Surgery done, worst thing?

[dick0236]

A lot has changed over the years, but surprisingly a lot seems to be the same, or at least, very similar.

Worst for me.

1. Forced to be on a rubber bed mattress that they continually pumped ice water thru to minimize the pain in my spine due to spreading sternum. Hard to sleep or get comfortable with a frozen, numb back.

2. Drain tube removal. Only had two. The first was easy 'cause I didn't know what was coming. The second was a "b*tch" 'cause I KNEW what was coming.

3. Sitting on the side of the bed with a bed pillow clutched to my chest and trying break my sternum open.....or was it to try to remove phlegm from my lungs, either way it hurt. I think they give you a special heart pillow for this now to help with this. Does it work ?

With all the advances in medical care, it is surprising that so much seems the same. That's what gives me a "chuckle" when some post that it will be a lot easier in a decade or so .

 

[geebee]

3. Sitting on the side of the bed with a bed pillow clutched to my chest and trying break my sternum open.....or was it to try to remove phlegm from my lungs, either way it hurt. I think they give you a special heart pillow for this now to help with this. Does it work ?

I don't think it really works much for pain but it does make you feel less like your insides will pop out when they make you cough. I call it a security pillow.

 

[Bridgette]

1. Spending 3 days in ICU, in AF (should have known it would happen, as I had paroxysmal AF before my operation)

2. Pacing wires coming out - not nice!

 

[kschul]

worst part of surgery

worst part of surgery

I would have to say the worst part of surgery was all the time before the actual surgery the days/months of the constant what if questions, did I pick the right place, am I going to have any long-term problems.

Going into surgery I was scared about waking up intubated. It turns out I eneded up being awake for almost nine hours while I was still intubated and the worst part about it was my dry mouth. I thought I would feel like I was suffocating and I had no problems with that. I thought I wouldn't like being tied down since I panic when I can't get a ring off my finger but it didn't even phase me, the nurse actually untied my right hand so I could suction myself and use a sponge to moisten my mouth. My point is what you probably think is going to be the worst part of the surgery may be a non-issue. I know a lot of people here have had problems with nausea, I did not, a lot of people have had problems with pain, I did not. I did have a lot of anxiety thinking about everything up to the surgery though. Remember you are in a hospital, a controlled environment, and they have been through this before even if you haven't. This site is helpful to educate yourself on some of the things that can happen so if they do you will handle them a little better knowing others have gone through this.

Kris

 

[netmiff]

worst for me was the fear and the wait beforehand; worrying about loved ones worrying;

After, the worst part was hospital "food" and the fact that everything tasted like c**p for weeks.

 

[tobagotwo]

The breathing tube didn't bother me, because I knew what it was. I was ready to have it out, but I wasn't suffering any from it.

Having the drainage tube pulled (I only had one) was no problem. Even the urinary catheter, no problem.

I didn't have any nausea after the surgery or on the meds. I did go for fentanyl, and it left me less drowsy than the morphine.

The one real problem I experienced was the second night after surgery, when my drainage tube seemed to be rubbing against my lungs. They slapped an antiinflammatory shot in my leg (like they give a military antidote shot), and it took care of it in less than a minute. They said it gives some people hallucinations, but I didn't develop that problem, either.

Best wishes,

 

[KAJ]

Welcome Home! There is no place like home, there is no place like home.
After beign away from home for months at a time while in the Navy, I was always glad to get home after each deployment but never cried. I came home from OHS and cried for 10 solid minutes.

For me, the constant back pain and shortness of breath were my biggest issues.

Karl

 

[aussiemember]

I was fortunate to have no problems with the breathing tube or pain - the two worst things for me were:

1. Not being able to sleep for days - I think I got about 6 hours sleep the whole time I was in hospital.

2. The depression after my surgery - I got a bad case of the blues for about 8 weeks - looking back now I should have taken meds but was too proud to ask for some - bad mistake!!!!

 

[mattwisconsin]

With my first surgery it was being shown another child the night before surgery who was blue and being told that person just had what you are about to have.

With the second surgery, I came out of it and was told things were fine and I should go back to sleep. They took the vent tube out. The next time I woke up was to them reventing me just after giving me narcan to counteract the morphine. Apparently my heart and lungs had slowed down too much due to the morphine.

