Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    My mom had a hysterectomy a couple of years ago.  She was in the
    hospital for 2 weeks, and came home and had to rest another week
    or two there.  She was pretty much up and around after that.  Of
    course, it takes a few months if they have to do deep surgery in
    there for all the "layers" to heal completely.  
    
    To keep from going crazy, she read a lot.  Also, she had a great
    roommate at the hospital - and they talked a lot.  We visited a
    lot.  It wasn't too bad.  You might want to see if they'd let you
    bring in a terminal and a modem to the hospital - if you're very
    hooked on keeping in touch with DEC.  Or if you don't have a terminal
    at home, perhaps you could borrow one, so the time you spend at
    home doesn't drive you stir-crazy.  
    
    Question:  I heard recently they have a technique for breaking down
    gallstones (or is it kidneystones - or both?) with sonic pressure
    (i.e. a high-powered sonic vibration breaks down the stones into
    smaller stones, and there may be less need for surgery, or it may
    require less radical surgery to extract them).  I'm not sure if
    this is an option for you, though.

    be well...
    
    -Jody
    

    
    
    My mom also went in a couple years ago for a hysterectomy.
    She was in the hospital for 3-4 weeks.  The nurses were
    great to her.  They gave her a sheepskin bed cover/pad
    that a patient had left for others to use.  It was a
    great help for her.  She went in in the summer and the pad
    was very cool and very cushioney (sp?).  I highly reccommend
    that you look into getting one.  It really helps when you have
    to sit or lie down for long periods of time.  In fact she uses
    it on her bed to this day.  It keeps her warm in the winter and
    cool in the summer.  I think they can be purchased at any bedding
    supply place.  I'm not sure ,but I think it's called a mattress
    pad.  Hope this helps! 
    
    Take care,
    Michele

    I had my gallbladder out last September, and it was the best thing
    I have ever done (having endured indigestion, nausea, and pain for
    17 years).  It was also pretty easy, but I knew exactly what to
    expect (being the last member of my family to have a gallbladder).
    My surgeon also drew pictures and stuff before he realized that
    I knew the correct medical terms for everything.
    
    I went in the hospital that morning, and was taken to surgery by
    9:00.  I think I was out by 11:00.  I will admit that waking up
    in the recovery room was pretty gruesome, and I would not like to
    endure that again.  I had a slight reaction to the anesthesia (I
    got the shakes), and the nurses gave me a hypothermia blanket. 
    As a result, I stayed in the RR longer than usual, but I think I
    was in my room by around 1:00.  I was perfectly lucid in the RR,
    by the way, and talked with the surgeon as soon as I woke up.
    
    By 4:00, I was on my feet (thinking that I would throw up, but I
    was on my feet).  My surgeon wanted me to walk every four hours.
    By midnight, I was able to walk up and down the whole length of
    the corridor (pulling my IV along with me).  I did have to beg for
    some water and juice, though.  They're not real crazy about giving
    you anything by mouth for 12-24 hours.
    
    The next day, I did almost nothing besides walk up and down the
    corridor.  I walk four miles a day, and I figure I did more than
    two miles that day.  I actually got clear soup for lunch.
    
    The third day, I was still on clear liquids, and my IV didn't come
    out till 3 pm.  However, when my surgeon made rounds at 4:00, he
    said I had done so splendidly that he was letting me out.  So I
    was in the hospital for a total of three days.
    
    I had no problem being at home (even though we have a two-story
    house).  Stairs were no problem.  Strangling on a beverage when
    I swallowed the wrong way and had to cough was a problem.  Watching
    a comedy and having to laugh was a problem.  Vacuuming and mopping
    were problems (my housemate valiently offered to do these chores
    for about six weeks).  Doing a sit-up was a problem.  My surgeon's
    orders were:  if it hurts, don't do it.  If it doesn't hurt, it's
    okay.  Within a week, I was doing eight miles around and around
    the block---bent over, and walking slowing, but walking nonetheless.
    Within six weeks I was taking a SCUBA diving class.
    
    I think the key to my quick recovery was my positive attitude. 
    You need to give your body time to heal and get over the anesthetic,
    but you don't have to baby yourself either.  The quicker you get
    on your feet, the quicker you'll recover.
    
    However, I do know other women who have had their gallbladders out
    who didn't have such a quick recovery (two were out of work for
    months).  I came back to work full time in five weeks---one week
    ahead of schedule.  I think I could have come back earlier, but
    I was lazy :-)  One of the last things you'll find still hurts is
    sitting up for extended periods of time, particularly with anything
    around your waist.  A nightgown feels *much* better!
    
