Preparing for real surgery

I would never allow it without a local. No way, no how.

Some people have commented about their arterial blood draw. When I was 48, I had an MI and in the emergency room they wanted an arterial blood draw to confirm the problem. The nurse who was to do it said it would hurt because he would go into my wrist to get it. It was slow (I guess so he would be able to find the artery) and it hurt a helluvalot. He apologized, but said it was necessary. A few years later, An angioplasty failed during a stress test and again, they wanted a blood gas draw from my wrist. As the male nurse prepared to make the draw, I told him how awful the first one had been...…..He said that he was very good at this, so not to worry. He was right: it was almost painless. Big sigh of relief.

Some people have commented about their arterial blood draw. The nurse who was to do it said it would hurt because he would go into my wrist to get it. It was slow (I guess so he would be able to find the artery) and it hurt a helluvalot. He apologized, but said it was necessary.

Maybe Susie or another med professional can weigh in here but I am under the impression you can do a lidocaine shot first then go in the same hole for the draw. I had one done as a prelim for bypass surgery and it was the worst part of 4 lousy days in the hospital. I would never allow another one without some kind of pain suppression first and I consider myself to have a very high pain threshold. I've had many boo boos over the years requiring stitches and more and never had a problem with pain. That procedure is something else though.

I have had two surgeries. The first was on my knee. I was told to shave my leg before coming to the hospital and to shower with an antiseptic soap. When I got to the hospital, they put me in a room and had me put in a gown —naked underneath. They started an IV in my hand and then they rolled me into the operating room. I was asked half a dozen times to confirm which knee they were going to operate on. They had me scoot off the rolling bed I was on and onto the surgical bed which had some type of support for my knee. Then they gave me some happy juice through the IV. I was pretty tipsy but I remember they pulled the gown down around my shoulders and applied EKG leads and put a Pulseox on my finger. They pulled the gown up to my thighs and covered me with a sheet. A mask was placed over my nose and mouth and then I woke up in the recovery room with a bandage and ice pack on my knee.

The second surgery was laser surgery on my prostate. I shave my pubes smooth so no one asked me shave and I really don’t know if it was required. Most of the prep was similar except the surgical bed had split on the end and my legs were spread eagled. My gown was pulled up above my groin and I was draped with sheets on my legs and a paper drape with a hole in it exposing my penis. They gave me something through the IV and things faded out pretty quickly. I remember them swabbing my penis with disinfectant and I woke up in recovery with a catheter in place which I had in for about five days.

Maybe Susie or another med professional can weigh in here but I am under the impression you can do a lidocaine shot first then go in the same hole for the draw.

Yes, they can freeze it first. I don't know about using the same exact spot for both needles, but they can definitely put a local in. I have only had it done with local anesthetic.

A long time ago, when I was in the military, I had surgery to my backside. So the prep for the surgery was a Fleet enema before going to the hospital (you haven't lived until you give yourself a Fleet enema in an army barracks). Once that was complete, I reported to the hospital.

At the admittance desk in the ward I was to stay, the lady manning the desk asked, in a relatively loud voice, if I had my enema. I responded to the positive, and then she showed me to the room. She tells me to strip down to my underwear, and stow my civvies in a locker, and then get into the bed. I do so, and a few minutes later an orderly and a nurse come by, and go over the surgical procedure with me. They tell me I must be completely nude for the procedure, so no underwear when I get on the gurney. A little later, a full complement of medical staff walk through the room, and brief me on what's to take place.

Then the gurney appears. One orderly asked me if I was in the uniform of the day. I reach under the cover, stripped off my briefs, and put them on a chair. I was then in uniform. They then move me from my bed, to the gurney, with the covers still on me. What I thought was awesome, was that everyone involved in moving me to the OR had not seen me buck naked, but they knew I had nothing on, and that I enema'd myself beforehand.

Once in the OR, I receive an epidural, and some anesthesia. I am not knocked out, and am fully aware of what's going on. I was moved to the table, and positioned for duty. I was in a very good mood due to the meds, and was joking around with the nurses and OR staff during the procedure. The surgery was successful, however, I never want to go through that again. Although the prep was fun!

I went through a surgery in my 12 years of age, arriving at the hospital I was taken to a place like a dressing room, had several curtains and in which I entered had some clothes, shorte open in the penis (phimosis surgery), robe, cap, after I dressed the nurse took me to a place where I did the cleaning of the surgery area and then I was referred to the surgical table, I think it was that day where my whole medical fetish began.

I try to avoid placing arterial access before the patient is asleep unless there is an indication. If necessary prior to anesthesia I like to use a ton of local and IV fentanyl you take the edge off. Most people don’t complain since I am gentle.

When I was in for bypass surgery in 1996 it was almost a comedy. I was the third one in a 2 bed room so my bed was facing the door with the two beds to my right. A male nurse helped me take a shower with half a bottle of special antiseptic soap telling me I had to use up the other half later before surgery. They brought in a TV/VCR to show me a tape of what they were going to do to me but the tape was missing and they never found it. Then a teeny bopper came in with shaving equipment and had me roll over on my stomach and shaved my back from neck to toes. I then had to take off the jonny and lie on my back so she could do the front. I'm lying there naked watching her and looking out into the corridor when she got down below my belly button she noticed I was naked and exclaimed we needed some modesty while putting a folded towel over my nakedness. Then she promptly moved it aside to shave down there. I had all I could do keep from laughing at that. she never replaced it as she continued down to my toes. When she finished she said I didn't need a second shower to use up the antiseptic soap because she used the same stuff while shaving me.

