Dreading Tomorrow

[erickka]

Tomorrow I go to get my groin hernia repaired. The dread is not having relief of the pain and agony, but the dressing dry spell that will follow.I will be about 4 weeks without being able to move about much, and my loving wife will be keeping very close tabs on me. It's a necessary thing to have done, so what's a girl to do, other than look forward to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Sorry if this is boring you all, but I'm just venting.
Hugs, Erickka.

[Joni Marie Cruz]

Hi Erickka-

I hope things go well for you, both the operation and the recovery. Hopefully the time will go quickly and you'll be up and about and able to be yourself in no time. In the meanwhile, unless you have to be bedridden and housebound the whole time, there's always shopping you know!

Best of luck.

Hugs...Joni Mari

[RobynB]

Good luck, Ericka. Sorry about the down time but you will feel so much better later. You can spend all your free time with your friends here.

[DAVIDA]

Hi Erikka!
Good luck on the surgery!
I have gone through two of those. And, as far as surgery goes, it isn't that bad.:hugs:

[Tomara]

Hi Erikka
Good luck with your surgery and a wish for a speedy recovery for you.
Tomara

[DonnaT]

Best wishes with the repair.

Seems like a good excuse to wear something like a skirt or night gown, to leave the area free from pressures caused by trousers and the like.

[JOJO44]

Best wishes with the repair.

Seems like a good excuse to wear something like a skirt or night gown, to leave the area free from pressures caused by trousers and the like.



You can always ask your den mother!
Love,

[Jennifer in CO]

Erickka, based on our post your wife either doesn't know about or doesn't approved of Erickka. If she did, you would be spending a wonderful recovery in night/dressing gowns, skirts and dresses for a week or so. If she doesn't, now might be a great time to suttelly mention that a pair of satin or silk boxers (ladies of course) might help how you feel....

Jenn

[Alice Torn]

If it helps, friend, I, also go in today, to talk to the VA surgeon, to set up surgery date, for my hernia. I live alone, will have no one to help me. Just hoping, and praying our pain is not so bad. Some guys say the pain is bad for a few days.I only dress about twice a month, so won't miss it much.With both my brothers in prison, and both parents about to pass, and me having ailments, dressing is a bit less importany to me, at this time. Wish you good recovery.

[linnea]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Others have posted some good ways that you might be able to get into a nightie or some nice panties. Good luck with that too.

[Kate Simmons]

With my last hernia repair, which was with mesh because of my age, I walked out of the hospital the same day and was able to dress after resting. As long as you don't do anything strenuous you should be fine. My last time compares to the one I had done years ago when they wouldn't let me do anything for 8 weeks. They have improved the process a lot since then. Hoping you have a good recovery.:)

[Kerigirl2009]

Oh I feel for you as I know what you are going to go through, I had a double hernia surgery a few years back and I too had the mesh put in as an added precaution. (Xrays look really wierd now by the way)
I went out and bought loose fitting sweats but still managed to have panties on SOME of the time. but it didn't matter the first few days as I was in a self induced vicodin and percocet state of bliss for the first few days.
Also you should find a comfortable place to stay and prepare for the bathroom early. Took me about 30 minutes to go from the couch to the bathroom and back. (only about 10 feet each way) Most of that time was spent just trying to upright myself as younever realize how much muscle is required from your gut area just to upright yourself. So I hope you recover with more ease than me. Good luck. Oh by the way Dressing will be so far out of your mind you will not even care what you look like until you can move around.

[DinaMature]

With my last hernia repair, which was with mesh because of my age, I walked out of the hospital the same day and was able to dress after resting. As long as you don't do anything strenuous you should be fine. My last time compares to the one I had done years ago when they wouldn't let me do anything for 8 weeks. They have improved the process a lot since then. Hoping you have a good recovery.:)

I am in need of having one repaired.... and from what I've read online, there have been great advances in what is a basically common issue.
My brother had one treated way back in the sixties and it was a recovery period of many weeks... and left a huge scar. Today's therapies are done much differantly

[Samantha_Smile]

In my man life, I'm a Staff Nurse.
I worked on an abdominal surgery ward for about a year, hernia's really were quite 'run of the mill' procedures for us to care for.

While it is true that hernia repair can be a day surgery affair (in and out same day) it depends heavily on several factors
Age
Tollerance to anaesthetic.
Muscle tone
Findings upon inscision (ie Underlying muscle damage)
Other factors include repair method- some hernia repairs require a surgical mesh to be implanted which acts like a puncture repair where muscle is too weak to have a succsessful op with just sutures alone. The Mesh acts like a strengthening bridge, allowing the muscle to heal over it and form new stronger muscle (previously weakened by internal organs protruding through).
Where meshes are used, hospital stay is often prolonged, not by much though.

