ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Inquiries => Topic started by: phx on February 02, 2010, 08:11:49 pm
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Can someone tell me about their surgery? Was it scary and how long was it? I'm so nervous about this surgery because the doctors are telling me it might be 8 - 10 hours long. It makes me scared to think that I'll be sleeping for the whole thing and then waking up to pain. I'm worried it's going to hurt a lot. Anyone willing to share their experience with me and please make it as positive as possible because I'm already nervous about. I don't want to have more anxiety build up. Thanks.
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Once I made up my mind to have surgery it wasn't scary . I was very calm that morning. I remember a bunch of residents wheeling my stretcher into a procedure room to hook me up to monitors, and then they gave me an IV and oxygen and the next thing I knew I was in the neuro ICU post op. My surgery was 8 hrs. long, but thankfullyI slept through the whole thing, lol! Everything after that is a bit hazy. I kind of remember my family and doctors coming in to see me, but I was pretty fuzzy! I won't lie to you, I did have pretty bad pain, but as soon as I came out of anesthesia and the nurses asked me about my pain they gave me meds right away. They stayed on top of the pain so after the initial episode, the pain was under control. I don't remember having any pain after the 2nd day, maybe just some tenderness in my neck. Looking back now, I would say the scariest moment was when I was diagnosed with the AN. The surgery was the easy part! :) You will find lots of support, answers and plenty of laughs on this forum- so stay in touch. Everyone is here for you, it truly is an amazing group of people!!!
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Thank you very much.
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Yeah, I agree...the surgery part was a breeze compared to trying to make up my mind on WHAT I was going to do about this thing in my head. The pain meds did take care of me for the first couple of days...as everyone says, the first three days don't count...and they don't because I truly don't remember them! :) Just follow your doctors advice concerning not taking any kind of pain meds or anti-inflammatory meds before your go in. That way when they do give you meds they'll work better. Another thing to help you out is just have friends or family around you, go about this with a good attitude and relax and just trust in your doctors. You'll be a postie in no time at all and giving advice like this to other newbies! :)
Jay
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My surgery (8+ years ago) was about 7-8 hours long...according to my hubby, anyway. I didn't notice a thing until I was in recovery. I just remember my head feeling like a bowling ball but no pain, actually - they sure stayed on top of that. And I gained weight the two weeks in the hospital - strange but true. After a day or so on a liquid diet, I ate everything that came my way lol...
All the best.
Cecile
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My surgery was 7 1/2 hours long and I did not wake up to pain. In fact, post op I didn't really have pain at all - just a stiff neck from having my head in a strange position for so long.
I did wake up to the room spinning and I was nauseous and had double vision. But by the time I was released from the hospital I was much better. Not back to myself, but much better. Recovery takes a while but time heals most things. Patience is key.
AN surgery is major surgery. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, but you'll get through it - lots of us did. I'm almost 3 years post op and the specifics are getting to be pretty much a distance memory.
It's very normal to be nervous and scared, but I found that once I had made my treatment choice and found the doctors for me (two great ones that I have 100% confidence and faith in) I was fine. As my surgery approached I found an incredible sense of calm and I just wanted to get the tumor out of my head so I could get on with my life.
You'll be okay. Have faith.
Jan
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I just want to agree and make some redundant comments of my own. In my experience I did not wake up to pain after surgery. Yes, there was some disorientation, some soreness from my body being in an uncomfortable position for a long time (8.5 hrs) and held there by body straps. But I recovered fast, did not have any severe pain and overall would call my state immediately after surgery as 'all shook up.'
I kept a set of goals in my mind that went something like this.
1-get to the recovery room OK.
2-get released from hospital.(I was operated on a Tuesday and released on Friday)
3-be able to drive (2weeks after surgery)
3-get back to work (4 weeks after surgery)
4-resume my exercise program again. (4 weeks after surgery).
I found that having goals like these very helpful for my state of mind before, during and after my hospital stay.
I hope this helps.
