Freakin' out....

[Tynkerbelle]

I'm scheduled for minor foot surgery tomorrow afternoon and while I know it's no big deal and will be OK, I'm really nervous! :scared:

I've never had surgery, stitches or been put under - I guess it's a fear of the unknown....

I'm also kind of dreading the recovery period - four weeks off my feet (thank God for my laptop and Intercot!) and another four weeks of physical therapy....

I'm trying to look at the bright side - all the walking I do in Disney will be much less painful from now on! :mickey:

[DREAMADREAM93]

I would go insane if i had to spend 4 weeks off my feet - but im an extremely active athlete so you can probably imagine why.

I know how you feel though. I have staph and one time i had a flare up so bad that they had to put me under and drain my leg of the infection. Then they packed my leg full of gauze until i could rebuild the tissue. It's kind-of fun being put under actually! They did concious sedation with me and it was a controlled form of LSD. I had funnn - until i woke up. Then fun - not so much :(

But good luck, and im sure you'll be fine!!


JOrdan :]

[DisneyDreams09]

Good Luck!
Don't fret too much, just think your going to sleep and when you wake up its over,
take time off to fully relax, you'll be fine! I promise, if you need someone to talk to feel free to message me proud to offer my support from one Disney Fan to another!:mickey::thumbsup:

[E-mail removed per INTERCOT's Terms of Service]

[mrsgaribaldi]

I had a bunion repaired and it was a piece of cake. They did it in the doctor's office and I was awake. I was out of work for 2 months and also off my feet for most of that time. It was the best thing I ever did. No pain now at all. I'm sure you will do fine and the time will fly by:thumbsup: Here's some :pixie::pixie::pixie::pixie:that all goes well and you have a speedy recovery:mickey:

[Here we go again...]

In the last 6 months I had orthroscopic (sp?) surgery on both knees and when the left on did not help I had a total knee replacement. So, a total on 3 surgeries since December....
Ask anyone on this board, I am the biggest baby in the World!! Even though I know that I will be fine I still freak out every time I go in.
My doctors know to be ready with the meds as soon as they put the IV in. If I do not get something to relax me I start crying and shaking... you would swear I had no idea what I was getting ready to do.

Please don't feel bad about being nervous or even scared. It is perfectly normal. (not to the extremes I go to...) Talk to your doctor about giving you something to help you relax when you arrive. Sometimes the wait can be long and the anticipation is the worst part.

Don't be surprised of you have some nausea after surgery, many people do. (I am one of the lucky ones... I wake up and feel fine) If you feel bad ask for something, they have medications waiting for you in case of nausea or any other reaction to the anesthesia.

Remember to take you medications when you get home. Take your pain meds on schedule the first couple of days, even if you do not feel like you need it. Controling pain is much easier than trying to ease the pain once it gets out of control... trust me. I always learn the hard way.

I am sending lots of :pixie: your way for a speedy recovery. Just think of how much fun Disney will be when you can walk!
I am on my way to Disney World Friday. I have not recovered from my knee replacement so I will be in an EVC most of the time.... but look out next trip!!!!

[Christine]

Good luck to you!

I understand completely how afraid you are! I had my very first surgery last month (gallbladder removed) and I too had never had stitches, had anesthesia, or even an IV until then.

I can tell you this...I was nervous as a CAT until I went to pre-op. Then all my fears totally disappeared with the lovely pre-anesthetic cocktail! :cloud9: I would have let them chop my arms and legs off if they would have asked!

When I woke up in recovery (if you can call it that...I was pretty groggy) I didn't know where I was or why I was there.

To this day I still do not remember anything after being wheeled into the O.R. until I got in the car to go home.

You'll do great! Take care and let us know how it goes!

[Marilyn Michetti]

I would go insane if i had to spend 4 weeks off my feet - but im an extremely active athlete so you can probably imagine why.

I know how you feel though. I have staph and one time i had a flare up so bad that they had to put me under and drain my leg of the infection. Then they packed my leg full of gauze until i could rebuild the tissue. It's kind-of fun being put under actually! They did concious sedation with me and it was a controlled form of LSD. I had funnn - until i woke up. Then fun - not so much :(

But good luck, and im sure you'll be fine!!


