Apprehensive Nurse, any other healthcare folks?

[VSGDavid 185]

Hi!

I've been lurking on the forums for quite some time now. I thought I would introduce myself. I am a 39 year old male, and will be having my first appointment with my surgeon next week. I've jumped all the hoops, had the classes, psych evals, etc. Sadly my insurance specifically excludes WLS, so I am paying out of pocket. I've decided that it will be worth it though!

After my appointment with my surgeon next week, I'll start a two week liquid diet, and then have surgery. Being a nurse, I've been in the OR, I've seen how violent surgery can be up close, even when using davinci machines for laproscopic surgery. I'm having a hard time not freaking out about all the potential issues that could crop up. I've read just about every research paper I could find on gastric sleeve, so I know the risks are fairly low, but man, it's so hard being on the other side!

Any other healthcare folks out there find that knowing as much as we do makes this process more difficult? I mean, I have taken care of patients my surgeon has operated on. So I fully know what to expect post op, I think I'm just excited, and scared all rolled into one.

[Jazzy1125 1,008]

Welcome to the boards. I am not a healthcare provider, but my friend is a Nurse and teaches now new nursing students, and another friend is a general surgeon. I was asking the surgeon questions, and she basically advised me to just get the surgery done and dont ask the hows and whatnots in the OR.. I am better off not knowing.. So i can understand your side.. It is very hard knowing too much sometimes.

[VSGDavid 185]

Just now, Jazzy1125 said:

Welcome to the boards. I am not a healthcare provider, but my friend is a Nurse and teaches now new nursing students, and another friend is a general surgeon. I was asking the surgeon questions, and she basically advised me to just get the surgery done and dont ask the hows and whatnots in the OR.. I am better off not knowing.. So i can understand your side.. It is very hard knowing too much sometimes.

Yeah, thats good advice! Wish I could take advantage of it, lol.

Good luck on your surgery next week!

[theresahyatt19 142]

Hi!

I've been lurking on the forums for quite some time now. I thought I would introduce myself. I am a 39 year old male, and will be having my first appointment with my surgeon next week. I've jumped all the hoops, had the classes, psych evals, etc. Sadly my insurance specifically excludes WLS, so I am paying out of pocket. I've decided that it will be worth it though!
After my appointment with my surgeon next week, I'll start a two week liquid diet, and then have surgery. Being a nurse, I've been in the OR, I've seen how violent surgery can be up close, even when using davinci machines for laproscopic surgery. I'm having a hard time not freaking out about all the potential issues that could crop up. I've read just about every research paper I could find on gastric sleeve, so I know the risks are fairly low, but man, it's so hard being on the other side!
Any other healthcare folks out there find that knowing as much as we do makes this process more difficult? I mean, I have taken care of patients my surgeon has operated on. So I fully know what to expect post op, I think I'm just excited, and scared all rolled into one.

You got this..

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

[MargoCL 677]

I have been in the health care industry in my past life, and I promise you if you've ever had any type of surgery, this one is a breeze.

Because you have that knowledge I think it makes you moreweary, but it should also give you more confidence because you do know the physician from your patients.

You've got this! Good luck and welcome to the forums.

[summerset 5,261]

1 hour ago, VSGDavid said:

Any other healthcare folks out there find that knowing as much as we do makes this process more difficult?

I was really scared of pulmonary embolism!! I've seen my fair share of post-op PEs over the years.

[DeeberLee 300]

Hello, I'm in the health care profession . Presurgery I told myself I'm a patient not a nurse! As nurses we are used to taking care of others. Sometimes we need to let the caregiver role go and let others take care of us.

[Jolexis 203]

ER nurse here. I thought about all the risks, but I tried not to let them get to me. I made sure I was compliant with my post OP lovenox shots though since I'm on birth control. PEs hit fast.

If anything, I think it's made certain things easier. I already know how to fix common postop ailments just from working on a surgical floor in the beginning of my career.

The biggest difficulty I've had is eating and getting fluids in at work but thatll just take time I guess.

Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[t1018ross 116]

I'm a nursing student and during my OR rotation I actually saw the gastric sleeve surgery done. It's a very gentle surgery as far as surgeries go. I was a little apprehensive too just because I know all the complications that can happen but it also helps you prevent them. You know to get out of bed as soon as you can and walk, use your incentive spirometer, etc. And it's really not a hard surgery to get over physically. The challenge is all mental! You'll be fine. Trust your surgeon and tell yourself what you would tell your patients.

[S@ssen@ch 745]

I've been a nurse for 25 years and yes, if you focus on all the dark side issues of surgery and healthcare, you could freak yourself out.

I spent almost 2 years deciding if the sleeve was right for me, not in the sense of "what could go wrong", but more along the lines of "can I live with the fact that most of my stomach will be gone" and all that comes with that condition.

As someone said above, in this circumstance, you are the patient not a nurse. A patient with a little extra insight, but a patient just the same. Do your due diligence and make the best decision for you. Once you do, you'll be more equipped to ask questions and prepare yourself.

[VSGDavid 185]

Thank you all for the kind advice and encouragement! I've been researching getting sleeved for a few years. This is the farthest I've gotten in the process after I decided I need to do this for my health so I'm around for my wife and kids.

Once I made the decision to go through with it, things have progressed fairly fast. Part of me is just ready to be done with the surgery, and on the other side of recovery!

[Sleeved36 356]

Just do it!

If you read, you will hear a lot of people say they wish they did surgery sooner. Very few people regret it.

I knew my surgeon from work, didn't make it weird.

[BarbJK 15]

I'm in the same boat, as a retired NP (women's health). I'm less than 4 weeks from my scheduled surgery. What I did is watch several videos of the actual surgery and saw how "routine" they make it seem, and that settled my mind a bit. I also watched quite a few Youtube VSG people to get a sense of how they handled the surgery - a lot of variation there! So for me, more information is better, and I am getting the sense that this is one of the more lower risk procedures. I am more nervous about starting the IV, since the last time I had surgery it took 17 tries and they finally used my EJ (external jugular)!

[Rosie T 72]

I’m an ICU nurse and had the sleeve on 9/11. I had a full blown panic attack in the parking lot the day of surgery and cried as they wheeled me back. I was terrified thinking of all the complications that could happen peri-operatively and just post op. Happy to say I survived. :) Nursing knowledge has been handy since then — knowing why each directive is important and what I’m preventing makes it easier to comply (I think). I think it’s normal to be fearful when you’ve cared for patients who had complications. But it’s been a really good decision for me. I’m less than 2 months out and have lost 50 pounds so far.

[FlyAwayFree 58]

On 11/1/2018 at 2:59 PM, VSGDavid said:

Hi!

I've been lurking on the forums for quite some time now. I thought I would introduce myself. I am a 39 year old male, and will be having my first appointment with my surgeon next week. I've jumped all the hoops, had the classes, psych evals, etc. Sadly my insurance specifically excludes WLS, so I am paying out of pocket. I've decided that it will be worth it though!

After my appointment with my surgeon next week, I'll start a two week liquid diet, and then have surgery. Being a nurse, I've been in the OR, I've seen how violent surgery can be up close, even when using davinci machines for laproscopic surgery. I'm having a hard time not freaking out about all the potential issues that could crop up. I've read just about every research paper I could find on gastric sleeve, so I know the risks are fairly low, but man, it's so hard being on the other side!

Any other healthcare folks out there find that knowing as much as we do makes this process more difficult? I mean, I have taken care of patients my surgeon has operated on. So I fully know what to expect post op, I think I'm just excited, and scared all rolled into one.

Yes! I literally used to work at the hospital I was in, on the bariatric floor! I knew this is what I needed for ME, so I tuned out all the scary stuff and complied as completely as possible to every single thing I was asked to do! Fortunately I have no memory of anything from being in the preop room til I was being parked in my room where my hubby was waiting! I haven't had any real pain, just tons of nausea. I just had my surgery Monday and today is Friday. You are gonna do great!! Just try not to think about what you know and have seen, and just let the experience take you where you are supposed to go!

Edited November 3, 2018 by FlyAwayFree
left out surgery day