfortable recovery like I had.
Macci, geez, what the system expects from us women! My doctor told me that I had to remain overnight, and other women posting on this site had advised me of the same thing prior to my surgery. So I asked my doctor why I was required to remain overnight when my surgery was sheduled to the the first of the day. She explained that the artery that supplies the ovary connects directly to the main artery that runs through the body, so there is a strong blood flow through it. There is a danger even with all of the stitches and/or staples put into the supply artery before it is cut away with the ovary that the site will leak and cause severe internal bleeding. My blood pressure was checked every hour at first, then every two hours later.
Rowdy, men just don't get it. I don't know if it is the macho component of the male psyche or if they are so busy trying to hide their own fears and worries about the surgery behind a mask of bravery that they can't see how scared we really get.
Rowdy, men just don't get it. I don't know if it is the macho component of the male psyche or if they are so busy trying to hide their own fears and worries about the surgery behind a mask of bravery that they can't see how scared we really get.
Thanks everyone.
I really appreciate your support. I've already been to the hystersisters site and found it to be very helpful too.
I'm already compiling a list of things to take into hospital with me. One thing I have just added (which I never would have thought of before) are my rosary beads. I've had them since I took my first Holy Communion aged 7. They were blessed by the Bishop. I'm not a deeply religious person but I have been praying so much these last few weeks.
In fact, I took my rosary beads with me when I went to see my gyn last week and it made me feel better.
At the moment I'm not feeling too bad. I keep asking my self though, why do I have to have surgery for this? I'm not in any pain, just discomfort. I worry that by having surgery, I will have no end of problems with pain afterwards and maybe for the rest of my life. I feel so very healthy right now and it worries me that my health will suffer permanently.
I also feel frustrated in that my husband doesn't quite seem to understand why I am getting so worked up about it. He thinks it's just a case of having a probe stuck into my tummy and the cyst will be gone. It would be great if it was that simple and it could be, then again it might not be. I'm due to start my period on Wed 4th May and I am so worried that it could be the last one I ever have. I've never suffered with my periods being heavy and I've never had severe period pain (even with this cyst), which is why I am questioning having to have this surgery and a possible hysterectomy. It seems too drastic if you know what I mean.
I will be going to my pre-op armed with many questions including why surgery is the only answer.
Thanks again for all your support. I will keep you informed.
Rowdy.
I really appreciate your support. I've already been to the hystersisters site and found it to be very helpful too.
I'm already compiling a list of things to take into hospital with me. One thing I have just added (which I never would have thought of before) are my rosary beads. I've had them since I took my first Holy Communion aged 7. They were blessed by the Bishop. I'm not a deeply religious person but I have been praying so much these last few weeks.
In fact, I took my rosary beads with me when I went to see my gyn last week and it made me feel better.
At the moment I'm not feeling too bad. I keep asking my self though, why do I have to have surgery for this? I'm not in any pain, just discomfort. I worry that by having surgery, I will have no end of problems with pain afterwards and maybe for the rest of my life. I feel so very healthy right now and it worries me that my health will suffer permanently.
I also feel frustrated in that my husband doesn't quite seem to understand why I am getting so worked up about it. He thinks it's just a case of having a probe stuck into my tummy and the cyst will be gone. It would be great if it was that simple and it could be, then again it might not be. I'm due to start my period on Wed 4th May and I am so worried that it could be the last one I ever have. I've never suffered with my periods being heavy and I've never had severe period pain (even with this cyst), which is why I am questioning having to have this surgery and a possible hysterectomy. It seems too drastic if you know what I mean.
I will be going to my pre-op armed with many questions including why surgery is the only answer.
Thanks again for all your support. I will keep you informed.
Rowdy.
HI MickeyVicky..
nope standard operating procedure for simple ovary removal..on outpatient basis and I have terrific, expensive and complete medical insurance ( in fact I checked with Westchester, NY hospitals and their policy was the same)..this does assume ones operation was in the morning to early afternoon if later in the day..I think they do keep you over. My operation was at about 9:30 am and I would have been sent home if I had been able to urinate..which I wasn't because of either the anesthetic or my body's reaction to the surgery..(I also had a d&c) so I stayed over..which was great because I felt I needed the nursing..but hard because we didn't plan it and I had family to send home who didn't ecpect it and had to return.
nope standard operating procedure for simple ovary removal..on outpatient basis and I have terrific, expensive and complete medical insurance ( in fact I checked with Westchester, NY hospitals and their policy was the same)..this does assume ones operation was in the morning to early afternoon if later in the day..I think they do keep you over. My operation was at about 9:30 am and I would have been sent home if I had been able to urinate..which I wasn't because of either the anesthetic or my body's reaction to the surgery..(I also had a d&c) so I stayed over..which was great because I felt I needed the nursing..but hard because we didn't plan it and I had family to send home who didn't ecpect it and had to return.