JOrdan :]


I have to agree with the anastesia assement. I've had several major surgeries, and I LOVE the "cocktail" they give you before they wheel you back. I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs, (except my prescribed morphine), but I DO understand the allure of that feeling.:crazy::silly::yes::whistle::geek2:

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I wasn't too nervous the one time I've had surgery, I drove myself to the hospital. My sis & BIL were going to take me and the car home later that day. Well I came out of it and found out I was staying a few days. I thought it was going to be day surgery and hadn't planned ahead.
When I came to in recovery, the first thing I did was get sick. Have them give you something right away if that happens!
Good luck and hoping for a speedy recovery for you.

[WonderlandsMostWanted]

I just went throuh something similar. I've got 6 weeks in a cast (comes off Thursday, yeah!) and then I think I'm going to need some kind of splint or boot or something for another month, then physical therapy! I understand being nervous about being off the feet! But, the first week, with the painkillers, pretty much blurs together and passes quickly.

Stock up on things like books you've wanted to read and never had time, movies you'd like to watch, have food in the house that you can grab for yourself without much prep work for the times when there isn't someone around to help you out and try to relax. I know, easier said than done, but you'll be surprised how quickly 4 weeks really can pass. Also, if you get stir crazy, find someone who can take you to a drive in movie if you have them available in your area! It's great, just a quick trip to the car, then you can hang out and watch movies on the big screen without dealing with manuvering through people or trying to go very far with crutches. And, it gets you out of the house!

I agree with one of the other posters; keeping up with the painkillers is better than trying to catch up.

Really though, it won't be as bad as you're thinking. It won't be comfortable or pleasant, but it's not going to be unbearable. My thoughts are with ya, I know you'll be just fine. PM me if you want someone to chat with, I'm sitting here on my bum too! :thumbsup:

[DizNee143]

im sure you'll be just fine...please let us know how it goes!!..
4 weeks off your feet...it sounds nice but i know i would probably be bored after the first week!!..but this way you can catch up on some tv and reading!! lol..
my soon to be mother-in-law just had surgery on her heel (heel spurs) and shes been off her feet for a week now..and she still has a few more..and then once thats healed shes doing it to the other foot..its gonna be the summer of hanging out on the couch all day!!

[Tynkerbelle]

Thanks for the support everyone!

As the time to leave approaches, I'm getting a little sick to my stomach... I have heard good things about the "cocktail", though!

I just keep thinking, "in a few hours it will be behind me."

I'll let you know how it goes.....

[disneydeb]

I have to agree with the anastesia assement. I've had several major surgeries, and I LOVE the "cocktail" they give you before they wheel you back. I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs, (except my prescribed morphine), but I DO understand the allure of that feeling.:crazy::silly::yes::whistle::geek2:


I know the feeling of the la-la land drugs as well .:thumbsup: If you get nauseous after surgery ask for smelling salts. It works wonders for my post -op nausea!

Good Luck!

[Marilyn Michetti]

Are you alone? If you have to be, even for awhile, have someone put an ice chest near you stocked with fruit, water, yogurt, or whatever. It helps to have food with the meds. - less nausea, and the less you have to try and get around, the better.

DH set me up with a "potty chair", the above mentioned provisions, and an extension for the phone line. I also had the T.V remote, and lots to read. He said he was happy I wasn't going to the mall, and was going to make me as comfortable as possible.:yes:

Never crossed his mind that, with the phone, catalogues, and a Disney Visa, I had EVERYTHING I could have needed.:laughing:

I just blamed the Percocette.:D

[Tynkerbelle]

Well, all I can say is that I was so nervous for nothing! :blush:

My sister took me and said I was such a big baby that she wished she'd taped it for me to see! The hospital was great - they let me watch a Winnie the Pooh movie while I waited and promised me a cherry cola slushee after surgery!
And evidently my doctor was having fun - I have doodles all over my leg! He's a real cut-up! :D

The IV was the worst part - it was so uncomfortable, I had tingles in my hand the whole time!
The "cocktail" was AWESOME! I want that every night before I go to bed! No nausea - in fact, I coudn't wait to eat afterwards - and my foot was still numb through this AM. Now that the local has worn off I will say it's quite painful - I'm waiting for the Percoset to kick in!

