Good Wednesday afternoon All

[Kevin]

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but for me it was about 48 hours after they stopped it that most of the symptoms went away. After that, I was still had a teeny bit of seeing spots and stuff, especially after closing my eyes. For me, that went on for an additional day.

You were not over-reacting - you were worried and afraid; both are very human traits and very real so please do not feel weird about expressing these concerns.

This is what this site is for and I know for me - the people here are some of the most supportive you will ever meet!

Keep expressing your questions, thoughts and concerns. It's a good thing!
Kev

 

[WilliamJE]

My wife always retells the episode of one of my doctors or nurses asking me a few questions a day or two after surgery. 'Where are you Mr. ......" JFK Hospital is in the 33462 zip code. That includes the towns of Lake Worth, Lantana, and Atlantis. I live in the unincorporated part of Lantana or about 2 miles from the hospital. JFK's address is Atlantis.

I said to the nurse "Atlantis Florida" which my wife found funny. Usually I would say Lake Worth. All those pain meds made my thought processes clearer at least when it came to geography.

 

[Nancy]

Prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster for a little while, even when she comes home. Many people cry at the slightest thing, men and women alike, or get angry over nothing. It all goes with the territory. I took care of my husband through many thoracic surgeries. That is just the way things go for a while. Try to ignore it, and instead of telling her she's wrong about what she is saying, just tell her that you will speak with the proper athorities and get everything straightened out.

One time, Joe (who was really into paperwork, audits, stuff like that in his job) saw a huge stack of paper he was terribly worried about. He wanted them all filed in proper order. Of course, there werent any papers, but I went through the motions and told him I was filing them. It soothed him and gave him some peace. So, just go with the flow.

It is important to keep talking in a normal fashion with your mom, telling her about all the little things going on at home, telling her what day it is, and the time of day, just small things. You could read to her too if she likes that. Joe liked the sports pages, not my thing, but I read them to him. Do this even if she doesn't respond. Of course, if it annoys her, then don't do it.

 

[Marcia58]

I had similar stuff going on, too. The first day post-op, I became absolutely convinced that I was dying and that my husband and the staff were already planning to "part me out"! My main concern wasn't with dying or being a donor, but that I felt like everyone was being evasive with me. One example was when I asked the unit secretary why she called my husband but wouldn't put me on the phone. Instead of explaining why, or saying she hadn't called, she said, "Why would I call your husband?" That fog lasted for several hours.

A couple days later, in step-down, I was up walking in the hall, when I could have sworn that my nurse said they were going to reinstall my central line. A few minutes later, when I was back in my room and she came in, I asked her why they were. She asked me what I was talking about and said, "What is this 'central line' you keep talking about?" (???)

No guarantees, but based on what I recall, my advice would be: help them to be forewarned that this could happen, acknowledge what they're experiencing, give direct, honest answers as much as possible, try to help them recall/understand what's going on. I'd also suggest having close friends or family with them as much as possible post-op. Both times, my episodes seemed to "trigger" when my husband had stepped out for a while.

I had Mirapex and Wellbutrin which I regularly take, in addition to the "cocktail" I was getting post-op, which I'm sure didn't help, but I also recall being given Ambien the night before each of my episodes.

In all my pre-op research, I never came across any reference to the phenomenon, but when I asked my husband later, he said, "Yeah, I knew. I thought you did, too."

I think sometimes people don't talk about it because, 1) it brings back a lot of negative memories and emotions, 2) they may be afraid of a permanent stigma in the eyes of some.

 

[Marcia58]

Oops! Not sure what happened....