It is hard to say how long recovery or even your reaction to the surgery will be..it's so individual..Here in NYC area they remove ovaries and send you home the same day! ( I hated that!!) Some people told me before I had my ovary removed I could be at work or entertain three days later as they had been able to do..not quite!!!But they were....
the thing is..don't set expectations for yourself..prepare for some discomfort and hope for the best.Make sure atleast someone will be there to help you for the firt 24-48 hrs;..it's the up and down that I found slow..
Remember laprocopic is surgery is the better alterantive than more invasive surgery where the recuperation is significant.
the thing is..don't set expectations for yourself..prepare for some discomfort and hope for the best.Make sure atleast someone will be there to help you for the firt 24-48 hrs;..it's the up and down that I found slow..
Remember laprocopic is surgery is the better alterantive than more invasive surgery where the recuperation is significant.
That is awful that they made you leave the hospital so soon. Is that some NYC hospital policy or did your insurance provider have something to do with that? I ask because the widow of one of my high school classmates recently had the same surgery that I had, and she was required to remain for 24 hours. She wanted to go home early the next morning and they would not let her leave. She lives in upstate New York.
OK, have a panic attack, get this fear out of your system, and then busy yourself getting ready for the surgery. By the way, I consider Friday the 13th a lucky day, but then I am fond of black cats, too.
Having been there and done that, I can honestly tell you that the process is not that bad. I, too, was quite worried, but I found that staying busy with preparations kept my mind from obsessing over my worries.
Here's a tip- go to the HysterSisters website (I believe that it is www.hystersisters.com) and read their pre-op and post-op suggestions and planning tips. Even if all you have is the 'simple' removal of a cyst, you will have one to two weeks of downtime and you need to be prepared for it. For example, I had a cyst/ovary/fallopian tube removed, and I was not allowed to drive for one week, to use stairs more than once a day for one week, and I was also admonished not to lift anything heavier than a coffee mug for one week. The last one was the easiest; discomfort has a way of preventing the temptation of lifting anything! I also found it impossible to trim my toenails for several weeks, and was glad I'd had a good trimming just before the surgery.
What to expect...well, they do start sedating you as soon as you get into your gown for the surgery. When you wake up, there will be annoying nurse talking constantly to you, telling you to wake up, but still all that you will want to do is sleep. I was warned by my doctor, and found it to be true, that when you first wake up from the surgery, you will feel as if you are having menstrual cramps or the urgent need to urinate. This feeling is due to two things; one is that you will have a catheter (mine was inserted after I was completely out, thankfully.) The other issue is that to completely check out the area around the cyst it is necessary to use a tool to lift the uterus; this lifting action causes a discomfort similar to cramps, but it lasted only briefly once I awoke.
Then staff will haul you to a room where you will spend a day or two or three, depending on how much "damage" they had to do to your body. You will lie in a bed with your catheter, wearing air-powered pressure stockings to prevent blood clots, and eating hospital food. What fun, eh?!!
Having been there and done that, I can honestly tell you that the process is not that bad. I, too, was quite worried, but I found that staying busy with preparations kept my mind from obsessing over my worries.
Here's a tip- go to the HysterSisters website (I believe that it is www.hystersisters.com) and read their pre-op and post-op suggestions and planning tips. Even if all you have is the 'simple' removal of a cyst, you will have one to two weeks of downtime and you need to be prepared for it. For example, I had a cyst/ovary/fallopian tube removed, and I was not allowed to drive for one week, to use stairs more than once a day for one week, and I was also admonished not to lift anything heavier than a coffee mug for one week. The last one was the easiest; discomfort has a way of preventing the temptation of lifting anything! I also found it impossible to trim my toenails for several weeks, and was glad I'd had a good trimming just before the surgery.
What to expect...well, they do start sedating you as soon as you get into your gown for the surgery. When you wake up, there will be annoying nurse talking constantly to you, telling you to wake up, but still all that you will want to do is sleep. I was warned by my doctor, and found it to be true, that when you first wake up from the surgery, you will feel as if you are having menstrual cramps or the urgent need to urinate. This feeling is due to two things; one is that you will have a catheter (mine was inserted after I was completely out, thankfully.) The other issue is that to completely check out the area around the cyst it is necessary to use a tool to lift the uterus; this lifting action causes a discomfort similar to cramps, but it lasted only briefly once I awoke.
Then staff will haul you to a room where you will spend a day or two or three, depending on how much "damage" they had to do to your body. You will lie in a bed with your catheter, wearing air-powered pressure stockings to prevent blood clots, and eating hospital food. What fun, eh?!!
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