Prepping for doctor appointment

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brosiah
  • Start date Start date
B

Brosiah

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Ok, I know I have been really question-happy lately, but I hope you guys can help me out on one more thing...then I promise to stop bugging you!:confused:


I have a pre-op appointment with my surgeon tommorow my surgery isn't for 2 more weeks still. The purpose of this appointment is to have my husband with me so he will know exactly whats going on.
Anyway, I am making a list of things I want to ask so I dont forget anything. Do you have any ideas on what would be some good questions? Anything you wished you had asked prior to your surgery? Some things I have alreardy are:
1.What is the technical name for the operation I'm having?
2. What exactly is my diagnosis? ( yeah I was too freaked out last time to even remeraber..lol)
3. What is my recovery period/when I should be pain free
3.How will my medication be handled after surgery so that I am comfrotable

Any other ideas? I know as usual you guys will have some great ideas.
Thanks,
B
 
That's a great question, Brosiah.

And you're not bugging anyone! That's why we hang around here, so we can help others the way we were helped before our surgeries! ;)

Here are some of the questions I had for my doctor:



Will the graft be my own bone, donor bone (cadaver?), or synthetic?

Will I be able to go upstairs once I get home? How long do I have to stay up there?

How long should I plan to abstain from sex?

How does the brace get fitted after surgery? Will I wear it 24/7? Sleep in it, shower in it, etc.?

Will I have a walker or other special equipment at home?

Do I use an enema prior to surgery?

Is there a weight limit guideline for lifting after surgery?

What is the hardware made of? Will I set off metal detectors? How often do these screws/roRAB break or come loose?

How common is it for the fusion not to happen?

Is there anything I can take (vitamin, etc.) that will help me to have a strong fusion? Are there things I shouldn
 
UPDATE- In case anyone is interested and curious about some of the answers I got at my apointment for their own situation: the doctor said I won't set off metal detectors, sex is fine after 6 weeks or whenever after that it is comfortable, the only vitamins he said are worth while would be vitamin C for immune. And for my surgery (360 fusion) I will wear a brace when I am out of bed. Also, it isnt necessary to donate my own blood for the surgery. He said unless there is a problem there shouldn't be enough blood loss to warrant a transfusion. He also said if I was worried about getting donar blood I could but that since my surgery is so soon it might be a bad idea- he says it will take time for my body to recover from the donation. He said he will approve a handicap parking permit if I want one. As for my recovery- he said after about 7-8 months I should be completely pain free! I hope to God he's right....

I forget the rest of the questions I asked that are pertinent to this post. But thats what I found out!
 
The handicapped parking permit is such a help! It's hard to get in and out of a car without bending or twisting, so being in a wide space so you can open the door all the way makes a huge difference!

SounRAB like you had a good appt. My doctor was so patient in answering my long list of questions!

Take care,
Emily
 
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