Question:
Hello,
I am going to have back surgery next week and I have never had surgery before. I was wondering if anyone knew exactly what happens when you got to surgery. People have told me that they give you some drug that makes you fall asleep and then they can do what they want because you don't know. Is it true that they take your gown off and move you totally naked to the operating table? I heard then they wash you down and put sterile covers on you and put heart monitor sticky things all over your body and then they put a tube down your throat and into your lungs which will breathe for you. After that they put you completely out. It sounds kinda traumatic. I sure hope you don't remember. Does any of this hurt? Are you really left totally naked? Do the doctors and nurses make fun of you when your out? I think everyone is just trying to freak me out. I'm only 22 and have only had doctor visits mostly with a gyn and my back doctor. Any input about what happens in the operating room would be greatly appreciated because I'm getting a little anxious
Maryjane

Answer:
Hey maryjane46, how are you doing?

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of donating your own blood compared with using someone else's blood. Although donating blood usually is not necessary for most low back surgery that does not include fusing vertebrae together, there is always a chance that some blood loss will occur during surgery.

After admission into the hospital on the day of surgery, you will be taken to the preoperative preparation area where you will be interviewed by a doctor from the anesthesia department, who will review your medical history and physical examination reports. You and your doctor will discuss the type of anesthesia to be used. (Sometimes this is done during an outpatient visit up to seven days before your surgery.)

The most common types of anesthesia used for low back surgery are general (you are asleep for the entire operation) or spinal (you may be awake but have no feeling from your waist down). Your orthopaedic surgeon will remove a portion of bone and ligament overlying the nerve roots and will remove displaced disk material to relieve pressure on the nerve roots.

If an instability (spondylolisthesis) is present, fusion is sometimes done at the same time. When your surgery is completed, you will be moved to the recovery room, where you will be observed and monitored by a nurse until you awake from your anesthesia.

You will have an intravenous (IV) line inserted into a vein in your arm. You also may have a catheter inserted into your bladder to make urination easier.

Your IV and catheter will be removed soon after you are fully awake and alert and taken back to your hospital room. You may be given a small machine called an incentive spirometer (blow bottle) to help you be encouraged to breathe deeply and to cough frequently to avoid fluid build-up in your lungs.

It is important that you carefully follow any instructions from your doctor relating to warning signs of blood clots and infection most likely to occur during the first few weeks after surgery. Your doctor may recommend iron supplement pills or vitamins before and after your surgery.

Best wishes,
The Prison Hospital

Prisoner: Look here, doctor! You've already removed my spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and one of my kidneys. I only came to see if you could get me out of this place!

Doctor: I am, bit by bit.

-- Aha! Jokes



Answer:
MaryJane- When you get to the hospital, you'll wait in the waiting room with your family until they call you in. A nurse will soon call you in, guide you to the pre-op area and have you change into a gown (privately) and then will weigh you. They will take you to your bed adn will put a blood pressure cuff on you to monitor your vitals. A nurse will come in and start an IV of plain "sugar water" to keep you hydrated and then the doctor and anesthesiologist will come to you. These doctors will talk with you separately or together. They will listen to your heart and go over your chart and any questions you may have. If you are nervous, they will give you a sedative to help calm and relax you. The doctor will look at the area of your back that is intended for surgery and he make some markings with a marker on your skin. They'll probably have you lay on your side and they will gently wash the area of your back with Betadine, an aneseptic cleanser. Once you have been cleared for surgery you will remain here with a family member or two until they are ready for you in the OR. You will be wearing your gown the entire time as it ties in the back and all they have to do is untie it to expose the area where the surgery will be performed okay? When the operating room is ready for you, they will wheel your bed into the OR and transfer you to the surgery table. You will either be asked to lay on your back or your belly. They'll put a mask on your face and you'll breath in the anesthestic until you simply fall asleep. That's exactly what it feels like. You'll be laying there and you'll feel very relaxed as you breathe in that medicine. After you are asleep, they will insert the breathing tube and sedate you further. If they need to insert a catheter or anything like that, they will do all that after you are asleep. Surgery will be performed. After they finish, they will start to wein you off of the anesthetic until you wake up to a certain degree. You'll still be unconscious but you'll be awake enuogh for them to remove the breathing tube. If you have a catheter in place, they may or may not remove that right away, depending upon the extent of your surgery. The next thing you know, you'll wake up in the post-op area and they will call in your family to be with you soon after. When you wake up, try to keep as still as you can. You can move your arms or whatever but I mean try not to lift your head right away or turn your neck too far or anything until you are feeling really good since the affects of the anesthetic can sometimes make you sick to your stomach and the movement can (sometimes) make you throw up. You will not in any way at any time be totally naked on the table. They will respect your pivacy and you will not be unnecessariy exposed at all! There will be nurses with you at all times and there will not be any moments where anyone can be inappropriate with you. If you have any other questions, please ask! You're going to do great!

Answer:
THANK YOU
I FEEL MUCH BETTER KNOWING THAT. BUT I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL IT IS OVER