Neal
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My husband's experience was pretty rough, but I think it is important to know what the range of experiences is going into this.....although of course my husband never imagined he would have a difficult time. Deciding upon the treatment was relatively easy. Due to the size of his AN he was told surgery was the only option. From there it was deciding where to have the surgery. That wasn't too hard either, knowing that all of the surgeons we consulted were excellent. Honestly, the time between being diagnosed and surgery, about two months, was pretty easy.
Ken's surgery was complicated due to the location of the tumor. At first it came out easily, but as the surgery progressed it became very difficult. His surgery was about 9 hours. He came out of it feeling horrible. The pain meds, once they arrived, helped but he felt awful. It took him longer than expected to bounce back from surgery and was in the hospital for almost three weeks, between the medical floor and acute rehab.
For us, the hard part came after surgery. Now almost 6 months out, there has been significant improvement, but still more to go.
All the best in navigating through this experience.
Miranda
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Remarkably, I was not nervous. I think the fact that my kids were little (my youngest were 4 years old and 9 months old at the time) kept me from being too nervous. I was not going to even entertain the thought that anything would happen to keep me from being around for them. The only time I felt stressed was the night before my surgery - 2 of my sisters were flying in from out of town to take care of the kids so my husband could be with me at the hospital and their flight was delayed and it looked like they were not going to make it until the morning of my surgery. I stressed over what the heck I was going to do with the kids - we had just moved to Nashville and really didn't know many people, especially that we could ask to take care of my kids when we left for the hospital at 4am! Fortunately, they made it that night and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
I fully expected to wake up with a whopper of a headache, but was so pleasantly surprised that I did not have any pain at all. At the first sign of any discomfort or nausea, the nurses were right there to pump me up with the good drugs to take care of it. When I went home, I didn't even need the strong stuff, I was able to manage with just extra strength tylenol.
My surgery took about 9 hours and I was a little stiff the next few days, but felt better once I was able to get up and walk around and loosen up. The surgery itself is the easy part for the patient - you get to sleep through it while the doctors do all the hard work and your loved ones get to drink bad coffee and worry about you in the waiting room.
Talk to your doctor about your anxiety over the issue. I'm sure you're not the only one to feel that way and I'm sure he can reassure you.
Lori
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My surgery was in the 7-hour or so range. I woke up in the recovery room when I heard the doctor calling my name, and I distinctly remember thinking that I really should make an attempt at conversation to be polite. So I said something inane like, "Hi, Dr. Willkenson, I remember meeting you on Sunday!" I believe they asked me where I was, if I knew what had happened, etc., etc., and I guess I answered everything okay.
I was in no pain whatsoever and primarily felt relieved that the surgery was over. No nausea, no dizziness, just very relaxed. Everyone was very attentive and compassionate. I have never been so thirsty in my life and kept requesting more ice chips and the little sponge that the nurses soaked in water and inserted in my mouth. When the internist came in to check on me I recall telling him that if I were to see a Diet Coke anywhere in that recovery room I was going to pull out every tube in my body to crawl over to reach it. He told the nurse, "please give her more ice chips!" I remember sleeping a lot, being waked up for the usual checks, and just being very comfortable and relaxed. I guess all those drugs were working well.
I had dreaded the removal of the catheter and was delighted when the nurse said it was already out! I was in the recovery room for 24 hours, and prior to my release to the "regular" room, walked over (with help) to and successfully sat in a chair and walked to the adjacent (just a few feet from the bed) bathroom. I also had some jello and pudding, which I absolutely inhaled, then asked if there were more. While I was being wheeled to my regular room I remember asking the orderly if I would be able to have some solid food for lunch as soon as I got back to my room. I did. I know that many people have said they could barely stand to eat a bite of food while they were in the hospital -- I had just the opposite issue and could hardly wait for the meals to arrive. My husband was rather amazed at the quantity I was consuming and the speed with which I ate, since I don't normally eat a whole lot. The steroids were definitely kicking in.
