Preparing for real surgery

Has anyone had experience in preparing for real surgery and can report it?

For example, the shaving and dressing of surgical clothing like the gown. Do you get special underpants or are you totally naked? Do you get laid naked on the operating table or are you covered with the green cloths? What happens there exactly? Is a bladder catheter placed beforehand, or is this just before anesthesia?

A lot of questions but I have never experienced such operations before.

Has anyone had experience in preparing for real surgery and can report it?

For example, the shaving and dressing of surgical clothing like the gown. Do you get special underpants or are you totally naked? Do you get laid naked on the operating table or are you covered with the green cloths? What happens there exactly? Is a bladder catheter placed beforehand, or is this just before anesthesia?

A lot of questions but I have never experienced such operations before.

Special underpants? That's hilarious!

They give you a gown and you wear NOTHING under it.

In the OR they take that off and cover you with drapes except for the surgical site.

Depending on the length and type of procedure, you may or may not get a catheter. It would be after anesthesia.

Hair is usually trimmed short these days, not shaved.

I had orthopedic surgery on limbs a couple times. It was far enough away that they let me wear my underpants, but no undershirt - they needed to be able to hook things up. Surgery was short enough that there wasn't any catheter, but on one of them I didn't have control of my urine yet and really needed to go so got a catheter afterwards. They'll hook you up to an IV and trim any needed hair.

Note that these were all outpatient in a day surgery except for one when I was about 13 that had an overnight stay.

I've had a few surgeries and have always been in a gown. Any draping etc has been done after I'm out. Have never had a catheter, but it's my understanding that it's put in after the patient is under anesthesia.

I'm having some minor procedures next month and my doctor has said I can have my leg wraps and foot brace on in the OR. He said you are draped anyway so it's no big deal.

When I had shoulder surgery it was all clothes off in a gown with compression stockings required. I'm surprised one mentioned the compression stockings.

In general surgery, urinary catheter is inserted under anesthesia. But in case of emergency surgery it is not. Sometimes a victim of a traffic accident encountered a scene shouting with pain while inserting a catheter.

When I had by-pass surgery, I went from the heart cath lab directly to the OR. I did NOT go to pre-op as the surgeon said there wasn't time. I was out at the time and didn't wake up for several more hours. When I awoke a good portion of my chest was shaved and there was no catheter inserted. If there was during surgery, I have no idea and don't care.

When I had my prostate removed, I knew where the doc would be working so I arrived well shaven. There couldn't have been a catheter during surgery; but, there was one for about 16 days following surgery. It really isn't a big deal. Whatever you're having the surgery for is probably the big deal. Everything else is minor.

Both surgeries had me naked as a jaybird under the gown. If it was removed and sheets placed on me, I have no recollection; but, neither makes a fashion statement so again it matters not.

Yes. Before my bowel resection, I drank Golytely and had several antibiotics that knock down the gut flora. I had to shower with hospital supplied soap, twice. A male surgery tech. shaved my pubes and a Foley was inserted after anesthesia; also an N.G. tube was placed after induction.

Before my AAA repair, I had to shower again with antiseptic soap. I gave myself a 2 qt. tap water enema, because I can have a bowel discharge on the OR table, due to having no sigmoid and no Valves of Houston in the upper rectum. An old black lady shaved me pre-op. The surgery was done under heavy sedation and I felt the insertion of the Foley intensely.

Before the removal of my malignant polyp from my bladder, I again took an enema the night before surgery. I was not shaved, because the urologist went up through my penis to get to the polyp. I awoke with a Foley that was left in for 5 days.

Before any general anesthesia, I will always flush out the night before, because it is my responsibility to not subject the surgical team to dealing with my short bowel and discharged waste. Once any waste leaves my descending colon, it goes to my rectum and I then have 2 min. to get to a toilet before it comes out on it's own.

I’ve had many surgeries and the prep beforehand is pretty much the same. I’m given a gown, told to put it on with the opening to the back.

Depending on the type and location of the surgery I’m either told to remove everything but my pants ( underwear) . If they have to be taken off I get these horrible thick disposable paper ones with elastic cuff legs. I don’t have to wear them though if I don’t want to. The men get similar disposable short type underwear .

I’ve had catheters inserted whilst I’m still on the ward waiting and other times I’ve woke up with one inserted.

The same with the compression stockings . In my hospital in the UK regardless of age or weight, whilst your an inpatient, each evening you get a clexane injection in the tummy to prevent a DVT.

Nik

I have never had any major surgeries before. I had surgeries on my feet but, I was never put to sleep. I did I had to have a procedure done on my ears and had to be put to sleep for. When the sergury prep meds took affect on me, I did not know what was going on. I do remember waking up fresh after the procedure.

