Well, I have pushed for the Neurosurgeon to schedule my surgery, and now that I actually have a date of March 25th...I am a little nervous. I am excited to hopefully shake off some of these symptoms, and start feeling like my old self again. I will be recovering away from home. Please send me suggestions of things I can't be without while recovering. I'm devising a list so I'll be fully prepared by surgery day.
Congrats! It was the best thing I could have done! All you can do is relax & med up. You will feel so much better later.
Great news Curly you’re in my prayers! Wonderful list Abby posted from Beebas list home! Take care!
I brought a small suitcase with all my stuff in it and ended up using the toothbrush and paste, mouthwash and chapstick.
And that was just out of sheer will.
I really didn't care about anything I thought I would.
But it really depends how long you will be in the hospital.
I was there for 2 days and nights and went home the third day.
The above list is great!
:-)
First 2-3 days were worst but remember every night that you are one day closer.
Then when you get home you can really get to healing and resting and resting and resting.
Listen to your body.
You will be fine!
Mine is also scheduled for March 25th. And like you I’m nervous, but hoping for the best. Wish you the best of luck!
Thanks a bunch for this list. It definitely has things I would have never thought of. I am not married and don't have kids so I am trying to clean/organize my house in preparation. You know, do all the stuff I've meant to do for the last couple of years all in three weeks. I just keep reminding myself that I will be happy it's done when I get home from being gone 3-4 weeks.
Abby said:
Sending you best wishes and prayers. Please let us know how your doing. Rest Rest Rest.
This is a list from Beeba,
Beeba's List Home (after surgery)
My surgical routine - and yes sadly I have one.
1. Check into stores grocery delivery services. Many like giant(peapod), and Safeway have them. It is a great way to feel you are still contributing yet it is all done with just a few clicks and takes just minutes. They deliver right to your kitchen and it is a minimal charge.
2. Clean. Mostly organize things. And show husband how to wash the sheets. You will want to come home to a nice fresh smelling bed. Have extra pillows of all textures for propping.
3. Buy a cheap little trash can ($3) line it with two plastic shopping bags. Hopefully you will never need it but with pain meds it can hit fast and hard and it is good to move around with it. And definitely have it for ride from the hospital. Better to have and not need than need and not have.
4. A heating pad. Squishy ice packs at least 2 to rotate.
5.make sure school knows what is going on and to bump spouse to the "emergency contact" teachers need to know what is happening in their kids. Also you want to feel comfortable being able to turn your phone off - moms just don't like doing this!! But you have to or people call to check on you and end up just waking you
6. Be aware that pain meds really mess with your sleep cycle. You live on a 24 hour cycle instead of the normal 16 awake 8 asleep. So ya just gotta go with it. But when you are up at 3 am - I do like to warn people - infomercial all of a sudden make perfect sense. This is a financial warning!! Lol. Cindy Crawford looks that good from good genes, no pillow will really make your head feel better and carol Burnett is very funny but you don't need a years worth of videos that when you are better you will never have time to watch. And just because these really are the only people happy to talk to you at 3 am - they are not your friend!!! (My husband said I was the only person he knew that could spend money from icu- but everyday was like Christmas!!)
7. There is a pill app or the old fashioned pen and paper. Use them. Write down exactly what you took and when. As much as you think you will remember - you won't. You don't want to miss a dose or even worse overdose. Document it while the pill is in your hand and going down the hatch. Something as simple as a phone ringing can throw you. You will have the attention span of a 2 year old - squirrel!!
8. Limit visitors. You just need to sleep and you don't want the pressure of entertaining other. Despite their good intentions - people come over and you turn into a hostess.
9, for showers - have someone within ear shot. You should be fine - but an ounce of caution. Showers can cause a bit if dizziness
10. Have your sick food on hand. Popsicles,soup and ginger ale.
11. I was allowed to shower at hospital - bring your things.
12. Get hair trimmed and comfortable - you won't want to do it later.
13. Definitely ear phones - if you can download some shows do it. Hospital tv stinks - especially on the weekend. I learned how to breast feed again about a 100 times. My 12 and 8 year old were not thrilled. I finally fell in love with the sopranos on 7 years after the show ended. But I did feel the urge to 'whack" my rude roomie.
14. As soon as you do your last talk with anesthesia - ask for the relaxing medicine before surgery. Never been denied and makes those last few minutes more enjoyable and less likely you will jump off the table and run out butt exposed.
15. Know that right up to the last second - if you want out - you have free will. Keeping that control in mind allows you some feeling of comfort. In your head you will cancel all the way to the hospital - that is normal - but I have yet to hear anyone on the table actually say - get me out. But know you can. Screwing up your surgeon, the hospital or anything else is not your problem. You won't do this but I liked knowing I could.
16. Rest, rest, rest!!
17.do trial runs with the kids. Like pick ups, drop offs and after school sports and such so you can relax and not get that call because someone can't find your kid who gets dropped at one end of school but picked up at the other end. You don't need that anxiety.
18. Let the kids help. They can always lay in bed next to you and babble about day and do homework. Go easy in the parent guilt. You are doing what is needed to be a good parent. You are showing strength and courage.
19. Warm socks with grips in the bottom. You get some crappy ones from the hospital - nice ones are better.
Best of luck to you too, Christie!
Christie Harper said:
Mine is also scheduled for March 25th. And like you I'm nervous, but hoping for the best. Wish you the best of luck! :)
I appreciate everyones kind words. I'm oddly at ease about the surgery right now, we'll see how I feel when it gets closer to the surgery date. Reading all of your stories, and knowing that everyone survived their experience (despite the ups and downs) lets me know that I will be okay. It's learning to listen to my body and slow down, that's the hard part. I'm glad I discovered this Support Group, it's comforting to talk to people that actually understand.