I'm glad your surgery went well Amy and that your tumor was benign. I love it that you appreciated (and expressed it!) the care you got. I will try to remember that in my every day life.

Your whole report shows how caring you have been to your own body. Beautiful!

Joy S

: I had surgery last Tuesday (9/18) and
: followed some of Vicki's
: suggestions that were in one of
: the newsletter articles in the
: archives. Just thought I'd report
: on how it went.

: Everything went very well. I had to
: do a liquid diet the day before. I
: mostly did chicken broth and
: jello. My surgery was done at
: 8:30am and I was home by 11:30am.
: It was laparascopic surgery to
: remove a dermoid cyst, a regular
: cyst, and my left ovary. The
: dermoid cyst turned out to be the
: size of a grapefruit (we
: originally thought it was
: golf-ball sized). No cancer,
: though. Yay!

: Ahead of time, I had made the Miracle
: Soup recipe that came from
: somewhere on RR (sorry I can't
: give proper credit -- another RR
: member had sent it to me years ago
: in an email). That soup was
: wonderful! I had it and scrambled
: eggs and toast for my first meal
: post-surgery (at home).
: Fortunately, I did not have any
: nausea from the anesthesia. If I
: had been staying in the hospital,
: I would have had a shake prepared,
: but since I knew I'd be going home
: quickly and the hospital is only
: about 15 mins from my home, I just
: waited until I got home to eat.

: My mother stayed with me the day of
: the surgery and overnight, which
: was very helpful. My father got my
: prescriptions filled, which was
: also very helpful. I was
: prescribed hydrocodone for pain,
: but I have been able to avoid
: taking it and have been able to
: just take a less-powerful drug
: that I prefer.

: Yesterday was my Day 4 after surgery
: and, sure enough, it was a true
: Day 4. I felt negative, defeated,
: ugly, and very bitchy. But at
: least I knew why. And today I feel
: better again.

: So, all in all, here is what I felt
: helped me:

: 1. Having some easy meals prepared,
: especially the miracle soup (which
: is full of veggies and very
: soothing).

: 2. Expecting to rest a lot. I told my
: body that it's calling the shots
: right now. If it needs to rest, I
: rest.

: 3. Knowing that a Day 4 is
: inevitable.

: 4. Having a positive attitude and not
: worrying about anything.

: Here are some things I did not think
: of but that would have helped:

: 1. Have some throat lozenges or hard
: candy on hand to help with the
: sore throat that comes from having
: had a breathing tube in during the
: surgery.

: 2. Have a plan for your Day 4. I knew
: I'd have a Day 4, but I didn't
: really plan anything (like
: listening to some music, having
: extra fruit, etc.).

: 3. If anyone wants to make plans for
: several days after the surgery,
: the best reply is "I can't
: promise anything right now. I will
: have to wait until that day to see
: how I feel." I had told a
: friend I'd get together with her
: today because I was feeling so
: good the first few days after the
: surgery, but now I feel a little
: like I'd rather just stay home. I
: have called and scaled down our
: plans to just dinner, but the best
: thing would have been to decline
: in the first place.

: One other thing I'm going to do is to
: write a thank-you note to the
: hospital staff who cared for me.
: I'm sure they have numerous
: routine surgeries every day, but I
: felt very cared for and special
: while I was there. I really
: appreciate that, and so often we
: only tell people when they are NOT
: doing a good job, so I like to
: tell people when they have done a
: good job and it has made a
: difference for me.

: One last thing: Through this whole
: experience, I felt a lot of love
: for my body, which is a nice
: thing. I'm always amazed at how
: much our bodies can go through and
: yet still support us and heal and
: just bounce back. I've been sure
: to tell my body how much I love it
: (even though that sounds a bit
: corny).

: Okay, this is THE last thing: My food
: journal has really come in handy
: too. I use it to record when I
: take my meds as well as how much
: rest I've needed, etc. It has
: helped me see how the healing is
: progressing.

: Amy