Mvd thrusday

1

i am schedule for a mvd this thursday and would appreciate any info on what to expect pre op and post op i know we are all different a couple question I have are

what is the blood work for

we they give me something to calm me before surgery

how long is a typical stay in the hospital I only live 2 hours from trenton so I am close

what r some of the symptom I may experience after the surgery

how long should I have someone stay with once i get home I have two small children but my family will be taking them from the first weeks and bringing home just to visit and then my mother in law is flying in from england to stay another two weeks but my husband may have to go back to work next tuesday and

what do they typically give you for the pain

when do they they say u can drive

sorry i babbled any other info you may have would be greatly appreciated

Ayre

(andria)

2

Hi Ayre,

Check out my post and responses a few down "MVD Plan". I got lots of great feedback on that. I'm seeing Dr. Casey on July 29th and plan to schedule my surgery for mid-October (that just works best for me, family, help coming, etc.). It looks like you would need some form of help for up to 6 weeks based on the responses I saw.

I've already "booked" my mother-in-law to come for 3 weeks starting just before I have surgery. I then have a huge army of mom friends that have promised to get my girls to all their activities (and also social life for my teen), make meals (we are vegetarians so this is no small task), drive me to dr appts, check on me, do laundry for me even. Thanksgiving week will be one of those 6 weeks so my husband will take off work/travel that week. I'm also a fitness instructor and teach spin classes so I have tapped some other instructors who will take over my classes until the end of the year.

I'm not looking forward to recovery. Not because of the pain and/or discomfort I will have but that I have to sit back and let others do for me. That will be the hardest part.

I'm interested to see all the responses here too. I think the more knowledge you have about what to expect, the less fearful you will be and the more control you will have over the whole thing. I wish for you the best and I know you are in good hands with Dr. Casey. I will say a prayer for you on Thursday!!

3

what is the blood work for


I was told it was to check for infection, kidney function, liver function, anemia, etc. Anything that might give cause to postpone the surgery. It's also to have a baseline for you.

we they give me something to calm me before surgery

Right after I signed all my paperwork and talked to all the doctors and nurses they gave me a "cocktail" of drugs through the IV to relax me. I honestly don't remember anything after that. My family says I was cracking jokes and that the nurses even walked me to the bathroom and then to the OR. I suggest saying your goodbyes before they give you anything. lol

how long is a typical stay in the hospital I only live 2 hours from trenton so I am close

It varies. I have heard some say they were in only 3 days. I had a CSF leak post op and I got a UTI from the catheter, so I was in the hospital 7 days. 4 in ICU, 3 in a regular room.

what r some of the symptom I may experience after the surgery

While in the hospital I had nausea and pain. I don't remember much of the first day or two. I slept a lot that first week. I was asleep more than I was awake. I was told the side effects at first are similar to a bad concussion.

how long should I have someone stay with once i get home I have two small children but my family will be taking them from the first weeks and bringing home just to visit and then my mother in law is flying in from england to stay another two weeks but my husband may have to go back to work next tuesday

I have no children. My husband stayed with me the first week I was home. After that I had family members stop by during the day while he was at work. I gave them a key to the house so that I wouldn't have to get up and so that I could stay sleeping if they stopped by. I needed assistance doing chores for about the first month. I had someone get me food or cook for the first 2-3 weeks.

what do they typically give you for the pain

In the hospital I was given a pain pump with Dilaudid. (Morphine doesn't help me.) I needed Phenergan (nausea medicine) too. Once they switched me to pills in the hospital they gave me 2-4 mg of Dilaudid by mouth. Once I was discharged I was given Vicodin 10 mg (I had them switch it to Percocet because Vicodin bothered my stomach too much), Phenergan pills (or suppositories if needed) and Valium as a muscle relaxer. My neck hurt a lot. More than I expected. Ice packs and neck pillows were my best friends in and out of the hospital.

when do they they say u can drive

I don't remember them telling me not to drive, but I didn't for about the first 4-5 weeks. I knew that I couldn't. My head hurt too much, my vision was a little blurry, my balance was a little off and it hurt too much to turn my neck. I am fortunate that I have a lot of friends and family near by that drove me around.

Hope this helps!

4

Thank you looks like my surgery is tomorrow a mix up with the hospital so i am not mentally prepared i think the hardest thing is not to be able to play or pick my kids up for weeks i have a 6 yr old and 20 month old i do have a a lot of family that r helping with kids my husband will have to go back to work next week sometime so i have people coming to check on me im very nervous please send lots of prayers my way andria

5

Thinking of you Andria!
When I woke up I was vomiting and a little out of it, but the nurse took great care of me.
The next 48-72hours I just felt nauseous and had trouble getting comfortable, I had at least 3-4 pillows to help find a comfy spot to sleep, truth be told I was so tired from the experience, I was in and out of sleep a lot. I drank a lot of water or sucked on ice chips to keep hydrated. I wasn’t interested in reading or tv or anything really.
Take pain medication every 3-4 hours to minimize discomfort of surgical pain.
Try and get up to walk as soon as you feel able too.

I found it helpful to have someone around at home the first 2 weeks, the no lifting rule limits what you can do for yourself.
You can cuddle with the kids and interact with them on your bed or the couch, just be careful.
Huge ((( hugs ))), Mimi xx

6

I just had my mvd last Thursday in Trenton by Dr. Casey so I can answer a few of these but I only know what has happened for me the past 6 days.

First of all, I am on my way home now - Yippeeeee!!

I think they just test several things to make sure there is no reason to stop the surgery for the blood work. Dr. Casey just told me mine was all good.

They gave me something to calm me right before surgery and it knocked me out - I don't think it was supposed to but meds affect me alot so I'm sure that's why. I wasn't anxious so maybe someone that is would get it sooner than I did. After reading all the stories on here I was very much at ease. My hubby's support, Dr. Casey's reassurance and calm manner and my faith helped me remain calm.

My major issue which I still have is a throbbing headache. It's slowly getting to be less and less but I'm still on pain meds. That and nausea....is the cause meds or the surgery? Not sure. Also neck muscles hurt really bad the first 24 hours or so but that didn't last long where it was really bad. Still a bit sore but not too bad now.

I don't know what they gave me in my IV but it was great. Don't be afraid to ask for more!

I don't know about driving - I can't yet or how the recovery at home will be but remember that everyone is different. My pain afterwards could also be different than yours, depending on what they find.

Good luck - I'll be thinking of you!