Giving up vices before surgery

[Singer]

I don't mean the BIG vices like smoking -- I gave all that up years ago . I'm thinking sugar and caffeine. I gave up diet soda recently and can't believe how much better I sleep at night. (However, I'd kill for a Diet Coke at this very moment, lol)

So...I'm wondering if giving up such things as coffee and sweets (which I try to consume in moderation, but still...) can make a difference in how you feel during early recovery, especially for a middle-aged (51) broad like me.

Thanks for any input....

[HGD24]

I started kicking caffeine a few months before surgery. I would have a caffinated tea in the morning and a caffinated pepsi w/lunch. Then, I would try to drink decaf for the remainder of the day. Then, I switched the pepsi w/lunch to decaf and kept the caffinated tea. After surgery, I really didn't want any pepsi for a couple of weeks, which was really strange for me, but I just didn't like the taste. I say baby steps are the best way to kick a habit like this.

[bbest]

Chris -

Middle aged...please...don't you know 50 is the new 30?

I didn't give up anything but I did try to increase my consumption of healthy stuff. After surgery, your appetite decreases and chances are you won't want those things anyway. I didn't want a coffee for 2 months following surgery and I usually LIVE at Starbucks.

[lelc2002@yahoo]

I love coffee but BBest is right, as usual! You most likely won't desire coffee. I did'nt want a cup until about 1 & 1/2 mths....same with wine/can't anyway with pain meds..
now that I remember, I did crave chinese food & coke & a whopper last day at the rehab...but that's another story! Ly

[LindaRacine]

I love coffee but BBest is right, as usual! You most likely won't desire coffee. I did'nt want a cup until about 1 & 1/2 mths....same with wine/can't anyway with pain meds..

I BEGGED for a Diet Coke for 2 days before they finally let me drink anything.

[bsprings]

Chris- I have had the same thoughts- wondering if I should give up the coffee (which I absolutley adore) and sweets-I have been eating healthier and have cut back on the caffeine and sugar but so far have not been disciplined enough to give it up altogether! But I wonder too if it would help to "kick the habit".
Cathie
P.S. I am having surgery with Boachie in December!

[lisanicole]

Healthy lifestyle pre op...

Hello!

This might seem a bit extreme, but before I had surgery (when I was 17) I went to a nature path specialist... cut all fast food, carbonated beverages, sugar, caffeine, etc. I took about 10 vitamins a day, and protein shakes. My mum is a bit of a hippie when it comes to this stuff, so it was more her idea than mine. I was on a years waiting list, and so when I was put on the waiting list my mum also enrolled me in hardcore pilates three times a week. Not the floor mat exercises, like a full blown pilates studio with equipment and a personal trainer.
The pilates ended up being a huge help, because by the time I actually had my surgery by curve had progressed to 80 degrees (thoracic). Originally my doc thought he would only have to do fusion from behind (anterior, right?) and then once he saw my pre-op x rays was horrified how much my curve had progressed, saying he would have to do both anterior & posterior fusion. Annnyways to make a long story short my spine was extremely flexible (I credit the pilates) and I only need anterior fusion. Also my doc was surprised at how quickly I healed...

So, little sacrifices, big sacrifices... I would say cleaning up your act before surgery is a great idea. It sure helped me!! (just my opinion ofcourse)

Good luck on your surgery!

lisanicole

P.S. Sorry this post turned into such a novel!

[sweetness514]

I used to drink Coke and then more Pepsi a lot when I was a teen, and then at around 20 I wanted to be healthier and started drinking water and mineral water more and to this day, I can't even have a soda of any kind, it actually makes me sick just the thought of all that sugar.

When I was mid 20s, I did this big natural diet b/c I was hypoglycemic, and it was too drastic(and didn't help that much), so I decided to be less of an extremist and added some sugar and junk food once in a while, but still don't crave sodas. I think everything in life has a lot to do with habits, and with time when your body isn't use to something it can either live without it or at least less of it.

