Surgery Advances

[dgs49]

I had a "lump" removed from my right side on Friday (7/5). It was about a big as a golf ball. I have had four different minor surgeries in the past couple years so I thought I knew what to expect.

In order to avoid all of the crap that goes with a general anaesthetic I asked my doctor to do it with a local. It did save me a lot of aggravation and time, but for one reason or another I experienced about 2.5 root canals worth of pain. I think the Doc is so used to having his patients out cold he wasn't sure how much novocaine (or whatever) to use. But regardless...

I was out of the hospital and in my car within fifteen minutes after the surgeon "closed" my wound - about a 6 inch incision.

The Doc told me that my stitches would be "under the skin," and I wouldn't have to come back to his office to have them removed. When I was being discharged, the nurse told me to leave on the bandage (a GIANT band-aid) for a night or two, then get it wet in the shower and carefully peel it off. She told me I would find a significant amount of dried blood, and several of those butterfly bandages when I removed the band-aid. Don't pull them off, she cautioned, they will gradually wear off over the next week to ten days. She was not in the room when the surgery was done, but was basing her advice on general knowledge and experience. She also said that I should NOT re-bandage the wound or put Neosporin on it; better to just expose it to the open air.

Oddly, I did not experience any pain over the weekend, even though I did most of my normal stuff (yard work, driving, and a bicycle ride). The doctor had told me to let my pain guide me as far as what I could and couldn't do. The Percoset pills he prescribed are still sitting on my dining room table.

Last night, I removed the bandage as instructed and found...nothing. No blood, no other bandages or "butterfly" thingies - nothing. The wound looks, and feels, like it is completely healed.

Obviously, it would be foolish for me to completely resume my normal activities right away. I won't play tennis until Thursday. But this is borderline miraculous.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Better check and make sure your doc actually did the surgery.

[dales]

Was it the right testicle?

[The Hen]

Do not over-reach yourself, despite how good you may feel.

Is it worth potential injury to wait a tad longer?

Just postulating.

[MajGenl.Meade]

What Hen said. Hope it goes well Dave

[dgs49]

A few years ago I had a melanoma removed from my left shoulder, and at the same time some lymph nodes removed from the armpit area. A two-fer, as they say.

In a similar fashion, a couple days after the surgery I was feeling no discomfort whatsoever, and was called to see if I could play tennis the following morning. Well, I figured, I'm right handed, so the only thing I'll be doing with my left shoulder is tossing the ball up to serve. I called the surgeon's office and asked the nurse what she thought. In sum, she said it would be foolish to play. So I didn't.

The next afternoon (now three full days after the surgery), the anaesthetic finally wore off. It felt like someone had jabbed a red-hot knife into my shoulder. The pain was excruciating and lasted for about 10 minutes. It didn't matter what I did - moved my arm, positioned it, relaxed it, it just hurt like hell. Then the pain went away. Every hour or so for the next two days the same thing recurred. Then back to normal.

Yesterday I experienced my first wee bit of discomfort with this, when I leaned over sideways getting into my car. So I know the novocaine has worn off.

As for this afternoon, "Fore!"

I am hoping and assuming this will be different

[oldr_n_wsr]

I get pains that come and go like that and I have not had any medical procedures done to me.

[Jarlaxle]

I get pains that come and go like that and I have not had any medical procedures done to me.

I wake up with them regularly. Getting old is a bitch.

(The real bitch: I'm not that old, I just FEEL 80.)

[oldr_n_wsr]

I find driving for longer than an hour that it's really painful when I finally stop and try to get out of the car.

[Scooter]

Did you not get any post-op instructions about the sorts of activities you could and could not resume and when? If not, do so before doing anything so stupid as putting huge strain on a recent incision. Just because a wound "looks" healed doesn't mean that the tissue has either the strength or elasticity of the original.

[Joe Guy]

Generally speaking, I would wait longer than one week, probably at least one month, to play any sport in which I would use a ball that is the same size or larger than a lump that had just been surgically removed from my body.

[dales]

What about billiards?

[dgs49]

I am quite fond of a game called, "pocket pool."

Ultimately, having dealt with several surgeries and injuries over many decades, and listening to what the doctor actually said, I have let my pain (or the lack of it) guide me. I played golf yesterday, having realized over the past 48 hours that twisting doesn't aggravate the gash, but tilting might. Golf only involves turning and bending over forward, a bit. After taking it easy on the first few holes and feeling no discomfort whatsoever, I finished the 9 holes playing normally (which is not to say particularly well).

A business trip will keep me relatively inert until Saturday morning, when I will resume normal activities - a couple hours of tennis.

[Joe Guy]

What about billiards?

Depends where the lump was removed from. If it was something removed from the right side of my scalp as opposed to my right testicle, I might take a chance on billiards.

But generally speaking, after surgery it's better to not do anything in which you use muscles in a way that you don't normally use them.

In your case, it would be best to not do anything more strenuous than using a toilet, a keyboard or a TV remote...

[dales]

[dgs49]

May I sneeze?

[Joe Guy]

May I sneeze?

It is highly recommended that you reroute any air expulsion through your butt.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Never trust a fart.

[Econoline]

May I sneeze?

It is highly recommended that you reroute any air expulsion through your butt.

That's why he comes here, isn't it?