This just goes to show that everyone's post-surgical experience is pretty individual. I'll add that my fatigue lasted for a number of months after I got back home and it was quite a while before I felt totally "like myself."
It's quite a journey, and I hope that everything goes well with you. Try not to dwell on the specifics, but just look ahead to recovery!
Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
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my surgery was done in two stadges as the surgeons new it would be a long haul, the ist stadge took 8 hours, the 2nd 9 hours, to removed a 4.5cm AN, i was in no pain after the op i didnt need any pain killers.
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Hi phx,
Unlike what seems to be the majority here, I don't recall anything of ICU and just bits and pieces of the following day.. My surgery was on a Thursday morning (lasted 12 hours) and I don't really recall much before Friday or Saturday.. I don't recall being scared or anxious at all, however I do recall spilling my cookies once after surgery (but was told later it was many more times than just once)...
I do remember that in the early days after surgery, time seemed to move SO SLOW.. I vividly remember asking my wife what time it was, and then waiting what seemed like hours before asking her again only to be told 2 minutes had passed in between my asking..
I don't recall being in pain at all.. Even after I went home, I was given a prescription for pain meds of which I took very few. It's natural to be nervous leading up to surgery, however magically you'll reach a place where you're at ease with the decision you've made and you will decide that much of what will happen during and right after surgery is out of your control and you'll leave it in the hands of the doctors, nurses, family members, care givers, and if you are so inclined, God... Once you truly reach that place, you will be calm. Trust in your decision and trust that your doctors will not do anything on purpose to sacrifice you having a brilliant outcome.
Regards,
Brian
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Pat ~
Your anxiety is perfectly reasonable. Fortunately, my surgery experience was quite positive so I'll be glad to share it.
Frankly, going into the surgery was a bit intimidating. The trip on the stretcher and the (seemingly) small OR, packed with people that seemed very busy and of course, lots of blinking monitors and very bright lights. A technician (he performed my nerve monitoring) made sure I was comfortable (a relative term at that point) and assured me that I would be fine. I said that I hoped so. Within a minute, the anesthesia took effect and I was unconscious. I awoke some 9 hours later in the ICU. I don't recall much actual post-op pain but I did suffer from mild nausea and slight double-vision for the first 24 hours. In addition, the large head bandage seemed way too tight for my liking. Oh, and daytime TV is atrocious! What I remember most was being incredibly tired, fatigued, really, which is not uncommon. I just wanted to sleep...and I did, except when the cheery ICU nurses came in to check my blood sugar (it was always normal - I don't have diabetes) or do something else that necessitated waking me up. I became somewhat irritable during that time. Fortunately, my wife opted to stay by my bedside for the first 48 hours post-op and apologized for me to the nursing staff, who weren't all that bothered by my grouchy demeanor and, fortunately, as I recovered (and the head bandage was taken off by my doctor) my usual affable personality emerged once again, much to my wife's delight. ;).
Within a few days, the nausea was gone, I was eating what passed for 'food' and sitting up in a chair, which felt good. By Day 4 I was walking the halls with my intrepid wife and drinking as much coffee as she could bring me from the cafeteria. By Day 5 I was finally transferred to a semi-private room and I continued walking as much as possible. My appetite was fine and the double vision disappeared. By late morning of the fifth day of my hospital stay, my doctor was out of town at a seminar (he apologized - many times, in fact - but was scheduled to be a speaker and couldn't cancel) so my doctor's assistant (also a neurosurgeon) decided I was recovered enough to be discharged. The hospital PT nurse was skeptical about my being discharged so she made me perform a series of demonstrations (walking up and down stairs without using the handrail, etc) to 'prove' I was 'stable' enough to go home. I passed Nurse Ratched's tests, was dutifully discharged and on the way home (my wife drove) we stopped and treated ourselves to a stack of delicious pancakes at a local diner, a little treat that I had promised myself. Luckily, I have simple tastes and I'm easily pleased.
