OT I got my pre op assemt today

Joy wrote:

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my
broken shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

Here's a hint for future reference. I put my medical history on the
computer, updating it as necessary. Included are my best recollections of
when I was hospitalized and what surgeries I've had. I haven't had nearly
as many as you, but after 76 years, it adds up. I included a brief family
medical history (one or two sentences per person) and a list of my doctors
and their phone numbers. I'm thinking of adding a page with contact
information for my kids, and a copy of a letter I've written to give
doctors, granting permission to release medical information to my kids. I
carry a copy of this with me at all times. When I have to fill out a form
that asks that sort of questions, I write, "See attached", and attach my
printed document to the form. It saves a lot of writing, and trying to
recall everything while on the spot. One doctor complimented me on having
this and said he wished all his patients would do it.

That's a great idea. And not just for medical information. There are
other things that I probably waste too much time listing on forms, too.

--
Joyce

If you can't operate your turn signal, what makes you think you can
drive the rest of the car? -- bumper sticker

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...


"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
news


Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)


No, he isn't money hungry but I'm beginning to ask myself that if it won't
be guaranteed to help the numbness in my fingers, do I really want another
arm operation that will be a) very painful b) put me into a situation where
I won't be able to do much for 6 weeks at least
I really cannot decide.
It would probably have been easier if had I hadn't had so many operations
before and knew how bad they were.

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my broken
shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could you get a second opinion? That way, you would be getting advise for
two doctors who are knowledgeable about your situation. And, I think it
would be a good idea to specifically ask both doctors the exact questions
you raised here.

I hope you are able to get all the information you need to make a good
decision. You have already gone through a tremendous amount of pain, and I
know this must be very difficult for you.

MaryL

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...


"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:

My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have
agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that,
My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be helped
by
this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for 6-8
weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two
every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..

I'm not you, but if I were in your situation, I would probably not have
that surgery. Or at least, not until I knew that there was a good chance
it would improve sensation in my fingers. But this is a procedure that's
done primarily to relieve tingling, and that's not what you have. Did
the surgeon tell you what the probability is for getting relief from the
numbness? If it's a high probability, I would be more willing to take the
risk than I would if the probability was much lower.

Are you finding the numbness to be disabling at all? I have temporary
numbness in my fingers every day, usually when I first get up. It's from
pinched nerves in my neck, caused by disc degeneration and arthritis.
The main thing I don't like about the numbness is that it makes me very
clumsy with my fingers. I never realized how much we depend on tactile
feedback to the brain, in order to perform simple manual tasks like tying
shoes. It's not a one-way street (ie, the brain telling the fingers what
to do). So when tactile sensation is impaired in my fingers, the feedback
is also impaired, and I'm not so good at that kind of stuff in the
morning.
I can't put on jewelry before I leave for work - I take it with me and
put it on later when I have full sensation in my fingers.

