I am a curious, and worried 19 year old

Hey Wendy!

Thanks for all your posts. Im thinking your right when your saying the cath is put in while your asleep and in surgery.  yeah, my dad said they put one in him every surgery he had, and he has had 15 major surgeries(UGH) I will not be there for the support group on Thursday :( Its so saddning that I cant go to more at Baptist, because I live 123 miles away...  I will see yuo at a few more after surgery though :)

Thanks again,
Court

Once they put you on morphine, your modesty will be out the window if you're anything like me. I'm far from modest, but I do have tact. When I got out of surgery I was oddly warm and had my gown up far enough that the only thing that was covered was my boobs....maybe. There were all sorts of people in and out of there including young students that are my age. Ask me if I cared! My husband kept pulling my gown down knowing that it was the drugs and that I would be embarassed had I been sober. He gave up after I did it about 5 times. (If you are wondering why I was hot, we think I am mildly allergic to morphine, but the drugs are good and being hot and itchy is sometimes worth it) 

You have nothing they haven't seen. Don't be ashamed. I was totally freaked out about being cathed, but it was the least of my worries once I was there. The only thing I worried about was having a sleepy bladder. I was so scared that I wouldn't pee enough and they would have to insert the cath again to drain my bladder. I did not want to be cathed while awake! Let's just say that my output was phenomenal so my worries were worthless.

The only thing I recommend worrying about is where you are going to buy your new smaller clothes! While it is fun to fit into smaller clothes, the selection is overwhelming, the price range suddenly became much better (and worse...lol) and the sizes...ugh. Having 100 stores to pick from compared to about 5 good plus size places is crazy!

Shawna!

Thank you so much for the laughs. I needed them for sure....  I know from experience with my dad and my brother who have both had several surgeries(my dad had wls) that the morphine can be very fun... I watched my brother do the same thing with his gown. And he had no care in the world. He was crazy! My dad said he was a little warm after surgery also. I wonder if he was also a little allergic to the medicine. I have never been put under, so this will be my first time eperiencing morphine. So there's no telling how I am going to react.  Yeah, the cath freaks me out too.... I have urinary incontinence problems, so peeing is no problem for me... I take meds also, so I dont think I will have to be cathed when Im awake... Because of everyone's posts, I am not worried now! Thanks so much! And as far as the stores, I know what you mean... The clothes are very expensive at regular stores, and there is SO many to choose from.... But honestly, I CAN'T WAIT :)

Thanks Again,
Courtney Coleman

HA! Morphine makes me itch like there's no tomorrow, but the drug is heaven sent for those times when you really need it. I've not heard of anyone being cathed while awake. What's the point if they're putting you under anyways, ya know what I mean?

I know you can't wait to shop in "normal" stores. Believe me, I know. It's hard being young with no where to shop! The best advice I can give is to find a consignment store you like! I buy and sell at one in Elkins and I love it! Sure, it's great to be able to give things away, but (for me) I needed the money from my old clothes in order to buy new. Plus size women's clothing will fly of the shelf if it's in good condition because it costs so much to begin with and, let's face it, bigger women don't get rid of their clothes! They wear them until they are rags because a) they are expensive, b) we hate to go shopping since nothing ever fits right and c) we never get rid of anything (we keep the past 4 sizes just in case!!).

Good luck to you! You'll do great.

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to say that it was great to get the scoop on the preop stuff.  I'm a 20 year-old college student in the same boat as smilingcourt.  I've not done any of the labs and I don't have a date but modesty is big with me too and it's really good to know what to expect.  I was nervous about all of that too.  Just wanted to say thanks for the info and there's another youngin out here.  Haha! 
Thanks everyone! Hope you all are enjoying the start of a new and wonderful year!!

You gals take your laptops. Baptist has free wifi, and it was a lifesaver for a geek like me. 

Preop is nerve racking, but fast paced and you will be drugged soon enough that you wont care.
post op, have your robe and slippers for walking, as the hospital gowns have no back.  Your own toiletries and a familiar pillow for sleeping.  use the hospitals crappy ones for holding when you cough.

You are on the verge of a life you have only imagined so far.  I only wish I had been able to do this in my 20's instead of late 30's.  Work the program, your lives will change in ways you cannot imagine.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!

Hopefully I will be awake and not sore, and will be able to enjoy that WIFI

That's awesome! Thanks for telling me that. I will be able to E-mail my homework in to my instructors then :) 

You all are so helpful... I appreciate you guys!