Pre- Surgical Dietary Prep
So today I set out on a mission to get the supplements I'm going to need for my surgery. I'm going to follow the nutrional supplementation recommended by John Wright for faster and better healing. I have been able to find most of the things I need in capsule, powder, or drop form, so that I will easily be able to add them to blended drinks, or fruit juice. There is one that is sublingual (meaning it needs to go under my tongue to dissolve. They are very small though so I'm thinking this will not be a huge issue, I mean I WILL be able to open my mouth a little bit....I think/hope! Right??? 
I started taking a calcium supplement today, in addition to my 3 time a day multivitamin, and 3 packets of Emergen-C. I'm going to start working out more regularly to make sure my heart is strong, and that I'm physically fit for this surgery. Since I won't be able to work out for awhile after surgery, I want to do some lifting and build some muscle before hand. Summer is coming, and I have a wedding to go to 3 weeks post op, plus I will be in Vegas (in a swimsuit) by the end of June. I want to at least have a little muscle tone that will hopefully carry over until I can start regularly exercising again. I have decided that as of today....I'm on a mission to make this surgery as easy as possible, and to do what I can (at my age) to heal quickly and thoughly. I want it all (that which I have control over) to go smoothly.
I'm a little nervous about the pain meds post op that I will be given. I have never had morphine, and I think I have a pretty high pain tolerance so I don't know how much I will really need. I have also been told that it is better to stay ahead of the pain then wait for it to come and then try and address it. I'm sure I will learn more about this when I talk with my OS more on the 15th. What have all you surgery veterans found? Did you need many pain meds? If so how did you decide when to stop taking them? What were you all given?
I started taking a calcium supplement today, in addition to my 3 time a day multivitamin, and 3 packets of Emergen-C. I'm going to start working out more regularly to make sure my heart is strong, and that I'm physically fit for this surgery. Since I won't be able to work out for awhile after surgery, I want to do some lifting and build some muscle before hand. Summer is coming, and I have a wedding to go to 3 weeks post op, plus I will be in Vegas (in a swimsuit) by the end of June. I want to at least have a little muscle tone that will hopefully carry over until I can start regularly exercising again. I have decided that as of today....I'm on a mission to make this surgery as easy as possible, and to do what I can (at my age) to heal quickly and thoughly. I want it all (that which I have control over) to go smoothly. I'm a little nervous about the pain meds post op that I will be given. I have never had morphine, and I think I have a pretty high pain tolerance so I don't know how much I will really need. I have also been told that it is better to stay ahead of the pain then wait for it to come and then try and address it. I'm sure I will learn more about this when I talk with my OS more on the 15th. What have all you surgery veterans found? Did you need many pain meds? If so how did you decide when to stop taking them? What were you all given?
posted by Brandyleigh35 @ 5:50 PM
5 Comments:
At 7:05 PM,
Anonymous said…
You're correct, it's essential to stay ahead of the pain regarding meds. Doctors like to call this "pain management". If you wait until you are in pain to take something for it, you'll end up in more pain than if you took the meds before you felt pain. I can't count the number of times someone from Anesthesia has told me that. That's actually a big part of their job during surgery. If they can make sure the patient feels no pain (even on an unconsious level) during the procedure, the patient will feel less pain afterwards because the brains' pain response hasn't be activated. That's about as deep as my understanding of the subject goes! ;)
I needed Demerol intra muscular injections post-op. It's a dirty drug, but I would have been hysterical from the pain without it. The experience is different for everyone. I do have a high pain tolerance too but this surgery *can* cause pain that's way beyond anyone's ability to tolerate. I don't say that to alarm you either, just don't resist the drugs if you need them.
At 11:31 AM,
Mary said…
Hey Brandy, I did not need any pain medication right after the surgery, in fact, I had almost no pain until day 4 or so. But I only had lower and it seems like there is more pain associated with the upper. My understanding is the morphine is a nice, clean painkiller and they really don't give you much at all so you should be fine with it. Especially with all of your advanced preparation. By the way, if you have access to a good yoga class, you might want to give it a try. Yoga builds up endurance and stamina and is highly beneficial for every organ/system including heart in a very quick time period. Mary
At 12:47 PM,
Mrs. Shanton said…
I don't remember any pain whatsoever. I had nothing above what I would call discomfort. And I DON'T have a high tolerance for pain. I was given morphine immediately post-op as well as Toradol (injectable nsaid) until I declined the morphine. But I think the pain experienced is highly variable, depending on the surgery and the anatomy of the patient. I guess I was lucky!
At 4:29 PM,
Rebecca said…
I had minimal pain. More like discomfort, I guess. No worse than a headache or sinus infection. Less painful than a migraine. I got only one shot of morphine in the hospital, the night after surgery. It was mixed with Gravol (that's a Canadian drug, it's like dramamine, for nausea). I remember telling the nurse I wasn't in enough pain for morphine, but she said it would help me sleep so I said okay. It didn't really do anything to me. After that, I took Tylenol with codeine, which worked great for me. I took it for about 5-6 days after surgery, before I went to bed each night. More to help me sleep than for pain. I too have a very high pain tolerance. I stopped taking my meds when I felt I no longer needed them. Thinking back, any pain I felt was extremely managable. I'm sure Advil would have taken care of it but I couldn't take pills for two weeks and I refused to use that disgusting children's Advil. YUCK.
I'm not sure if you are going to be wired, splinted and/or banded, but I was banded and I could not open my mouth at all for 2 weeks. Not even a little bit. There was no way I could get a capsule through there. I had rigid fixation so I was lucky enough to be able to move on to soft-chew diet and regular Advil or Tylenol caplets after those 2 weeks.
It sounds like you're on the right track with the exercise and supplements. The best things you can do to recover faster after surgery are make sure you get all your liquids and nutrients, keep your mouth as clean as you can get it, get up and move around as soon as possible (but don't overdo it), and keep a positive attitude. Oh, and pour out all your frustrations in your blog. LOL! If you do all that you'll be golden. :)
At 2:26 PM,
Bill said…
Hey Brandy.
Like many of the other lower only cases my discomfort (can't really call it pain) was minimal the day of the surgery. While in the hospital I was given primarily morphine (as needed) along with a steroid for the swelling. I wouldn't worry about the morphine because they really do administer it in small increments.
I did feel some pain the next few days due to the heavy elastic banding so I took the Tylenol with Codeine they prescribed as well as the Motrin as needed. Once the elastics came off, though, the need for the pain medications stopped.
I do, however, have a pretty high tolerance for pain. Definitely stay ahead of the pain though ... there's really no reason to be uncomfortable.
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