Why Don't they Tell you?

[lallieth]

That after any surgery your central nervous system takes a beating? not to mention your lymphatic system.I mentioned this to my surgeon and he said I was the first patient to ever bring that up or to even take notice of it

I guess it wouldn't make sense to others to hear about how the CNS is effected by surgery?

 

[ladylore]

Your body sees surgery as trauma. Comparible to a natural disaster or other assault on your person. So the body reacts in the same way - trauma is trauma. I am currently working through this in therapy as I have had many surgeries.

I am glad you brought it up to the surgeon because they need to know.:goodjob:

 

[lallieth]

Your body sees surgery as trauma. Comparible to a natural disaster or other assault on your person. So the body reacts in the same way - trauma is trauma. I am currently working through this in therapy as I have had many surgeries.

I am glad you brought it up to the surgeon because they need to know.:goodjob:

I agree that surgeons need to know how surgical trauma affects the mind and body...physically I realized I needed to heal,but I noticed other effects related to the surgery but not to the wound itself,,does that make sense?

We get drugs before/during/after surgery and of course this has an adverse effect on our CNS and other regulatory systems in our body,and for example I had metal staples and plastic tubing in mine after surgey and I know my body was saying "WHOA wait a sec..what IS THIS stuff"

I had an allergic reaction(hives)and the surgeon told me it was most likely due to the metal and plastic.so why wasn't I warned about this before


go figure

 

[Lana]

Not to invalidate anyone's concerns, but doctors can't predict everything that may or may not happen. They do, however, have a patient sign a waiver that outlines some possibilities. I can't say what's on it because I trust them and just sign them. LOL I did know that they would not operate on someone that had 3 surgeries and has other health risks. Anesthesia alone is a huge blow to the system. In one year, I had to go under 3 times, all withing few months of each and I remember they were quite concerned and did speak to me about it.

It's good to be aware of your body, to pay attention to it, and to note how it reacts to various things. I recently found out I'm allergic to the tape that hospitals use when applying bandages I never had that before. I didn't have allergies to dogs either. But now, everytime I hug my dog, I get hives. Our bodies change, so, again, it's difficult for anyone to predict what will or will not happen.

Hope you all get well soon with minimal after-effects.

 

[Retired]

but doctors can't predict everything that may or may not happen.

Perhaps not everything but commonly used procedures are clearly understood by the medical community and specialists are familiar with common allergic reactions and risk factors.

These should be discussed with the patient who should be made aware of all risk factors and asked about previous allergic reactions.

Lallieth's experience makes me wonder about whether some physicians decide on behalf of their patients what the patient needs to know.

We need to be partners with our physicians in our helathcare, to be able to make informed decisions based on the benefits vs risks of any treatment or procedure.

A physician who witholds information from a patient belittles the respect his/her patient deserves.

 

[ladylore]

Are there people around you right now who are offering emotional and other support while you heal?

 

[lallieth]

I agree with you both Tsow and Lana.What I didn't expect was the degree of sadness I had after surgery..I attribute that to an equal part of emotional and physical reaction to surgery.I am sure that surgeons know there is a degree of post surgical depression and if so,then should make their patients aware of not only the physical changes,but the mental/emotional ones as well.

Lady...I have three fantastic friends(one who has gone through a tummy tuck before) and a wonderful husband,they all are very supportive both emotionally and physically

 

[white page]

This is certainly a very interesting subject , in recent years there have been a huge advances made in communication of medical information to patients , in the part of europe where I live , each surgical intervention has its own information document, which clearly explains the procedure and the potential risks , this is a legal obligation which I think is a very good idea. as Lana says Doctors cannot predict everything ,as allergies can rear up from one day to another , there are so many different factors involved when dealing with individuals, pain tolerance and sensitivity to medication are parameters which
are proper to each patient, not to mention the emotional entourage . which makes a huge difference to the way we cope with intrusive surgery .
Lalieth, I am so glad that you are so well supported by your family and friends
and wish you a speedy recovery and healing.
best wishes white pages . ,

 

[ladylore]

"Waking The Tiger" by Peter Levine is a great book. He talks about how animals in the wild deal with stress and then how they let it go. It's a natural process.

As I understand it, we humans go through the same process as animals. Our bodies don't readily distiguish between a threat (attack) that is harmful and somethink like an operational that will benifit us. Our bodies go through the same sequences in both cases.

The difference is that animals use thier reptilian parts of the brain, where us humans are also using our logical portions at the same time. And that is when trauma or (PTSD) can occur. Our bodies haven't been aloud to go through and finish the natural process.

Its a great book.