I have been waiting for a year long - but finally been called this week and I’m going through surgery tomorrow.
My last surgery was in 2017, but I had my family around and I was potentially less scared to hear things.
(I guess I’m just fed up with bad news..)
All this stress in me is making my morning coffee taste different (I should probably avoid caffeine intake anyway haha).
I was wondering if you Ladies had any advice on what I should take with me to the hospital. And also how I could make this day a bit less stressful ..
Isolating on your own before d-day makes it harder.. and I don’t know if I am just Over sensitive or this covid-situation is, as a matter of fact, a stressful time.
So, Ladies, if you have any advice, I’m happily taking it !
Wishing you all a painless Saturday xx
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Sorayaq
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Good luck! I wish i had some advice. I'm having my op on Monday and currently self isolating after covid swab. I don't even know how I'm going to cope after, I'm a single mum with 2 children. I'm already unwell with unrelated illnesses with poor mobility. Dreading the recovery after! Don't even have anyone to really help that's reliable 😬.Hope all goes well tomorrow! Xx
HiI know you won’t have time before op, but when you’re at the hospital maybe talk to the ward staff, they might be able to arrange some help for you with social services or one of the many charities set up these days. I think the hospital can arrange things through one of their departments. Likely tell you online.
Hope you can manage to get some help, sorry you’re having to deal with so much.
Thank you. It's quite overwhelming when you think about it. I know many that have struggled when they've had their mum or partner helping but there is no one. I'm trying to as much prep and housework this weekend ready for it but I don't feel like it will be enough 😬. Thank you again for your comment. I will see what they say at the hospital xxx
Great you can do some prep in advance, I’d recommend changing bedding if you can, much nicer to come back to clean bedding. If you can prep any meals in advance and freeze them might help with feeding your children if you aren’t hungry.You can always have a moan on the forum 😀
Yeah I'm hoping to do that tomorrow! My asthma is quite severe so use a home nebuliser even changing the bed makes me so out of breath and causes an asthma attack 😬.. Im in Cornwall xx
Thank you that's so sweet!No my asthma is very poorly controlled too, I've had 7 admissions lasting more than a week for it since sept and I'm breathless alot of the time. Yeah they are aware of it thankfully, and didn't seem to stop the agreeing to go ahead so quite relieved. I'm very wheezy much of the time its such a pain to be honest!
Well the childminder is going to come to mine for 6am and then get them ready for school and taken them to nursery and school. I'm hoping all goes well and I will be home by early evening. But the childminder will pick them up from school and take them to mcdonalds etc. Feeling quite stressed about it all to be honest at the moment xxx
It is a lot to deal with, I do hope you get some help so you can rest and let your body heal. Did your childminder look after them when you’ve been in hospital before?
There’s a lot going on inside.Do you use oxygen at home? I’ve got sleep apnoea and using CPAP, when I’ve had ops they add a line for oxygen afterwards. I’m sure I’ve felt better when they do this. I’d like to try it at home, but doubt they would let me.
Yeah she usually looks after them at my home when I've been in hospital even if it's been for 2 weeks. I don't use oxygen at home, it was something they have thought about in the past but sats usually sit around 92/93 though there have been times it's been 80's and I've used oxygen in hospital pretty much every time I have an asthma attack.
I think having the laparoscopy done is worrying enough but when you add on severe health problems and high dose steroids that will slow your recovery down it can be quite overwhelming xxx
I’m surprised you don’t have it to hand. That way you could avoid severe attacks more easily and avoid hospital. Maybe they will after lap, might aid recovery a bit more. Sounds like you have a great childminder 🙂
Have you sussed what makes it worse?
I’ve been using the oximeter quite a bit over the last week. Average 95/6 lowest 82, this has been asleep and awake. I have no idea if good or bad. Due to send a few days of BP and some bloods, thought I’d include oxygen levels.
Hey that's all okay. Hope you're ok?Surgery went well, they were great and very cautious. It took longer than expected and they had to reopen over half my c-section scar as well as the keyhole surgery. They arranged carer for twice a day at home for me too. I'm home now with some help of a morning and evening. In a huge amount of pain but we are managing xx
That’s great you are getting somewhere. Nerves are normal 🙂They’ve likely said you’ll be out the same day, but take a small overnight bag just in case they run late or you’re last in.
A small cushion for under seatbelt just so there’s some protection for abdomen. Who ever is picking you up can bring that though.
I took phone and charger, something to read. A dress for after so nothing pressing area.
Can’t think what else at the moment.
The team there will be really helpful, Im a woose with needles so use Emla cream to numb the area 😂
I’m sure you’ll be fine, I was a bag of nerves for no reason at all 🙂
Hi, hope it’s okay to jump into the thread! I’m having my op on 28th and I’m an absolute wuss with needles too, I quite often faint 😂 is that cream something the hospital should give or something I should buy myself before I head in to hospital? Thank you!
They’ve given it in hospital but would need to be prepared as it would require a script. I tend to buy it myself most of the time but have had it through GP. It costs around £4-5 for a small tube, only from a pharmacy. Lloyd’s has been cheaper for me, but ask around. There is also a kit that has a tube and two dressings, I find them too small for inside elbow and leaks around the edges.
You also need a non absorbing dressing, it’s like a plastic film, Amazon is cheapest I’ve found. If you get stuck let me know. You can use cling film with a micropore tape. I’ll probably have to resort to this tomorrow for blood test.
I’d test the Emla cream in advance, and read leaflet. I find an hour is absolute minimum in advance pref 1.5 hrs.
Before op I’ve put it on the back of each hand for cannula, before a blood test, inner elbow both sides and depending what I think of veins back of hand as well 😂
Pre op they are likely to do a blood test. I had to go back a couple of days after the last prepped for more blood, they hadn’t taken enough.
I probably use a third of a small tube per section. In the past a nurse said they use a whole tube, I found that overkill and expensive.
That turned out longer than I thought 🤦♀️🤣
Let me know if it doesn’t make sense.
I didn’t put the cream quite high enough for covid vaccine 😫🤦♀️😆
Hi Soraya, I’m 4 weeks post op tmw and I took too much!
Take your phone charger, some loose clothes for after, your toothbrush just in case, a book and a pillow for the car.
I was in overnight and stayed in bed the entire time, so you probably wouldn’t need a change of clothes for after surgery, if you stay.
You’ll more than likely have another covid test when you’re there, but it’s the lateral one.
I was a bag of nerves, fine up until the weekend before, but then just all over the shop!! The nurses and my consultant were great and really put my mind at ease the morning of the op..
I’m sure it will all go well, big hugs and try to stay calm, xx
Pleased to hear your having surgery after waiting so long! I also had surgery last week after waiting 8 months! I had a Laproscopy and they used heat to burn endometriosis tissue away from my right ovary and they also removed a cyst that was on my left ovary. Luckily I didn’t have to stay in overnight but I did pack a small rucksack just in case. My advice is take a dressing gown, slippers, nightie, hair brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, clean clothes, a good book, phone and charger, some lose change, and sanitary pads! Hope that helps 😊 all the best for your surgery! I am resting up reading magazines! Pain is bad but taking codeine and naproxen to ease the pain!
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