I had ankle surgery. No food since midnight and only sips of water with my prescriptions.Got weighed with clothes on to set the anesthesia dosage (my guess). Then stripped everything off and put on a gown. Laid down on a hospital bed with warm blankets. Anesthesiologist came in and checked my neck ability to bend back for the anesthesia tube asked about reactions to meds. The Surgical Doc came in and marked my right ankle - asked me if that was the one to replace. He then told me that since I was staying over night they would catheterize me - but they would take care of that after I was out. Asked if I had any questions and reassured me everything would be ok. Nurse came in and said they would give me something in the IV to relax and a drug to fight off nausea. Next thing I knwew I was asking what went wrong, why weren't they taking me to surgery. They said it was done and everything went well. Kept asking if I felt nauseous. Spent the night in the hospital and the only bad thing was I couldn't sleep and a nurse came in every so often to check on me (and wake me up).

For me, it was very easy. Very little pain - in fact I refused morphine, but they gave me some anyway. Best of luck to you.

Bare assed under the gown- maybe slipper socks. As far as the cat - im not sure. I know after my marrow donation surgery I was close to being catted but was able to pee finally. (I hated the bed pan. )

Just had an ordinary shower with antiseptic soap then a pre med injection plus a gown that opens at the back showing the grand canyon

Had a certain procedure in the groin area fifteen years back. No catheter, no special underpants, in fact none at all, wore the standard hospital gown, and no shaving ahead of time (although I did shave my face for the day). Apparently they shaved what they needed after I was under; a case of "now you see it, now you don't" patch of hair after I came to in the recovery room.

The best part was the pre-gas "Martini up the arm" shot through the IV as my anesthesiologist put it. Damn, that felt good. Probably some kind of morphine relaxant, I felt like breaking out in song to Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb."

"There is no pain, you are receding

A distant ship, smoke on the horizon

You are only coming through in waves

Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying

When I was a child I had a fever

My hands felt just like two balloons

Now I've got that feeling once again

I can't explain, you would not understand

This is not how I am

I have become comfortably numb..."

(Cue the epic David Gilmour guitar solo)

Aqasmic, sounds like the "Martini up the arm", was Fentanyl. The first time I had that for induction it felt as good as an orgasm!

Aqasmic, sounds like the "Martini up the arm", was Fentanyl. The first time I had that for induction it felt as good as an orgasm!

Opiates trigger some of the same pathways as orgasm. However I have to say that I like orgasm much more. Had Fentanyl a couple times and still am not a big fan.

G

Gwhap

I am having my rt ankle replaced on 6/26/18. I hope it goes as well as yours apparently did. I'm on morphine now for nerve damage to my arm and am seeing my pain management Dr. today he will advise the ankle surgeon what I need for pain since what I am taking is probably stronger than what I would be given after the operation. I have written about all my medical procedures after a bad accident previously.

I am having my rt ankle replaced on 6/26/18. I hope it goes as well as yours apparently did.

Good luck! I'll bet yours goes as smoothly as mine. My prothesis was the Solar Talarus - but many new/better models have come out since then. However, mine works great!

Let me know how it goes.....

When I was young surgery was terrible:

Strong bad smell in the hospital.

Before the surgery I was in the operating room for a long time and the surgeon prepare the material with a lot of stressing noise.

During the beginning of the anesthesia I saw pink elephants and was out of breath

When I woke up I vomited

No drink for a long time

**************** Now 50 years after *************************

No smell in the hospital.

When I enter, the operating room was empty, no terrible material to see and 1 minute after I was sleeping.

The beginning of the anesthesia was as a normal sleeping.

When I woke up I was not nauseous.

I could drink water 4 hours before the surgery

I had a perfusion after the surgery so I don't feel the need to drink.

I had a bypass and they did bloodwork first including an extremely painful arterial blood draw. This was the most painful thing in the next 4 days. After tons of paperwork they they admitted me to a room and while we were in there they told some guys wife out in the hallway that her husband didn't make it through the operation before mine. I thought that was poorly done and didn't make my wife and daughter any more comfortable with the process. They eventually put me on a gurney and rolled me into the operating room which was like a giant stainless cocoon with rows and rows of tools and saw a mini chainsaw hanging from ceiling but had no idea what it was for until later. I had a gown on with nothing underneath. They rolled me in and the anesthesiologist came in and stuck a needle in my neck and I was out. I'm sure they stripped me and put in a cath and prepped the site. Woke up with no time elapsed and was in a world of hurt with tubes everywhere. At that point I really didn't care what they did to me.

