OR atmosphere

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/14/2002 11:56:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, dee@...

writes:

> Does anyone remember the movie with Hurt, the very nasty surgeon who

> develops throat cancer? And he ends up asking the anesthesiologist who

> everyone makes fun of for talking to his patients to be on his team?

>

Hurt - Hurt was the Elephant Man...

:-)

Marjie

[Guest guest]

Sue said:

> unconscious comfort level for me. But then I thought that if they type

music

> is annoying or distracting to my surgeon it is not to my benefit to have

it

> playing. she is totally into mozart but I think I'd rather hear nothing

> than that. yet if it helps her........... so how have others dealt with

> this as I know others have used music. I know there is a small boom box

in

> the OR, I've seen it. I guess there is always a personal tape

player.......

Sue - just give your surgeon a call and ask. She'll be honest :-) The

surgeon gets to choose the music in the OR - at least in any OR that I've

heard of. I specifically asked a few things of my teams (I've always been

fully alert entering the OR). NO country music, I despise it. No fat

jokes. Please talk to me (ask the anesthesia guys). You could ask the

recovery nurses (ahead of time) to put a personal player headset on and turn

it on, and to rewind/change tapes when they check you (they are doing vital

checks every 10 to 15 minutes anyway).

Does anyone remember the movie with Hurt, the very nasty surgeon who

develops throat cancer? And he ends up asking the anesthesiologist who

everyone makes fun of for talking to his patients to be on his team?

I think that most places are realizing it is more important now.

I remember when I did my OR internship as a paramedic back in the early

'80's, the doctor I was with talked to his patients while they were under,

too.

And we often did as paramedics, especially when trying to resuscitate

someone. It makes a difference.

dee

[Guest guest]

I am another one who is very particular about how I orchestrate my surgical

experiences. Ever since reading _A Woman In Residence_ almost 20 years ago,

I have chosen my surgeons carefully... their having to accept my desires and

understand my emotional and spiritual experiences even under general

anesthesia.

For my WLS a year ago, my surgeon okay'd every one of my seemingly strange

requests. I insist on walking into the OR and meeting every single person

on the OR team. I do not want to be seen as a patient, but rather, as a

conscious person... a real person. Hand in hand with that request is not

having any pre-op pain or anxiety meds. I want to be coherent in the OR.

I want to hear my own music as I go under and as I wake up. I usually ask

that I have my music played throughout surgery, but Ellner asked if

she might play Jimmy Buffet after I was under anesthesia. I said that would

be fine; not my fave, but much better than some other choices I have heard

in ORs. (Some of my favorite surgery music for myself is Gipsy Kings, the

Mamas and the Papas, and s Vollenweider.)

I make *sure* my surgeon understands that I believe my Psyche is awake even

if I am on life support. I ask that the surgeon keep control over the

conversation... that it doesn't wander too far from the subject at hand...

that jokes not be vulgar, racist, size-ist, homophobic, etc... that I am

respected as much as if I were wide awake talking to them.

I have been blessed to make friends with most of my surgeons either before

or after my surgeries, so believe my wishes are always respected.

It is only fair to each of us.

Barbara Herrera

San Diego, CA - 41 years old

Open RNY April 5, 2001

Dr. Ellner, Alvarado Hospital, San Diego, CA

04/05/01: 344# / BMI: 63/ Body Fat: 75%

04/05/02: 172# / BMI: 31.6/ Body Fat: 28%

04/14/02: 165# / BMI: 30.2

One Year Re-Birth Day: healed of ALL co-morbs, mobile beyond every

expectation, every pre-op dream surpassed a million-fold, and smaller than

any memory.