--

I absolutely don't know what to do, my surgeon says I might lose the grip in
my hand if I don't.
So i probably will go along with the surgery.
Next Thursday. 11th Oct.
I have to shower and wash my hair the day before with some anti-bac gel and
also put some stuff up my nose x3 to guard from MRSA. I have to wash myself
with my hand not with a body mop or flannel.
Which is all ridiculous. I'll be out and about contaminating myself unless
I do it right before I go to bed, and then I wash my arm with the gel next
day and get contaminated on my way to hospital.
Now the best idea for me would be to do it in hospital just before my
surgery. they have baths and showers there. Or is that too simple?

~~~~~~~~~~~
That sounds reasonable to me. The nurse washed me with that type of gel in
preparation for my surgery a few years ago. I was then given a clean gown
and transferred to a gurney with clean sheets where I would be "rolled" into
surgery.

MaryL

"Joy" wrote in message . ..

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
news


Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two
every year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)


No, he isn't money hungry but I'm beginning to ask myself that if it won't
be guaranteed to help the numbness in my fingers, do I really want another
arm operation that will be a) very painful b) put me into a situation
where I won't be able to do much for 6 weeks at least
I really cannot decide.
It would probably have been easier if had I hadn't had so many operations
before and knew how bad they were.

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my
broken shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

Here's a hint for future reference. I put my medical history on the
computer, updating it as necessary. Included are my best recollections of
when I was hospitalized and what surgeries I've had. I haven't had nearly
as many as you, but after 76 years, it adds up. I included a brief family
medical history (one or two sentences per person) and a list of my doctors
and their phone numbers. I'm thinking of adding a page with contact
information for my kids, and a copy of a letter I've written to give
doctors, granting permission to release medical information to my kids. I
carry a copy of this with me at all times. When I have to fill out a form
that asks that sort of questions, I write, "See attached", and attach my
printed document to the form. It saves a lot of writing, and trying to
recall everything while on the spot. One doctor complimented me on having
this and said he wished all his patients would do it.

Joy

*********************
I have my medical history stored on a flash drive that attaches to my
keychain. It came with the medical alert bracelet (American Medical ID) and
the data is stored on their website. If something changes in my "medical
records" I update it, then d/l the information to the flash drive. Sounds
like a good idea, right? Fat lot of good it did when I broke my nose. I
was in extreme pain, my face swollen and already turning black & blue. The
nurse was asking me all sorts of questions so I said just take this [flash
drive], everything you need to know is on it. The nurse said, "Oh, the
doctors won't let us use the computers." Give me a friggin break!

Tweed, IMHO if your hand isn't painful and the numbness doesn't prevent you
from doing things, I wouldn't have the surgery. But that's just me.

Jill

On Thu, 04 Oct 2012 01:57:44 +0000, Bastette wrote:

Christina Websell wrote:

My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I
should have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not
be helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for
myself for 6-8 weeks/. If I have this op- I won't be able to care for
myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two
every year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..

I'm not you, but if I were in your situation, I would probably not have
that surgery. Or at least, not until I knew that there was a good chance
it would improve sensation in my fingers. But this is a procedure that's
done primarily to relieve tingling, and that's not what you have. Did
the surgeon tell you what the probability is for getting relief from the
numbness? If it's a high probability, I would be more willing to take
the risk than I would if the probability was much lower.

Are you finding the numbness to be disabling at all? I have temporary
numbness in my fingers every day, usually when I first get up. It's from
pinched nerves in my neck, caused by disc degeneration and arthritis.
The main thing I don't like about the numbness is that it makes me very
clumsy with my fingers. I never realized how much we depend on tactile
feedback to the brain, in order to perform simple manual tasks like
tying shoes. It's not a one-way street (ie, the brain telling the
fingers what to do). So when tactile sensation is impaired in my
fingers, the feedback is also impaired, and I'm not so good at that kind
of stuff in the morning.
I can't put on jewelry before I leave for work - I take it with me and
put it on later when I have full sensation in my fingers.



Joyce I commend your advice to Tweed. I could write an almost
identical story. I had 5 numb fingers on my left hand. After the
surgery, and years later, I have 3 numb fingers. It takes a little
time, but one does adjust to the problem. Nerves can heal, but very
slowly. MLB

On Thursday, October 4, 2012 5:00:44 AM UTC-4, Bastette wrote:
Joy wrote: I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was "Have you had an operation before, if so give the date" I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my broken shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know. Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping. Here's a hint for future reference. I put my medical history on the computer, updating it as necessary. Included are my best recollections of when I was hospitalized and what surgeries I've had. I haven't had nearly as many as you, but after 76 years, it adds up. I included a brief family medical history (one or two sentences per person) and a list of my doctors and their phone numbers. I'm thinking of adding a page with contact information for my kids, and a copy of a letter I've written to give doctors, granting permission to release medical information to my kids. I carry a copy of this with me at all times. When I have to fill out a form that asks that sort of questions, I write, "See attached", and attach my printed document to the form.. It saves a lot of writing, and trying to recall everything while on the spot. One doctor complimented me on having this and said he wished all his patients would do it. That's a great idea. And not just for medical information. There are other things that I probably waste too much time listing on forms, too. -- Joyce

I have the medical form too. A friend showed me hers. Since I have so many doctors and a long list of medications, it's a lot easier than remembering them all. I try to keep it updated and in my purse at all times.

Good luck with the operation! I hope it fixes things!
Jane

"Christina Websell" wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should have
agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have that,
My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be helped by
this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for 6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..

Sending lots of good luck purrs, hoping the operation is a success.
--
Adrian http://community.webshots.com/clowderuk

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Joy wrote:

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my
broken shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should
know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

Here's a hint for future reference. I put my medical history on the
computer, updating it as necessary. Included are my best recollections
of
when I was hospitalized and what surgeries I've had. I haven't had
nearly
as many as you, but after 76 years, it adds up. I included a brief
family
medical history (one or two sentences per person) and a list of my
doctors
and their phone numbers. I'm thinking of adding a page with contact
information for my kids, and a copy of a letter I've written to give
doctors, granting permission to release medical information to my kids.
I
carry a copy of this with me at all times. When I have to fill out a
form
that asks that sort of questions, I write, "See attached", and attach my
printed document to the form. It saves a lot of writing, and trying to
recall everything while on the spot. One doctor complimented me on
having
this and said he wished all his patients would do it.

That's a great idea. And not just for medical information. There are
other things that I probably waste too much time listing on forms, too.

Then I got the medical students. Of course I'd like to help them, but it is
really tiresome to try and remember my medical history as an oral exam.
Particularly as it is "all on my form"
But hey, these are the doctors of the future.
Normally you are asked if you agree to medical students, but I wasn't asked
on this occasion.
Tweed

"MaryL" wrote in message
...


"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...


"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
news


Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two
every year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)


No, he isn't money hungry but I'm beginning to ask myself that if it won't
be guaranteed to help the numbness in my fingers, do I really want another
arm operation that will be a) very painful b) put me into a situation
where
I won't be able to do much for 6 weeks at least
I really cannot decide.
It would probably have been easier if had I hadn't had so many operations
before and knew how bad they were.

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my
broken
shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could you get a second opinion? That way, you would be getting advise for
two doctors who are knowledgeable about your situation. And, I think it
would be a good idea to specifically ask both doctors the exact questions
you raised here.

I hope you are able to get all the information you need to make a good
decision. You have already gone through a tremendous amount of pain, and
I know this must be very difficult for you.


He's a good surgeon and if he says I need it, I probably do. I just don't
want another op and go through pain again. I'm sick of it.
I will have the op to avoid losing grip in my hand. May this operation be
the last I will ever need.

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"MaryL" wrote in message
...


"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...


"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
news


Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two
every year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)


No, he isn't money hungry but I'm beginning to ask myself that if it
won't
be guaranteed to help the numbness in my fingers, do I really want
another
arm operation that will be a) very painful b) put me into a situation
where
I won't be able to do much for 6 weeks at least
I really cannot decide.
It would probably have been easier if had I hadn't had so many operations
before and knew how bad they were.

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my
broken
shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could you get a second opinion? That way, you would be getting advise
for two doctors who are knowledgeable about your situation. And, I think
it would be a good idea to specifically ask both doctors the exact
questions you raised here.

I hope you are able to get all the information you need to make a good
decision. You have already gone through a tremendous amount of pain, and
I know this must be very difficult for you.


He's a good surgeon and if he says I need it, I probably do. I just don't
want another op and go through pain again. I'm sick of it.
I will have the op to avoid losing grip in my hand. May this operation be
the last I will ever need.

Amen to that! Purrs and prayers for everything to go smoothly, the surgery
to have the desired effect, and your recovery to be quick.

Joy