My recovery went smoothly, with only a slight infection at the incision. That was quickly resolved with generous applications of Bacitracin, as directed by my doctor, via phone. I was given doctor's approval to resume driving within two weeks of my surgery and had no trouble doing so, even on the interstate. My neurosurgeon was elated by my recovery and so was I.
Although one person's AN surgery experience is not a guarantee that another AN surgery patient will have the same experience - or outcome, I offer you mine in the hope that it will give you encouragement, realizing that AN surgery is major but that most AN surgery patients do O.K. I think you will, too. :)
Jim
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Oh Catherine, when you mentioned that catheter...that gave me instant shivers...that was one thing I did NOT like after the surgery! :)
Jay
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My surgery was basically the same as Catherines. NO pain and I was hungry....Mind you the first day post op, I just slept. Once the nurses got me up walking, there was no looking back...As a matter of fact, on the third day post op (surgery on tues and this was on fri) I was sneaking out of my room to the kitchen to see what I could find to eat and drink....But I got busted...so I bluntly told the nurse I wanted tea and toast pls or I was going back to the ktchen to raid it...Surgery was on Tues and I could have come home that Frid, but being the long weekend( Easter), I wanted to stay in a few days longer because of the long weekend and the fact that I was 1.5-2.0 hrs away from the hospital...
I was anticipating pain and facial paralysis...Neither occured..To this day, that sitill amazing me...no pain..I was on 2 reg tylenol every 4 hours for the first 48 hours, and then as needed which I didnt need, so didnt take until the day I was to come home...and I only took the pills at taht point just to ease any pain from the long drive home.
Also upon waking I kept telling myself, 'DO NOT DOUBT MY METHOD OF TREATMENT'.
JO
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Thank you everyone for your input!
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Phx
You are going to do just fine. I was a wreck prior to surgery and all of a sudden two or three days before surgery I was calm...I had done what I could do (research, picking my surgeon etc) to "control" the situation and somehow I just gave myself over to my surgeons and let them take over. I do not remember much of my hospital stay except some vomiting the first 12 hours or so. I would not say that I was in pain-you will be kept comfortable pain wise! I know that I scared myself way past the reality.I think the wierdest part was the journey into the OR-Jim hit the nail on the head with his description. And by the way Jim...thank you for the reminder of the blood sugar testing! :o But you would not be human if you did not-you never had brain surgery so how would you know what to expect?? I hope that all of these stories from everyone has made you feel a little less anxious! When is your surgery?
Erin
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Just wanted to share with you one part of my surgery and spare you all the details. I should have known what my outcome would be I usually have no luck but listening to others I cannot complain. I kissed and waved to my family as I WALKED to the operating room and had to wait outside of it for a few minutes then they proceeded for me to WALK into the sterile operating room and got up on the table as I lay on the table waiting for the anthesiologist I said to myself that I am wearing the same booties from outside and thought what happened to sterile and I thought for a moment to get up and leave but I was put to sleep and woke up in ICU no infections thank goodness......
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Best Wishes,
Pat
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My surgery is on Feb. 25th. It's coming up soon. Sometimes it's no big deal and sometimes I just scare the heck out of myself with thinking about all those negative thoughts.
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Phx,
You will do fine! February is a short month, just keep busy and stay focused on doing stuff for yourself, and whatever else needs to be done. It'll be here before you know it.
Pampering is a must, and exercise if you are an exerciser.
Surgery......You fall asleep, you wake up, and then deal with whatever is dealt. Simple! If there's pain, demand relief.
They take such good care of you out of this surgery. Lots of attention, too much attention.
You'll be fine :)
Maureen
(My AN was a complicated one, so don't read into my signature too much. I am doing FINE) ;)
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My surgery was 16 hours, my husband didn't see me for 20 hours. I woke up to no pain. In fact I don't remember pain at all even in my drug induced haze. My biggest fear before surgery was how much pain was I going to be in after surgery. The 3 weeks between dx and surgery were the hardest part of the whole AN journey. My mom said I called at least 3x a day to tell her "just one thing."
Breathe, enjoy your life, do what you need to do, and we'll all be here when you come back a postie!