With the third surgery, it was that they hit a nerve in my leg when they made that incision causing a combination of numbness and pain. It no longer has pain but is still numb.

 

[Bina]

Ajay, welcome home. ARe u sure that u want to hear these stories?

I think I woke up in ICU with the vent tube in and started to vomit. Seconds later I was knocked out again and woke up in a step down unit. Hubby said I was very delirious.

My drain tube and pacer wires were removed by a super nice cute doctor, or else I may have hit him.
Staple removal: not nice.....bad, bad, bad.
Nausea: not nice....couldn't even look at chocolates.
IV infusing and wrecking my arm: not nice....so when nurse changed it, I made sure to spew blood all over the floor.
SVT at 4 a.m......not nice......peed my bed and step down witch gave me heck for it.

Otherwise, I actually met some nice people, nice nurses, and nice doctors.
Oh, and my young handsome orderly. What a sweetie.

 

[hall]

Welcome home. There is no where quite like it. Hope every day is better for you.

My hardest time: every time I fell asleep someone was comiing in for something. I was exhausted! No a big complaint. I was just sooooo drugged. Probably a good thing I was really wanting a shower and wash my hair too.

 

[geebee]

SVT at 4 a.m......not nice......peed my bed and step down witch gave me heck for it.

Like you peed your bed on purpose - just where do they get some of the idiots that are called "caregivers"? I kind of hope there is a special place in hell for people that make difficult situations even tougher.

 

[Bina]

Gina, this same step down nurse actually started swearing when my incision was bleeding everywhere.
I would have reported her, but I was too drugged. Just one bad apple anyway.

 

[zipper2]

Ajay welcome,welcome home
We deserve this part sooo much after all we go through.

I must confess my worst part was really (THE WAITING)
so then i could really find a part worst in the whole surgery.
Still surgery over sure tubes,all over train was gone by now
down the track.....But that dam wait i'll never forget cus
i had too many waits

Take care and Rest lots,eat walk when need to and use
your blowy thing (Spirometer)

zipper2 (DEB)

 

[EVELYN]

My husband said he remembers three issues. The first was not being able to sleep when he came home because he just couldn't get comfortable. The second was COUGHING AND SNEEZING, and the third was having to use that damned Spirometer for the first few days/week.

Evelyn

 

[Cris N]

Happy to hear you're 'on the other side' and hope your recovery goes well. A couple of things stand out for me: the chest tubes were, by far, the most painful aspect. The removal didn't really bother me - just while they were in. The next thing was the idiot PA who wrote my discharge instructions (and I checked them later to make sure I had not made a mistake) - he wrote the warfarin dosage as every other day instead of every day - why was anyone surprised when I had a small stroke a couple of days later? (My INR had gone down to 1.3) The final thing was the painkiller side effect of constipation. BAD, BAD, BAD

Word of caution for those awaiting surgery - if you're prone to constipation be sure to let your surgeon know - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!!!

 

[Megan]

hi ajay - gla you are home. ive been home 2 full days now and so far the worst thing about being home is pain management at night. during the day im fine but at night the pain in my right shoulder blade is unbearable and in my sternum a close s second. im only takin tylenol with codeine at the moment because i cant tolerate any other pain killers..nauseau i mean....anyone have any other suggestions for good pain meds?

 

[nancym]

My worst moments: having my chest tapped because of fluid in the lungs--extremely painful. My husband passed out (he's an MD), and everyone seemed more concerned about him than about my pain. And pain in my arm afterwards--never did figure that one out. When I was in the hospital, I had percocet to manage my pain, but I was given an Rx for vicodin when I came home, which did not seem to help much. I'm sorry that I was so passive and did not ask for percocet instead--it would have made my first days at home a lot more tolerable.

 

[Herburban1]

Nausea for me to, and a close second was sneezing especially when the pillow was out of reach...

 

[MissMelis]

Glad you are home ajay! Hope you are feeling good...or, at least, better.

The worst thing? I concur with the nausea...the morphine made me feel barfy...and the dry-mouth in ICU. EXTREME thirst.