I was supposed to have surgery at 9:00 the next morning but it was delayed due to an emergency. When they wheeled me into the operating room I was still naked under the sheets. They all introduced themselves and I went lights out. I awoke with a machine doing the breathing for me and my hands and legs tied. When I checked to see how much I could move my hand the nurse sitting at a desk beyond my right foot came over and said "let the machine do your breathing". I soon discovered it took no more than moving a finger to get her attention. My wife told me several years later that she and our son were standing to my left when that happened but I didn't know it. I guess they were very quiet when the nurse came over to me. She came over and asked me if I would like her to rub some ice on my lips. How do you say yes with a breathing tube down your throat? She did it and my mouth felt a lot better. At some point they took out the tube. Later a doctor came in to remove the two drain tubes they had in my chest one under each breast. He remarked they were so far apart he would have to do them one at a time. It just tickled a bit, no pain. Back in a room now with another guy who had the same operation before I did. Someone came in to empty the urine collection bag on that pole I had to walk around with. That's when I realized they must have put in a catheter after I went lights out on the operating table. So some poor soul managed to stuff a tube in my little wrinkly thing. My eyes must have been open during the operation because I had retina burns from a bright light like you get after looking at a car with the sun reflecting off the chrome. Only these lasted for several weeks instead of a few minutes.

Being in a room with that other guy was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. He said this was his second time after 20 years. To which I replied: "second one? I think i'd rather they take out in the woods and shoot me before doing this again". My chest was a little sore! He said "Oh no, I had the best 20 years of my life doing everything I wanted to". That certainly had a lot to do with changing the way I felt.

They also had an IV port in my arm and they got blood daily without having to stick me with a needle. When my wife came to visit in the morning of the fourth day they asked if I'd like to go home (a day early) so they started to remove all the stuff that wasn't mine. When the nurse held my penis to remove the catheter is when I really realized they must have stuffed something in it after I was asleep. She said to push out like I was peeing and it didn't hurt a bit as she pulled it out. Then she took off all the stickers on my chest but two of them took longer. I thought they were just stuck better but several years later my wife told me those two had wires on them that went inside my chest. My wife didn't bring my clothes because I wasn't expected to go home that day so they dressed me in a couple jonnys and a blanket and wheeled me out the door.

When I went back to the doctor to remove the staples from my arm where they harvested an artery to repair the heart plumbing, I asked him what I could or could not do now. He said I was as good as new as far he was concerned and I could do anything I wanted.

It will be 24 years in March and I recently had an ultrasound of my heart and everything's fine. The cardiologist says I'm in better shape than most people my age who never had a heart problem.

A couple weeks ago I was in due to cellulitis in my left leg and "severe sepsis" The antibiotics gave me diarrhea so I asked for some clean underwear when I was on the toilet. The nurses assistant had to help me get mine off while sitting there and help me get the uni-size, uni-sex stretch to fit everyone universal panties they have. Those are like a cheap hotel, no ball room. The bottom is so narrow I had one ball hanging out each side. That must for their viewing pleasure because it certainly wasn't for my comfort plus they are like those see thru pantyhose the girls used to wear to tease us guys showing us what we weren't going to get.

I try to avoid placing arterial access before the patient is asleep unless there is an indication. If necessary prior to anesthesia I like to use a ton of local and IV fentanyl you take the edge off. Most people don’t complain since I am gentle.

Could you elaborate on

" a ton of local and IV fentanyl "

I recently had abdominal surgery for a bowel obstruction in my small intestine.

Because I was admitted through the ER, the diagnosis was made after a cat scan and a surgeon was called. The surgeon wanted to wait 24 hours to see if I’d pass the obstruction normally. They started an NG tube to relieve some of the stomach pressure and I waited.

Surgery was scheduled for 2:00 pm the next day. An IV had been started when I was admitted. I was wheeled to surgery sometime before 2:00. Once at the surgery, I was shaved, given something to take the edge off and left in my hospital gown. Unfortunately, the surgeon was delayed and as it came close to 3 o’clock, I had 6-7 nurses and aids at my bedside chatting about whatever they could to take my mind off the wait. Once the Surgeon arrived I was wheeled into the surgery suite received a fenatyl sedative and I was gone.

Fortunately, the obstruction was fibrous adhesions wrapping the intestine. The surgeon was able the cut the fibrous bands and restore function without resectioning the intestine. I am extremely fortunate. Recovery was straightforward. I was back to normal within a couple of weeks.

Appendectomy in my mid 20s. I remember the nurse shaving my lower abdomen and top of my groin and then lots of soap and stuff. No catheter (at least that they told me about) and just an iv for the various drugs.

This year, had hernia repair surgery Feb and in June. I guess was Lazer. The 1st one, took a pee before, after could not, had to go back to ER

to get a catheter and bag. Did not know or see the balloon, after 4 days tried to take out. Blood everywhere. Girlfriend's sisters hubby, doctor

told how to take out after 2 days. The Urologists secretary had me keep in 16 more days. Will drive you crazy, was ready to fight. Until stopped

had blood in the bag. Still had hernia. 2nd try, fixed hernia, catheter again, they knew my views, went to GP Doctor, he could not take out.

4th day, got Surgeons 2 ladies to remove it. Gave one of them, a Silver Eagle, 1 oz coin. (you had better get 1 a month)

@brunswickm You're scaring me. I recently developed a hernia,my PCP sent me to see the surgeon who decided it wasn't time to fix it yet but I have to be ready to have it done in the future. Mine is an umbilical hernia and I was expecting to get back to work in a day or two. I don't do any heavy lifting unless they consider a plastic stop sign (car swatter) too heavy. What type of hernia did you have?