Silly question for those of you that have had surgery

[Rahe28]

Hey. I am just wondering....I am sure they won't allow me to wear my wedding rings during surgery, so I am having a hard time with having to take them off. I NEVER have ...except to clean them....and most of all, I want to have that security. So, can I paint my toes? If so....do you all think it would be ridiculous to haev my hubby paint a band around my toe on my left foot?? It is the only way I can think of to still have  it  with me ..... Any suggestions or ideas? Another question is...my hair is not super long right now...it is just a little past my shoulders ... is it better to have short hair or longer hair ? Also, how did you huys keep your hair away from your incision while in the hospital and after. I know these sound like petty things, but if I focus on those hings....I stop FREAKING OUT..because I am surely freaking out. I have never had any surgery what so ever...and I am just REALLY nervous. I have 3 xtra long v neck big and tall mens t shirts that     fit me like night gowns that I am having my children paint any way they want so I can take them with them <3 I will have to show you guys what I wind up with :) So sorry for such a weird post...I just need to get this out of my system and go ahead and freak so that I can get past and be ok. Were you guys like this??? Oops...Chiari brain rambling away again. GRRRR...Ok...the end .

[selmaS]

  I would not think painting on the rings would be good as it could be looked at as a way to bring infection into the OR....u have to be clean....so I am not sure how u would paint it on....do u know what I mean?

I left my rings at home, I did not want to lose them, I felt better knowing they were safe in my jewelry box.

My Hair, well I asked my NS and he preferred I keep it long and bring a hair tie, which I did, I had a water fountain on top of my head when I woke up and that is where it was  for a long time afterward too...my DD called it my Hairy krishna look...lol....

I was able to wear it down in a low pony tail and hide the incision quite well....

Yes, I was just like this...so ramble , vent what ever u have to do, it is ok
: )

[Sexybare]

Dont worry about keeping your hair away from your incision. They put this gunk in your hair and it takes forever to get it out. Lol. You look all messy and crazy after. Its funny. I actually had a gauze stapled to my head for the first night. Ouch. Of course i didnt know til they took it off. I had stuff all over my pillow, so if you see it dont freak out. You should not draw nor paint the rings on. Leave them safe at home. It might not be ok with ns for cleanliness reasons. Now try to relax, we know its alot of emotions but try to keep your mind occupied with other things. :)

[selmaS]

  In addition to my hair piled on top of my head my head was wrapped in an ace bandage, I think more so to hold the drain in place....not sure, I was out of it at that point, and just now recall I did have that....

[cash242]

I liked having long hair was easy to hide incision. my best friend braided it the day after my surgery since it was so matted and messy. Part was easy to make! I love your shirt idea for kids that is great! It will be ok but ask all the questions you have I didn't have this when I had surgery and wish so much I had!

[Rahe28]

Thanks for all the info. My hubby will have my rings around his neck. and um, drain...WHAT DRAIN? I have all kinds of projects that will be keeping me busy. It is just so weird ...planning  for my kids to be safe and sound at        their nana'a  house....and making sure my house is up to par before hand...cooking some stuffin advance, my son graduates from pre-k on my wedding anniversary, lots of school functions...painting t-shirts with my babies...the list just goes on and on..all in two weeks. It's just like once it starts and gets on the right path, the time just goes so fast. Thanks for the tip about the pillow...I will be bringing extra pillowcases  since I can't live without my pillow...haha. That would have freaked me out !

[selmaS]

  U may not have a drain, I did as they harvested my pericardium for my dura patch....this is y my scar is longer then most....

Not all Drs that harvest use drains, it helps lessen the likelihood of a CSF leak.
  
  I could not have made it with out my  pillow either....I also had a hat... a loose  cotton hat with a brim....I was not able to fuss with my hair in the hospital so I had a hat, as I was told to be careful and not let the sun on the incision.

