words of wisdom

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this is a repost, but I don't think the first one went

thru. I have less than 48hrs before surgery and I'm scared. I will

meet with the surgeon tomorrow just to ask a few more questions and

wanted to know if there is anything else I should ask her before

Friday. Also, if I am scheduled for a scan three weeks after surgery

does that mean I should do the LID next week? ok, if you all think

of anything else I should be doing/asking please let me know.

/N. Calif.

dx pap 1/18/02

surgery 2/22/02

scared-----

[Guest guest]

strawmns says:

> I have less than 48hrs before surgery and I'm scared.

,

No words of wisdom here, just a few of encouragement and reassurance.

It's natural to be scared, but as surgeries go thyroidectomies are not

so bad. Most of us have very little post-op discomfort (except for a

very stiff neck!), can get out of bed -- at least as far as the

bathroom -- as soon as the anaesthesia wears off, and go home from the

hospital walking, talking, and eating normally after a day or two.

While you're under anaesthesia, the sneaky doctors put a tube down

your windpipe. It's removed long before you wake up, but don't be

surprised if your throat is scratchy for a day or so. If you have a

sore throat, ask a nurse or a nurse's aide to bring you a popsicle;

all hospitals stock them just for this purpose, and they do help.

Be warned that many hospitals use sacks of concrete for pillows; if

you have a couple of soft, comfy pillows on your bed at home, take

them with you. If you have bedroom slippers that you can slide your

feet into without having to bend over, pack those too; they're much

warmer for trips to the bathroom than the paper ones the hospital will

give you! For about a week after surgery you will feel as though you

can't bend over without your head falling off (it won't, but it will

feel that way), so plan your going-home wardrobe accordingly; things

you can step into and/or button down the front are easiest, and you

won't want a turtleneck or anything else with a form-fitting neckline.

When you see your surgeon, ask her to explain what paraphernalia you

should expect to be adorned with when you wake up. My surgeon

intalled a very bulky pressure bandage -- complete with tubes and

drains of various kinds -- on my neck. It was all removed and

replaced with a tiny dressing the morning after surgery, but it might

have been alarming to wake up with 10 lbs. of tape and plastic around

my throat and unable to move my head if I hadn't been warned ahead of

time! If you've never been in the hospital or had surgery before, let

your doctor know and ask her to explain exactly what you should expect

so that things she takes for granted, like IV poles and various kinds

of monitoring machinery, won't take you by surprise.

Best of luck with your surgery. Please let us know how it goes.

ellen

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