Oh my gosh....

Oh my gosh you guys! I've had a slight cold for like, a month! And surgery is on November 5 and i dont know what to do! I emailed the coordinator and asked her if theres a chance ill get postponed! And she said i'd get postponed if i was congested, and/or had a fever. I dont have a fever, but i dont know what congested means! I mean, i KNOW that it means you have alot of snot and throat...."build up" if thats what its called. Ive just been looking forward to this for a year, and if it gets postponed i think ill have kill someone. LOL!!! This might sound kind of dumb....well, it WILL sound dumb, but can you buy antibiotics at the local drug store? I dont wanna go to my doctor. Im so sick of going there for everything! I can breathe perfectly fine like i dont even have a cold, but i just have the "what if" feeling, like what if it gets tripple worse as this last week till surgery winds down to the last day?!?! Todays thursday and we're leaving next thursday, and surgery is on Friday (the 5th) so what should i do you guys??! Does ANYONE have ABSOLUTLY ANY suggestions of "over the counter" medicines that will make a "barely there" cold just go away?!?! Please help!!! Im SO nervous about that moment the day before when the surgeon looks at me and tells me what time to come in the next day for surgery! I keep thinking he wont let me have surgery even though im like, 99% normal! Am i worrying about this WAY too much?!?!?! Help me guys!!!!! ~Amy Pre-Op DS 11-5-04

I was wondering if you were taking vitamin C and my mother told me to take an herb called ECHINACEA it may strengthen the immune system I was just thinking if you go to the herb store and pick that up at least for the next few days just an thought.

Garlic will kill any kind of cold! Lots of fresh Garlic! Try it whole roasted with a little olive oil, and put it in everything! It has worked for me every time! Good Luck with your WLS! -Lovelynn

Hello Amy, I can see why you would be worried. I am not sick right now, but have already worried that I could get my annual "change of the seasons" cold about that time, and with all the preparation (taking off work for both me and husband, childcare arrangements etc) it would be inconvenient to say the least! I would stick to lots of garlic as the previous person stated; many herbalists claim it is a natural antibiotic. I would limit the amount to the what you can eat [in food] though. I would not take any herbs however. Herbs are way too understudied to know all of the side effects. For example many are known to be natural blood thinners; you wouldn't want to endanger yourself right before surgery. I am a nurse, and feel very nervous for people who self-medicate with herbs. Because they are natural, people often gain a false sense of security with them. They can interact with one another and have severe side effects like any prescription drug. Be careful, and good luck to you. Keep us posted. Lori Hensley, RN Pre-op; Lap RNY 11/22/04

Hello everyone I am also getting over a cold and I hope it will be 100% cleared up by the time of surgery. I am also doing the garlic thing..my mom told me to do that. I wish you all the best. Take care and Be well Love Stacey

Thats funny because I got a cold 2 weeks prior to my surgery date. My date is Nov 8 and I am feeling 97% better. I am doing a litttle coughing- other then that I think I will be fine . I took an antibiotic also so that helped too... SHannon

Amy I know how you feel. I've been sick for 3 weeks and took two different rounds of antibiotics. I'm not scheduled until the 22nd, but I'm still worried. Go see you doctor, drink LOTS of fluids, take Vitamin C and REST. Good luck, Cat

I think it's the stress that is making everyone sick! The year following my husband's death I had the stomach flu 5 times! (Glad to share that...I've been wanting to use that little puking guy, but hadn't had the opportunity yet!) Then I ended up being diagnosed with 2 autoimmune diseases after that year was up! I was never sick before that. Never underestimate the power of stress on the body!

When I feel the first hint of something coming on, I take echinacea, and Vitamin C. I also make sure I get plenty of sleep, because if your body isn't rested, it can't fight back quite as well. The echinacea that I take calls for 3 tablets taken 3 times the first day, and the second day just 3 more tablets, taken throughout that day. Something else that I do, if I have cold symptoms and so have trouble sleeping, is take Wal-Som (walgreen's brand of "unisom". It's an antihistamine, but it helps you sleep. Because it's an antihistamine, it also helps to dry up nasal secretions. Just suggestions -- they may not work for you, but I have had good luck with them before. Good luck 11/5; I'll be newly post-op, but I'll keep you in my prayers! Susan

Hi, Amy, I hope you were well, and had your surgery on Friday, as scheduled. Mine was Tuesday (election day!), so I'm home now in the recuperation phase. But Tuesday morning I thought of you. I was in the pre-op area, where they get you ready for the anesthesia team, etc. The woman on the other side of the curtain from me had a fever of 100. I only know that she was scheduled to have open rny with a different surgeon than mine (my surgeon does lap). But she didn't have it -- they sent her home because of her fever. I guess being even slightly sick, and having elective surgery, isn't a good thing. So if the surgery isn't immediately necessary because you'll die without it, they feel it's better to send you home to get well first. I guess we're all thankful that doesn't happen to most of us -- and when I heard what was happening to her, I felt so bad for her, and I was also overjoyed that it wasn't me! Write me back and let me know you've joined us on the losing side! Susan