To touch base on what Moppy said about how painful an arterial draw is I can personally attest for that.

I was in the hospital on bed rest for pre eclampsia, I started to go into pre mature labor at 32 weeks which is not that bad but they wanted to try to stop the contractions, I dont recall the name of the meds they gave me but it made my heart feel like it was trying to pound its way out of my chest, which I think made me panic even more, I got a severe headache and my nose started to bleed and I was having an aura, they were afraid I was having a stroke and one of the tests they did was the arterial draw. It was not a nurse or phlebotomist that came in to do it, it was actually someone from respitory. I am usually a hard stick especially when I am pregnant, I dont usually flinch with needles.

He warned me it was going to hurt a bit. I was not prepared for how much it actually hurt but the soreness afterwards was even worse. I could not do anything with that arm for several days.

Ive had it done twice and would like to avoid it again thats for sure .

Holy crap, do they not put a local in for arterial blood draw in the US? I've had a few and all were done with a local. The one, he did hit the artery outside the area that was frozen. It was so painful, I instinctively jerked my arm and the needle went flying. He had to do it over again, on the other wrist. That one went flawlessly.

I've been with my husband during every one of his 44 surgeries. Many have been tendon ruptures and many have been skin cancers. Name a joint and he's had it fixed at least once. Shoulders are the worst! He looks like a Frankenstein battlefield. He's always been an excellent patient. Many of the Orthopedic doctors at U of Michigan worked with him during many surgeries and many worked on him. Had a gown over his naked ass when he went in and while he was helped on to the operating table. He would say, "It's time for some good sleep" He did receive a catheter during three of his surgeries.

He has this Anesthetic Awareness ordeal. Under general anesthesia he has awaken eleven times. He removes the tube from his throat and starts talking. A few times he's sat up! He says things like, "I can feel you cutting on me so get your shit together" Surgeons he knows assume he would wake up but could never say why. He's knocked out in the beginning then he wakes up and I mean wide awake and offers to help. When he's in recovery the anesthesia doctors ask him, "Jesus Christ! What the hell makes you tick"

Oh yikes, Gynedoll! Does he feel anything when he wakes up? I hope not!

As posted elsewhere, I was 15 and in the hospital for minor surgery the next AM. This was a procedure that today would have been an outpatient procedure. Just a note, I had been very sexually active since age 8 with other boys and one girl. Anyway, at about 3:AM a fine hunky male 30's nurse woke me up and said he had to give me an enema. Half asleep, he led me to the bathroom where he already had a bag filled. Very encouraging verbally, be bent me over lubed my anus and slipped the nozzle in deep, letting the warm water flow. he messaged my stomach will filling me up and encouraged me, in a low, nervous whisper. After filling me up with a big gab full, he stood me up and messaged my stomach more from behind, before putting me on the toilet. There he stood in front on me and knowing what I know now, I woudl have pulled out his cock and sucked him. He reached down and passed on my stomach, telling me to let go. I exploded and he said, "Good work." The as if angry, he told em to take a shower, go back to sleep and not tell anyone about this.

That last statement was the clue that took me a couple of years to figure out. Though it turned out to be an erotic experience for me, (and could have been even more), I remember the experience as being more for HIM than for me since the enema had nothing to do with my surgical procedure. Great memory and initiation to erotic enemas, unawares.

@bbw4doc , He can feel being cut into! He's not the human that he was at birth. He's experienced genetic changes.

Holy crap, do they not put a local in for arterial blood draw in the US? I've had a few and all were done with a local. The one, he did hit the artery outside the area that was frozen. It was so painful, I instinctively jerked my arm and the needle went flying. He had to do it over again, on the other wrist. That one went flawlessly.

I have been told that they should have put a needle in and shot lidocaine or something for pain then wait a few minutes and stick it in the same hole. They did that for a shot into my rotator cuff and it was a piece of cake. All I know is that this procedure hurt like the dickens and next time there will be a fist fight beforehand. I can take pain but man that one was really bad.

I was not numbed either time and only way I can describe it is its like when you hit your “ funny bone” really really hard times 100 ! That painful jolt that goes up and down your arm . The pain does not last long but the soreness sure does .

@bbw4doc , He can feel being cut into! He's not the human that he was at birth. He's experienced genetic changes.

The poor guy! That has to be absolutely awful!

In the UK we only use local anaesthetic when inserting an arterial line. Arterial lines are used in critical care for monitoring blood pressure and sampling arterial blood gases ( ABG's). If we are just taking an ABG then we simply do an arterial stab to obtain the sample.

I have no doubt that is is indeed painful as the artery lies much deeper than the vein. We have on occasion used local prior to taking an arterial sample .