Suggestions??

My surgery is January 5th...so a little ways off, but I have begun to think of my major concerns with this surgery. And I am looking for thoughts or ideas... First a little history, I had a horrible c-section 2 years ago, with lots of complications and a nurse from hell! I had a hard time with the pain medications; they caused extreme itching and little relief. I would probably consider myself to have fairly low pain tolerance. However, I am not going to let this stop me from going through this...heck if I could survive the previous and still be able to take care of my twins just days after they were born...I know I can survive lap band surgery. Anyhow, my concerns are that if I have a lot of pain they won't believe me and if I have the bad reaction (extreme itching) they won't give me anything to help with it. (At the time of my c-section, I had to practically beg the nurse to give me something for the itching...she didn't believe me, however I have learned that this is a common side effect and can be worse for some people) Any thoughts on what I can do before my surgery to prepare for this? Should I explain all this to the surgeon? Is there anyway to make this more real to the nurses during after care?

I would most certainly talk to my surg. My mom has a problem with wakeing up before they are done with surg. She talked to the surg and the antheouligist after the first two times of haveing surg. and the last few times they have got it right. She has had 2 kinds of cancer so lots of surg. She told them what they were talking about durring the surg. That got thier attention!!! Says it did not hurt but she was aware and was scarry.

Hi Jennifer! I am so glad that you are on the road again after the Wish fiasco. I don't know where your surgery is, but post-op I would not count on having a good nursing staff. They are just few and far between. Communicate your concerns with your doctor and if you are able take it one step further and have an advocate by your side at the hospital. A friend or family member that is aware of your concerns and does not have a problem putting their foot down to make sure you are properly taken care of. I had my sister with me and it was a life saver, LITERALLY. She caught them lying on my charts about my pulse ox and blood pressure and made them do their job right and when 45 minutes of dry heaving from the morphine went by without a nurse answering our call, she went and got someone and made them come take care of me. It made me feel so much better knowing that I had someone there to look out for me. I do not have any experience with surgery and had no idea how I would respond so it seemed important to pay for her airline tickets to be here. I am glad I did. Keep us posted on how things are going. I am so glad to see you on the board again. I have been thinking about you.

Itching is a sigh of allergy . I had that with Vicodin after my hysterectomy . I had to ask for benedryl . I knew it was an allergic reaction . Then the nurse didn't want to call the surgeon . I told her "I just got off of the IV , got put on Vicodin tablets , had a major alergic reaction & you don't want to call my doctor ? I need a different pain reliever & can't wait till rounds (12 hours away) ". I was so ticked . I hope you tell your doctor about the itching . My doctor was livid when I told him the nurse wasn't going to call him . I have to say , I have had many surgeries & that was an isolated event . I was treated great at St. Francis , when I had my WLS . Time will pass quickly . Good luck . Kathy

I ditto what everybody else says, talk to your surgeon in advance and get him to put in your chart that you are allergic ahead of time. As for the nursing, my mom has a good technique that always works for her: she engages the nurse/technician in a slightly personal conversation to make them see her as a human instead of just another job or task to be completed. Ask them something about themselves, offer a comment about yourself. Friendly and personable works for her. Use their first name, etc. Luckily the few times I've been hospitalized I've had outstanding, compassionate nursing care and about the only negative to report is that I have an extreme fragrance allergy after anesthesia and even a sign on the door to my room didn't stop hospital personel from coming in when they were reeking of perfume. Shouldn't a hospital have a policy against employees use of personal fragrances when dealing with patients? Good luck to you and I hope time flies by! Molly

Jennifer, Ditto...talk to your surgeon. Also it would be a good idea if you can find out what kind of pain meds you were given previously so you can be specific with your Dr about what you are allergic to. I also am allergic to vicodin which is one of the most common pain killer given after surgeries. It make my skin feel like it was crawling off my face...terrible itching. So I always tell everyone I'm allergic to it and everyone gives me percoset now which I've not had any problems with. Anyway, if you can be specific, and you should be able to get your records from the previous hospital and the chart notes will say what you were given (and it will be specific with the type not just say pain killers), then it will be much easier to pin point what the better drug option is for you. I'm not sure who you are using for your surgery but if you will be at NW hospital then no worries...the staff there are amazing and were very concerned with whether or not I was in pain. They asked every single time someone walked in my room. Not only should you tell your surgeon but when they do admitting you should tell the lady that admits you, the nurse who starts your IV, the anasthesiologist and the nurses in your room. Good luck Corinna Q

Jennifer, I agree that you should talk to Dr A about it before hand. The good thing is he is an excellent Dr and based on my experience with him, he will listen to ALL your concerns and respond appropriately. I liked him a lot because I felt like he errored on the side of caution with me. In some cases there was reason for concern, as the tests he ordered would confirm and other times, there was no or little concern. Also, if it helps any, I had a procedure done post op due to a complication. It shouldn't have been as painful as it was but it hurt like nothing I had ever felt before, including child birth. The Dr on call, which wasn't Dr A, gave me vicodin for the pain. I felt absolutely NO relief from the pain meds. The nurses called Dr. A and he ordered the morphine drip thing for me. Even that still didn't take all the pain away but it made it manageable. I really don't think you have any worries with him, just be vocal and if need be, tell the nurse to contact Dr A. If you are having the surgery at Valley, I have to say their bariatric nurses are the best. I had two favorites that I attribute with helping me getting through a tough time. Fred who works the evening shift and an Indian nurse (whose name I can't remember, she works the day shift), were the best. They explained everything to me, sometimes twice. They gave me encouragement. I can not speak highly enough of them. They are true professionals who know what they are doing but also are extremly caring and compasionate. I wish you the best of luck, although I don't think you are going to need it. You are in GREAT hands with Dr A and the bariatric nurses at Valley.