3 weeks till the big day ....

[joe94121]

I am scheduled for a pre-op on 11/15 to prepare for the 12/5 surgery to have my 3.0 cm removed via the retros. approach at Kaiser's Redwood City, CA  (20 miles south of San Francisco) ... any last minute questions to ask the surgeon? what else should I know about the OR? any last minute advice to faciliatate an early recovery? (right now, i feel numb on my left face, dizzy, and off balance to the left)

[Desilu]

Hi joe94121,

The worst part is making a decision. The hardest part for you is over. Keep a positive attitude take one day at a time, don't push yourself too hard and listen to your doctors. Everyone heals at a different rate, so you really can't compare yourself to anyone else. Your AN journey will be different than anyone on this website. We can only speak from our own experiences and soon, you will be telling us about yours.

May I suggest a good suport team when you get home, someone to help you, whether it's someone to just talk to or someone to cook or clean for you.
Walking will help your balance. I tried to walk twice a day for about 20 minutes each time when I got home. If you have some side effects after your surgery, be patient because most of them will be temporary. One last thing, I had a lot of people praying for me and I truly believed it helped. So I will keep you in my prayers and pray for a speedy recovery.  Ann

[Obita]

Hi Joe:

I hope the next three weeks fly by for you.

Best of luck,  Kathy

[nancyann]

Hi Joe, definitely agree with Ann - get someone to help clean, cook - I luckily had my mom help me for 2 weeks.   If you have post op balance issues (as most of us had), the more walking the better.    Headaches for me were awful the first month or so post op (hope you don't have this too bad) - visualization really helped me with it.
Wishing you all the best, Nancy

[joe94121]

Thanks for all the good wishes ... i just thought of something ... will i be able to write check or go on the net to pay bills after my surgery ... how soon afterwards? 3 days?  ... maybe, i should prepay some of the bills in advance? .... ciao. ....

[Palace]

Hi


We are all thinking of you and will be there for you. 

BTW, we are not that far from each other.  (Redwood City and Stanta Cruz mountains)  So, we are about two hours away from each other when you land at RC.

Enjoy the weather before, it gets nasty.  Winters can be "hard" up here and you will be laying down during the rainy storms, I presume.



Get out there now before the sky falls.........have fun,



Palace

[Captain Deb]

Joe, I'd give myself a good week before attempting anything like looking at a computer screen--better to take care of anything like that beforehand.
We are just going to have to get the forum admin to put a calendar on this thing so we can keep track of all the people going into treatment!!
Best of luck to you and wishing you a speedy gonzales recovery!!!
Capt Deb

[wind6]

Joe, Just want to send you my well wishes before your big day. I agree with Deb about giving yourself time afterwards to not worry about bills and such so what I did was pay everything a month ahead. That ended up being plenty of time. I really didn't need that much but it was kind of nice to not worry.
Also, make sure you have help in line for when you come home and don't refuse offers of help as they come along. I found that many people seemed to "really" want to be of help for me...and I have to fight off that prideful "I can do it myself" attitude a lot
My thoughts will be with you as your day approaches. Try not to worry and spend the next few weeks doing all the things you really love to do.                   Sherry

[ppearl214]

Joe, got my pirate gear ready for your day!!!!!  Hang in there. I know this wait is the worse and possibly a very anxious time... but, we're cheering you on!


We'll be ready with a mug o' grog to help celebrate when you become a "postie" (post-treatment)


Phyl

[Patti UT]

Joe,
   I'm sure your getting anxious. The waiting can be quite nerve racking. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers for a successful outcome. take care
Patti UT