[Sexybare]

I didnt have a drain lol. It depends. I did have a nice staple job tho. 36 to be exact

[irislita]

Oh emotions before surgery.big deal...its as if things are going quickly,but at the same time every day just seems to be so long way emotionally.u cannot have anything painted at all u need to be totally clean.2hours before surgery i had to shower my whole body and desinfect it...i honestly thought in the shower what a strange situation preparing myself for the slaughter ;) they braided my hair while i was already asleep and the incision was the line between my braids...i think its the best if u can ask them to do it or later some of ur relatives.so the hair stays away and wont be in a mess.writing this i get back all the thoughts and memories of my operation...strange feeling.keep urself occupied...i had my best friend come over and it was good not to be concentrated on surgery.when u wake up u will most probably think...its over and find a relief of ur thoughts.we all know how u feel.big hug

[Viva001]

Trust me, I am not a calm person--Italian, Yankee, Aries!--this is why I recommend the book "prepare for surgery, heal faster".  Studies have Proven that people who are best prepared need less pain meds, less hospital time, and do indeed heal faster.  The author, Peggy Huddleston, teaches whole hospital units, as it's to everyone's advantage to help the patient.

When I had my laminectomy 12 yr ago, I donated my long hair to Locks of Love.  I've done it twice since; makes me feel useful--growing thick hair is something I'm still good at even when I'm sick.  :)

[Marybz]

I kept my hair long.  My NS just shaved what he needed to which wasn't much  I had a lot of gunk in my hair also, which took a while to get out.  My sister braided it for me after surgery and piled it on top of my head.  I had a gauze dressing on the incision covering the staples for the first two days.  I had my hair cut 6 weeks after surgery.  You would never know that I had surgery looking at the back of my head.  As far as my wedding ring.  I left it safely at home.  I did bring my own pjs.  I didn't wear them though.  I couldn't have cared less what I was wearing post-op.  That was a haze of pain meds and nausea.  The hospital gown was easy to change.  My NS did two surgeries (laminoplasty C5-7) which was worse than the decompression.

[Rahe28]

Thanks to all of you for so much great info. It has really helped me to calm down. The only onther thing that I am worried about now is the pain after wards. I take so much oain medication now...I am afraid they wont be able to contol it. My pain specialist mentioned a week before surgery to start trying to take less and of the lortab, and try to rely solely on the morphine ER mg twice a day. He said that would help with the pain level after. Have any of you done this...did it work? Last night I was talking to my DH about my wedding rings, and he  said don;t you worry I will have them safely in my hands until you wake up. Then he told me ...baby even without the ring you still have me in your heart....I will be with you the whole time. What a sweet man. Want to hear a funny.  We went to the beach a few weeks ago and I got lots of sun other than my head which was covered...and when I moved my wedding rings I had a big white ring around my fingerwhere my wedding rings go...   :)- problem solved !!!

[irislita]

How sweet ur dh!!! And u worrying about ur rings.i got a little lion with me a gift from my bf.when they brought me out of surgery they had to bring me back to sleep twice as i was aggressive and wanted to rip of all the cables and shouted at them in german...i do not remember that,but a tiny piece came back and i thought they didnt give me anasthesia and havent operate me!!! How emberassing no?when my ns told my bf and my best friend what happened they laughed and said well thats our iris...when i awoke i heard the voice of my best friend and i was whispering her name with a smile on my face.the staff was so sweet and were always aware my lion is around.my bf was entering in the room although he was not allowed...oh man i have tears in my eyes writing this...i will never forget what they did for me...

[zygy2]

It is hard getting mentally ready for surgery!  Hugs to you!  As for rings, I was allowed to keep mine on because it was stuck on my finger and I had never taken it off since the day we were married.  They just put tape over the band.  If you can take it off though, they always want them off and anything that keeps you cleaner is safer!  I doubt they will let you paint anything on yourself either.  When it comes to hair, I would think if it was long enough you can keep it away.  Mine was annoying after my first surgery but mine was not quite long enough to do anything with.  For my second surgery I choose to cut it nice and short to prepare but then you do have an easily seen scar for a while and people will look at you strange!  I had an emergency third surgery and they harvested my own tissue and that meant larger scar and because it was emergency they shaved the whole back of my head leaving me really silly looking so cutting my hair kept it away but in the long run just made me look funny :)  That is nice your kids are decorating your gowns for you!  My kids sent me with tokens to have on my night stand in the hospital and it was very nice to have them with me at night.  Good luck with everything, it is a very stressing time.  -zygy