Just prepare yourself for a good 8 weeks of intermittent pain, swelling, bruising and potential infection. Some surgeons will prescribe an antibiotic prophylaxis as a means of reducing risk of infection. (preventative medicine)

All the best chick!
Just take it really easy for a while.

AND KEEP YOUR FEET ELEVATED WHEN RESTING!

[Julogden]

I've had that surgery too, back in '97. I had to use a crutch for a few days afterward, not for walking, but for when I'd get up or sit down. It's worth the short-term discomfort to be rid of the pain from a hernia.

Carol

[Persephone]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/sandylewiscares/get_well_soon_12.gif
There usually isn't much pain when stuff is done inside you, so you start to think you are fine before you really are. Listen to the doctors, take it easy and don't rush things.

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Spacey]

Good luck with the surgery and take things easy. Then you can get back to the things you enjoy. I recently recovered from a surgery. Two weeks in pajamas.:eek:

[Loni]

Tomorrow I go to get my groin hernia repaired. The dread is not having relief of the pain and agony, but the dressing dry spell that will follow.I will be about 4 weeks without being able to move about much, and my loving wife will be keeping very close tabs on me. It's a necessary thing to have done, so what's a girl to do, other than look forward to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Sorry if this is boring you all, but I'm just venting.
Hugs, Erickka.

i will trade you that for me having to have my mom move back in with me.

she knows loni....but dressing as i want when i want is not acceptable with her living under the same roof.:sad:
plus it means i must move back into town.:eek:

[AllieSF]

I had a double hernia repair surgery done in 1992 using the laparoscopic method. One incision in teh navel for the main tube with light, camera, etc. and two smaller side incisions on either sides for the work tools to do the job. They also used mesh over both herniated area. I even have a VHS of the procedure, which surprisingly was not gory at all. I was in bed for a few days with ice packs (a sealed bag of frozen small vegetables works wonders as it tends to mold to fit the contours of the body) to reduce the swelling. Main pain for first couple of days was taken away by prescription painkillers. I was back at work after a week off. Good luck.

[giuseppina]

You could try a firm control panty girdle, standard or highwaisted. Does the same externally as a mesh does internally. Check with your doctor before proceeding, though.

The idea is to support the muscles while they heal and reduce the pain. It worked for my appendectomy many years ago. :)

Good luck with the surgery.

[Diane Smith]

I had an inguinal hernia repair in late 2001, with dacron mesh reinforcement. I went into the hospital at 7:30 AM and was home by 1:00 PM. They used absorbing sutures and some kind of high-tech dressing over the wound that could stay on for a week, then be peeled off, and hardly given any attention in between. I was kinda groggy the first day, sore the second, and pretty much moving normally by the third. After the bandage came off a week later, I hardly gave the thing another thought.

I realize not everyone will have the same hernia, procedure, or aftercare experience, but for me it couldn't have been much easier. That came about six months after they opened up my chest to implant an artificial heart valve -- now THAT was surgery, including 50 minutes on heart-lung bypass. The hernia operation was a total non-event by comparison. :)

- Diane

[Andy66]

Good luck. I'm sure the time will pass before you know it and you'll be glad you had it done and over with. I haven't had hernia surgery, but had a different abdominal area surgery several years ago. All I can say is move very slowly at first. :)

[MaudeB]

Hope it gonna work well for you !

Maude

[Sarasometimes]

I also need to look into getting mine repaired and would love the gorey details of the different methods. What are the mesh procedures called? I like the one with the dressing that stays on a few days? How did you find your surgeons? Maybe you can use the desire to dress as motivation to do as instructed so you can quickly get back to normal! Thanks for sharing and good luck!! Sara
P.S. As we on this board continue to age, do the moderators think a separate section needs to be added for ailments and their cures?? Just kidding!! Did I mention the Pain...Nevermind, Where are my glasses?

[sallyjones]

good luck with your sugury and it doesnt stop you from being en femme, unless your wife doesnt know. remember women have surguries too.

[marie354]

I had the right side repaired last spring. It's amazing how small the scar is. I's only about 2'' long and barely visible now. Of course it's below the bikini line and that's a good thing too. I spent the first week mostly in bed in my nighties. Wasn't allowed to lift anything over a couple of pounds, so it got me out of a lot of house work too... Like taking out the trash. My landlady helped a lot and so did a neighbor. It was worth it not to have one of the boys MIA. Tee-He-He.