Now for the "fun" part - nothing but lying around with my foot up for the next few weeks! I really hope the pain subsides quickly!

I'm pretty well set - my sister just came by to fix me lunch, take care of laundry and let the puppy out - she'll do that each day. And my dbf will be home in a couple of hours - he'll take good care of me!

For now, I have the remote (so far, I don't much care for daytime tv), laptop, PSP, books/magazines and puzzles! I also have the puppy and one of the kitties cuddled up in bed with me - can't ask for better company!

Thanks again for all the support!

[Here we go again...]

I am glad to hear things went well and that you are home.

I can understand the daytime TV thing... I hate soap operas!! I have watched every court TV show though, People's Court... Jude Mathis... Judge Joe Brown... and court TV. I could tell you every thing you would ever need to know about blood splatter patterns and it is ALWAYS the husband/boyfriend. Can you tell I am bored too?????

Anyway, congratulations on making it through your first surgery. (hopefully your last) Stay on top of the pain, no matter how good you feel. Taking the meds on time will be the best thing you can do for yourself.

Good luck!

[Christine]

Oh I am so glad everything went well!!! That is GREAT! I too felt a bit foolish afterwards for being such a wreck beforehand...but fear of the unknown is very real!!!

Hope your pain subsides quickly and you get back on your feet soon!

[WonderlandsMostWanted]

So glad to hear things went well, you've been in my thoughts!

Puzzles are wonderful! I've done 3 so far. Toys 'r' Us has some really cute Disney puzzles that you can order online and have delivered. They've got about the best prices for that out there. (Trust me, I've had free time and done my homework!)

If you're short on TV options, you can look into Netflix or some other online movie rental site. I loaded mine up with some Disney flix I haven't managed to purchase yet, and it's great having them delivered and returned right at the mailbox.

Keep your head up. They just extended my "involentary vacation" another few weeks, so if you get bored, feel free to shoot me a pm.

[mtown71]

Hope the surgery went well & that you are recovered from it. Yes, surgery is scary. I was scared to death when I had to have my tonsils taken out in May of this year. Hope you get better quick!!!

[Tynkerbelle]

This recovery is way more painful than I thought it was going to be - I can't put any weight on my foot and it hurts just lying still! And to make matters worse, all the pain meds they've given me (Percocet, Vicodin) have made me sick - :dizzy:, :sick: etc. All I do is :sleepin: - I haven't really been out of bed since last Thursday!

I hate being so dependent on everyone just to eat, shower, go to the bathroom - it's amazing what you take for granted!

Today was my first day out - to the doctor to have my bandages changed....
I'm only one week in and feel like it's never going to get better! I'm sorry to be so :drama:, but I need to vent!

One last thing and then I'll shut up - OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! :pout:

I know, I know - I'm a big :baby:!

[mrsgaribaldi]

I know how you feel. When I had my surgery I had 2 big pins sticking out of my foot for 3 weeks and they made my whole leg tingle. It was very annoying. I put a chair in the shower because I couldn't put any weight on my foot at all. After 2 months of being home I also had to go for physical therapy. The good news is that the time will go fast and you will be feeling better real soon, I'm sure of this:thumbsup:
Before you know it you will be running around and feeling 100% better. Here's some :pixie::pixie::pixie::pixie:for a quick and uneventful recovery. Hang in there :hug:

[Donald A]

As a podiatrist (who does surgery), I will say that each day it gets better. Just hang in there and think how much better you will feel when you heal :mickey:

[Marilyn Michetti]

I REALLY hope you start having less pain very soon. It IS hard having to depend on other's for everything, but I'm betting they're happy to do it for you.:)

You're right about one thing, - we sure do take alot for granted when we're "laid up".:ill:

You just get better, and that's an order from one who's been there more than once.:yes:

FEEL BETTER SOON!!