As I mentioned in my last post, Dale had sent some pre-operative instructions and post-operative instructions, which (to me) were half assed, at best.
As I am too type-A for this shit and need to be prepared I started asking questions and doing more research.
Hopefully this is not too blurry for you to read.....The Pre-Op and Post-Op seem to have some info on one that should be on the other and seems to have some info missing entirely.
My suggestion is ensure you read ALL of the info the doctor's office gives you and then start to question things to figure out what else you need to know/buy/do.
I will share my takeaways from my surgeon's Pre and Post Op docs below and then give you some info on what else I found out/bought/asked etc. in order to be well prepped and ready for surgery day.
Pre-Op Instructions
My Takeaways on the Pre-Op Instructions:
- #1 mentions not smoking for 2 weeks prior to surgery......K got that. I don't smoke, I vape and a super low amount (1.5mg). I set myself a reminder that I need to go on the patch two weeks prior to surgery. It does NOT say it here but from all my research I found more info to indicate that you should not have ANY nicotine for 2 weeks prior to surgery so where I thought I was being smart (I'll just put the patch on 2 weeks before to ride out the withdrawal up to surgery), I found out that NO I should be completely nicotine free by two weeks before. So exactly two weeks before the surgery I had my last vape puffs when I went to sleep and then didn't pick them up again. Keep in mind I vape 1.5mg so for me it wasn't so much the nicotine I needed but the habit with my hands. You'll likely want to consider going on the patch much further in advance so you don't have to cold turkey it like I did......Oh and I will discuss this later but for those that do smoke cigarettes ir even higher levels of vape juice it's best to get off them AS SOON AS YOU CAN......trust me, after surgery if you are coughing (as us ex-smokers who are expelling the remaining shit from our lungs do) you will actually feel like you want someone to kill you and put you out of your misery....so start getting rid of it as soon as ya can.
- Coughing, Sneezing and even laughing for the first few days after surgery will make you wish you had never done this
- #6 mentions the loose casual clothing - button up top preferred. Okay so I went with my regular underoos, super stretchy waistband pajama bottoms, a front zip sports bra, a zip up hoodie to wear over it and crocs with socks. In hindsight I did NOT need the underwear or the sports bra.....literally they got me from the car to the surgical suite but nobody else was around to see me anyways.....after surgery these were NOT going back on so might as well leave them at home. The pajama bottoms and zip up hoodie and crocs.....best ideas ever.
- #7 mentions no jewelry....now I get this - no rings, bracelets etc. what I needed to know was what do I do with other piercings - Conch, Daith, Rook, Lip, Nose etc. I've had multiple surgeries recently and had bought a large assortment of Bioplast (literally plastic) jewelry for these that I used for those surgeries and assumed I could use again. I contacted Dale to ask and sure enough they said it was fine although the lip one would HAVE TO come out, no Bioplast even as there was a choking hazard.....fair enough (although my last two surgeries they let me use the Bioplast in my lip).
- At the bottom it mentions using an antibacterial soap for 3 days prior to surgery on the surgical area.....Trisan or Adapt. I went to my friend who is also my pharmacist and even she couldn't get Adasept for some reason....but I did find Trisan at Shoppers Drug Mart for $20......kind of dumb to pay $20 for some soap where you won't even use 1/4 of the bottle but whatevs.....I will follow instructions like a good soldier. I set myself a calendar reminder for 3 days pre-surgery to start washing daily with this.
Post-Operative Instructions:
My Takeaways on the Post-Op Instructions:
- #2 mentions you will be given a prescription to fill before surgery day....make sure they give you this and you get it filled. This is your pain meds and trust me you will want to have them on hand and ready to go. The Percocet I got at the surgical centre lasted until about 24 hours later and then I started the pain meds from the pharmacy.
- #5 mentions you should have gravel and a stool softener (Senekot) on hand before surgery. You will want to ensure you have these. While I only needed the gravel once (the day AFTER my surgery) I was happy I had it when I needed it. The Percocet and the T3s are GOING TO bung you up after surgery and you will NOT be able to strain to poop. I cannot emphasize this enough......although the though of liquid shit is gross, it will be a million times better than constipation so you will 100% want that stool softener and will want to start taking it pretty much the day of your surgery. If you think I am making this up, go ahead and try to deal without it......come back and tell me how wrong you were later. ;)
- #6 in the Post Operative document mentions that you may take Ibuprofen (Advil) for break through pain but that there is a risk of increased bleeding and it says ** DO NOT take Ibuprofen before surgery **. This does NOT mention for how long prior to surgery you should refrain from taking it - you would think this would be on the Pre-Op document and in either case that it would be more clear. As I had a wicked migraine I reached out asking this exact question - how long before surgery should I NOT have Advil and is there anything else I can have as I have an awful headache - she advised that anything that thins your blood (advil, aspirin, echinacea, alcohol) should all be avoided completely for two weeks prior to surgery but that you can take Tylenol products. Ummmmmm this is a pretty fuckin important one to leave off your Pre-Op instructions guys......
- #7 mentions you can eat what you can tolerate - I stocked up on light things - chicken noodle soup, vegetable soup etc.
- #14 mentions your drain recording sheet that you need to track on and bring to your follow up appointments - I will have a section on this later.
Further Research / Follow Up Etc......
So.....after reading this and doing my own independent research, I started making myself a list of the things to buy and to do before surgery
- One of the things that is NOT mentioned anywhere here is the Abdominal Binder - From everything I read online, after surgery, you need to wear an abdominal binder for many months following surgery but there was no mention as to whether this was something that you need to purchase yourself and have ready for when you get home. I followed up and for my surgeon (yours may be different) mine was included and would be provided on the day of my surgery.