[Rylanesmom]

You can paint your toes I did:) and they won't even see your feet (you would still know).  I had chiari ribbons on my toes to make their day but you have to wear those lovely hospital booties.  You don't get to wear ANYTHING of your own.  I was surprised you even get hospital undies.  My NS really liked that I cut my hair as it made hair easy for him and me yet I would not cut it just for surgery.  if you want long hair growing it out is a pain and where they harvested my patch I have a bald spot so I now have to grow hair.  (you saw pics). I actually was thankful for the ease of the short hair and might keep it if bald spot was not there....there was no goop in my hair and no drain tube.  Therapy was going to teach me "chiari pig tails" yet I did not need them.  They will make you use special soap to kill all bacteria before surgery.

[Rahe28]

Zygy...it is too funny that you just wrote about your rings because ...Well, I may have a slight problem. I have gained some weight and I can move my rings toward my knuckles...but I can't get them off...not even with oil and or  buttter..water...nothing is working.....I wanted to clean them. Now, I don't know what they will do...lol. I mean it is STUCK !!!! You have all given me soooo much useful information. It is good to have you all to ease my mind. I can't imagine not  having this forum and all of you before sugery. That would be awful. Melody ~ hospital undies?? Please tell me they are disposable. I would rather go without if I have to wear someone else's undies...EWE !!!   I am planning to dye and trim my hair before surgery since I know I won;t be able to go to a salon anytime soon.  :)- Yes ... I remember your toes !!! My daughter has painted mine BRIGHT NEON orange to match hers :) she is such a sweetie !  My son came home yesterday from school with an awareness ribbon pinned to his shirt. dHis teacher pinned one on everyone in the class, and told them they could wear them everyday. how sweet is that?? I feel a little better. This time of year is always bad for me though. I lost my mom two and a half years ago, and mother's day is always sad...because I cannot help but wish she was here to celebrate the wonderful and amazing mother that she always was for me <3

[Rylanesmom]

:) how sweet of the teacher...yes disposable lol.  I'm sorry that your Mom is not here:( I gave up coloring my hair before surgery as you are not allowed to color it after...it was in my instruction pack I think it was no hair oil 2 months

[Rylanesmom]

Also you might check to see how long before you should not color as it does get on your scalp and soak in your skin.  Also here are meds you hold be stopping now.  Did Dr give you a list?  I know Selma had posted a thread off of my LS preop.  One that I was surprised about was fish oil.

[jiggle93]

Love that the teacher took the time to give each child a support ribbon! What a wonderful thought! From my prior surgeries, the undies are disposable...a rather unsexy form of fish net. They are kinda comfy tho!  Good luck getting those rings off. We had some trouble with mine about 2 weeks ago. I was having some major swelling from another issue and my rings were cutting off my circulation. I wasin a panic! They thought they would have to cut them off. I was heartbroken at the thought of cutting my wedding rings and my mothers baby ring that I wear on my pinky finger. I was given an ointment for my hands and after 2 applications, the swelling went down and they have had to stay off since. Has made me consider getting a tattoo on my ring finger because being without them is torture!
I will be thinking about you this mothers day. Its always the hardest holiday for me to celebrate as it was the last holiday we spent with my mom. I know how tough this time of year can be. And being the wonderful caring person you are is evidence of what an amazing mother she was to you!!

[selmaS]

  So glad u r feeling better about everything and the God Lord gave u a solution to ur ring dilemma...