    Re: .1  Yes, there is a technique to pulverize stones in the
    gallbladder.  However, it's not clear whether gladdbladder disease
    causes stones or whether stones cause gallbladder disease.  Merely
    getting rid of the stones will not help if you have a diseased 
    gallbladder.
    
    Oh, ask your surgeon about doing a common duct exploratory.  It's
    pretty much SOP now, but my mother didn't have it done and, after
    developing pancreatitis and jaundice, had to have a second operation.
    A common duct exploratory, in case you don't know, checks to see
    if any stones have gotten out of the gallbladder and have lodged
    in the common duct that the gallbladder shares with the liver.
    My surgeon injected the duct with dye and X-rayed me right on the
    operating table to see if he had to do an exploratory.  Thank goodness,
    he didn't.
    
    So, in a nutshell, gallbladder surgery is, after all, surgery, and
    any time you have anesthesia, there's a risk.  However, in my opinion,
    having your gallbladder out is No Big Deal.  Look on it as a six-week
    vacation from work.  You will probably be able to work at home if
    you want. but you may prefer to veg out instead or concentrate on
    the latest science fiction novel or crime thriller.  
    
    Two words of advice, though.  Talk to your surgeon about any questions
    or concerns you have.  The more confidence you have in your surgeon,
    the better you'll feel about your surgery.  And the second piece
    of advice is to ask them to put up a "trapeze" above your bed in
    the hospital.  I don't know what its real name is, but it allows
    you to sit up by pulling yourself up with your arm muscles rather
    than trying to sit up with your traumatized abdominals.
    
    If you need to talk to someone, feel free to send mail to me directly.
    I talked to a *lot* of people before I went in, and hearing about
    everyone's experiences gave me lot of comfort.
    
    Wishing you the best--
    Kirby

    I forgot to mention that there is a gallbladder note (one of the
    earlier notes) in the MEDICAL notesfile on node GUMMO.  You might
    be interested in reading about other people's experiences.

    How rapidly you recover from surgery is dependent on a number of
    factors.  Attitude is certainly important.  Your physical condition
    prior to surgery is important also.  
    Do you exercise regularly??  Is your weight reasonable?  Are you
    reasonably fit??  
    I had surgery several years ago and was told it would be a few
    weeks before I could go into work for even a few hours.
    Three days out of the hospital, I was back working half-days.
    And soon after that I was back full-time.  
    I had always exercised regularly, watched what I ate etc. and the
    physician attributed my quick recovery to my good health.
                         
    Best of luck to you -
    
    Nance

    	Thanks very much for the replies (including the *very* nice
    	mail that Bonnie forwarded to me offline, which I will answer
    	when I get out of the hospital at the end of next week.)
    
    	Although I did check in to the idea of blasting away the stones
    	instead of having surgery, my gallbladder is what they call
    	"contracted" (and inflamed) which means that it could eventually
    	threaten my life if it wasn't taken out.  So, it's all for the
    	best (and good riddance to it.)  :-)
    
    	I won't have to worry about being bored during my recovery
    	because I have two extra projects to keep me busy almost
    	immediately (I'm taking material for one of them to the hospital
    	with me.)  Several of us in my group are going to technical
    	boards in the Spring, so I am studying for my board (the Corporate
    	Engineering Review Board) and helping the others prepare for
    	the one I took last year (Technical Proficiency Review Board.)
    	It is a labor of love more than anything (I'm going to the ERB
    	on my beloved VAX Clusters and VAX 8800's again, so I'm really
    	psyched!)  It's also fun to help others work on the TPRB, because
    	their enthusiasm matches mine (we're all very excited about
    	the whole process!)
    
    	Knowing me as well as they do, they also gave me a whole new
    	project to think about (involving the development of junior
    	engineers in our district.)   So I am no longer worried about
    	going crazy at home (except the part about not being able to
    	run all over hell when I get into incredibly_busy_mode.)  But
    	I'm sure I'll recover quickly and will back running around
    	again fairly soon.
    
    	Thanks again and see you back around the net (and in this
    	file) next week.
    
    							  Suzanne :)

 My aunt went into the hospital on Monday for surgery on cyst. The operation was
evidently successful (amen!) but this note isn't about the operation per se.
After the operation was completed, they wheeled my aunt down the corridor to
her room. My uncle was summoned, so he could see her. In the meantime, a
nurse who was assisting with my aunt had a newborn in her arms. While she tended
to my aunt, she placed the infant on the bed next to my aunt's bed. My aunt
was still groggy at this point. Well, my uncle strolls in, concerned about his
wife's well being. He looks at the baby, and the nurse casually says "Well,
there's her cyst." I guess the look on my uncle's face was something to behold.
:-)

 The Doctah