- Having worked out a lot over the last year I know how intensely painful it is when you workout your abs/butt/thighs hard core one day when you haven't in a long time. I remember how insane it is when I can barely sit down on the toilet because your muscles hurt so much. I read on ONE post, only one, and I cannot for the life of me understand why more people haven't suggested this - that you might want to consider a toilet seat riser so you do not have as far to go when you need to sit down on the toilet. This one purchase was worth its weight in gold and I cannot explain how thankful I was that I bought it.
- I am a side sleeper by nature, it's practically impossible for me to sleep on my back and even when I try I almost always wake up back on my side so I was concerned because of course you will not be able to sleep on your side for a while.....but what to do???? Hmmmm appears pregnancy pillows are the way to go according to some people and I grabbed this pretty cool one on Amazon (link below). This truly did help me sleep more upright and kept me tucked in and facing up.....and I was able to move it different ways - whatever worked to get me comfy and keep my knees elevated but staying on my back. Having said that, it was a bit awkward to get myself situated in it right at first and I need my hubby's help to do sol.......and I did only use it for the first week or so and then found I was perfectly fine with just regular pillows so you may be able to save yourself the $80+ and use regular pillows to just jam up under your sides to prop you up and keep you on your back.
- Some folks also get wedges instead (or also) - these help position the knees upwards to take stress off the abdomen. I did not get these and instead just used pillows.
THINGS TO BUY
- Stool Softener (I used Senekot but there are many brands)
- Gravol for upset stomaches as this ""may" happen
- GingerAle and Soda Crackers (in case you get an upset tummy)
- Gatorade - As you won't be eating much it's best to keep you electrolytes up....I drank a lot of this the first few days.
- Lanyard to pin your drains to for once you are allowed to shower (any basic lanyard will do)
- Trisan (or Adasept if you can find it) or other antibacterial wash for the days leading up to surgery
- Advil or Tylenol (whichever you prefer) for breakthrough pain and for after you're done the Percocet and T3s
- Consider if you want to purchase something like the toilet riser and pregnancy pillow mentioned above. :)
Some things I ended up having to buy AFTER THE FACT - didn't even realize I would need them are:
- Benedryl Liguigels - A side effect of the Percocet (for me not necessarily everyone) was INTENSELY HORRIBLE itching. My surgery was on Wednesday and by Thursday evening when trying to sleep I was scratching everywhere and a lot. My mom ran and grabbed me these and they were a life saver, almost immediately after I took them.
- Hydrocortisone Cream - Adding this on week 5......long past the Percocet phase and the itch is UNREAL, EVERY DAY. Between the healing and the binder and compression garment holding everything in so tightly the itch is unbelievable and I have been using the Benadryl and Hydrocortisone cream SO MUCH. And keep in mind we cannot get anything over 1% over the counter in Canada. I am fortunate I had some 2.5% on hand from before and it's the only thing keeping me sane so perhaps ask your doctor for a prescription for 2-2.5% that you can fill before surgery. Trust me you'll thank me later.
- Cottonelle Flushable Wipes - By about day 2 when I realized that I would be pooping a lot (from the Senekot) and would not be able to shower as routinely as I am used to, for cleanliness sake I purchased a 4 pack of Cottonelle Flushable Wipes on Amazon so that I could use them after pooping or to freshen up my arm pits/body etc. I got a 4 pack (168 wipes total) for $13 on Amazon. I did not end up using even one full pack before they weren't needed anymore so if you can buy them in advance when prepping get one pack at WalMart, not 4 from Amazon lol
- 4"x4" IV Drain Sponges - At my follow up appointment two days post surgery they checked everything and gave me a handful of abdominal bandages and told me I could begin showering as of day 3 and changing out the bandages. They gave me two packages of 4x4 IV drain sponges to go around where the drain is inserted into the skin. For some reason they only gave me the TWO packages (each package has two so that’s four) and since I wasn’t seeing them again for two weeks and my drain insertion point started leaking a bit (to be expected) I went through those in 2 days and had to then order more online from Amazon so ask them for extra…..for the $10K plus that you are paying them they can and should give you more fucking drain sponges.
TO DO
- I have a two story house and knew I would be moving about from bed (upstairs) to the couch (downstairs) or to let the dogs out etc etc. So I put everything I needed together in a backpack to make it easier for me so I wasn't forgetting things anywhere and then having to try to go back for them. In my backpack I had all my meds (Percocet, T3s, Gravol, Senekot, Tylenol and Advil as well as my normal meds - Birth Control, heartburn etc that I need to take) a book, a pen, my glasses (I only use them when watching TV), my crackers, my portable cell phone charger and cables.
- I practiced setting up my bed with my pregnancy pillow and other pillows. I made sure I had a little step stool next to the bed to help me get in an out as my bed is higher.
- I put my toilet seat riser on both of the toilets I might use it on to ensure it fit properly on each and wouldn't wobble and fall off lol.
- I prepped all my loose clothes – shorts, pajama bottoms, tank tops - anything that was loose and could easily be pulled on and over my drains. I put them all in a stack where I could reach them for a few days as it will be exceptionally hard to bend to grab them out of drawers etc. I put them all in a pile on my bathroom counter which worked out really well.
Okay guys......I think we're as prepped as we can be.....hope this helps you prep for your upcoming surgery.....and best of luck!!!
Next post will be how surgery went, what's happening day-by-day and how things are progressing.
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