Ur experience will be so different from mine, and from everyone else's....cuz- Mel disposable undies? really...ewwww ewww ewww Never heard of that one

The one thing I did and do suggest to those with kids is to come up with a secret message only u and the kids know, so when u come out of surgery and tell DH the message and he tells the kids, mom said something silly to tell u she must be still under the meds and then repeats  it, they know u r ok....my DD was not as young as urs when I had surgery, but she was very upset, and I knew she would be, so I sent her a message only she would understand....DH thought I was wacky....lol...but it made her feel so much better and gives us something to look back on and laugh.

  Have fun decorating the T's : ) that is a great idea...my DD bought one for me and I still wear it.

[Rahe28]

Thanks Melody. that means alot, and yes she was an amzing woman that taught me everything I know :)- Thank goodnes they are disposable....lol !! A tattoo under your ring finger is an adorable idea.
NO ...I din not get a list, I may get it at pre-op next week. All that was said was that I needed to make sure that I was weaning from the lortab so that they could try and control my pain after surgery. I will try to find that thread.
Good question to ask.
Selma~ we have our phrase all set and ready to go...and let me tell you they will definitrly think it is the meds talking..haha
Don't tell anyone but our phrase is Purple monkeys fly upside down...an inside joke between just me and the kids.
I wanted to get the pajamas that say Too much Brain to contain...but they are 40.00 so my DS said ...mommy why don't we just make them for you ...you always make us special stuff...let us do it for you. So, then the night gown idea was born since a good friend of mine bought some v necks for me but didn;t realize that they were big and tall...but it actually is perfect because they are really thick and can be  worn as nighties :) Thank you all so much for letting me  get all of this out of my sytem.
The rain is finally here....and my head is hurting worse than ever...so thank you and after we paint the shirts tonight I will have to share the pics !! It's FRIDAY FAMILY NIGHT !!! Movies,m popcorn, ice cream and painting !!!

[selmaS]

  Love ur phrase and it is safe with us : )

Have fun tonight : )

[SilentSong101]

I was going to post a thread about this...but seeing as its already been up here....

I have been wondering about what to do with my hair as well....originally I was going to give myself a mohawk, and then shave it all off just prior to the surgery...but they wont let me....baaah...but I am wondering how short I can do...I really dont want to deal with goop in my hair...hmmm...any thoughts?

I dont mine showing the incision afterwards, but having just a bald patch seems weird to me, which is why I initially wanted to just shave it all off....haha....any thoughts?

And what is this about a pillow and a phrase...I tried to find it up there, but I could not.

[Rylanesmom]

Silent look at my pics I dd a pixie and they shave the back of my head.  I also posted pics as it grew in so you could the progress.  Selma told us she had a code phrase so her daughter would know she was ok.  I don't even remember telling my Dr to tell m daughter people ride dinosaurs (our code) buti did and he did lol....she laughed

[selmaS]

  With the hair, it is best to ask ur NS what he prefers ...mine told me to keep it long it was easier for him, and in the long run better for me too.....

I took along my fav pillow for when I was moved to a reg room, well my DH brought it into ICU and I had to hold onto it when they moved me....as they will not be responsible for personal items.....but, I knew it was there...lol...

As for the phrase, I knew my DD would be upset and would not get to talk to me until 2 days post op so, I had a phrase only she and I would know....I told my DD to call her and tell her, this was in recovery, so my DH was not too sure about what I was saying but my DD did and it helped her know I was ok even tho she had 2 more days until she saw me....I encourage all to use phrases like this to offer comfort to young children or in my case a child old enuff to know what was going on....and was scared for me ....

Mine was " The calla lilies are in bloom again" from a fav movie of ours....lol...I even told the anesthesiologist about it....he liked the idea too.

  Back to the hair, I left mine long and the back of my head was shaved so when it was down I felt like a cocker spaniel,...and up a hairy kirshna....but, it did work well in hiding the scar as I could braid it(have someone braid it) or wear a low pony tail  I also wore a hat to keep the suns ray off so no sun burn, this is very important for those with surgery this time of yr....do not allow the sun to hit ur scar....

There is a thread somewhere I will look for it and bump it up.