[Singer]

Thanks all! I laughed out loud at Linda begging for a Diet Coke right out of surgery -- that'll be me.

I still can't believe that I'm actually going to do this thing. It's positively surreal. Cathie, I'll be following your surgery with great interest!

Well, I'm walking two miles a day and eating lots of fruits and veggies, and I'm going to try to get off caffeine -- I figure if caffeine's a stimulant, I don't need any more stimulation right now. Maybe it will help with the anxiety that's always gnawing at me a bit. But the jury's out on whether or not I can EVER give up ice cream sandwiches.

Hey Brandi, if 50 is the new 30, how come I feel like 70??!

[lbloodojunkieg]

I used to smoke cigarettes and marijuana. 2 months before surgery I quit smoking everything. It was well worth it.

[majose]

healthy life style

A healthy life style is the best bet no matter what! My surgery was 30+ years ago - smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol, never did have a sweet tooth - however... when hospitalized, there was a carvel ice cream shop across the street from the hospital that I could see from my window - one evening I got this MAJOR craving for a chocolate milk shake from Carvel's. My dad went down and got me one - it was THE BEST chocolate milk shake I have EVER had in my life!!!!!

Regretably - I still smoke.... topic for the "I want to quit smoking but can't " forums.

Good luck on your surgery - and yes 50 is the new 30 - start thinking like that and things will look a lot brighter!

[Cakedec]

Hi Singer

I agree with cutting down on the caffeine before surgery so you will be less anxious and not have to go through any withdrawal after surgery. However, I do NOT agree that cutting out sugar and desserts is necessary, unless you are overweight and need to lose weight. Even then, I wouldn't lose the last 20 pounds or so. You will need it to nourish you after the surgery!!!

Since you can't drink or eat for a few days, your body will use that last little bit up as you recover. I know that Lynn and I both dropped about 15-20 pounds after our surgeries. One woman on here said she lost 30. Plus the first few weeks you are home, the appetite is very low so you won't gain it all back right away.

Good nutrition is, of course, important in recovery. Exercising before surgery is a good idea to keep flexible and strong. But one of the main pleasures I have found during this long, painful recovery is cooking and baking delicious desserts for my family and myself!! Don't give up on all of life's pleasures beforehand or afterwards.

By the way, the sex afterwards has not been great either because of the pain and stiffness--it's just not the same. I am fused to L5 so no more arching of the back. So there goes that pleasure for now! Think I'll bake a luscious apple pie instead!!

Can you tell I'm tired of spinal fusion surgery recovery?

Take care and keep smiling,

Deb
age 47
posterior surgery 7/24/06
for S curve T70,L76
30 degrees correction
DON'T WAIT TO GET STRAIGHT!!!

[Singer]

Hi Deb!

Actually my weight is normal and I don't want to lose any weight. When I was 28 I had a tonscillectomy, didn't eat for 10 days, and dropped down to 89 pounds -- aaak! Perhaps gaining a few pounds might be a good idea going into surgery....

So...hold the coffee and bring on the desserts!!

[bbest]

Caution...if you are under 18 get your parents permission before reading.

Deb -

For the first couple of months sex wasn't so great. The stiffness really interfered with my ability to get into certain positions and so forth. Sometimes the narcotics diminished my "sensitivity". But, we have made some adjustments and I am back in action and it's better than ever because I don't have the pain I used to have.

Chris -

Honestly, I think everyone loses weight after surgery. I know I ate nothing for three days because I had A/P surgery. Then the anesthesia and all of the other drugs seriously decrease your appetite. I lost about 20 lbs. I have not been that tiny since I was about 18. If you are already very thin to begin with, you might consider gaining a few lbs beforehand so that you don't end up emaciated.

And I hear ya. I'm only 33, my husband is 41. We used to joke all the time about how I seemed much older than him because it would take me forever to roll out of bed in the morning. I'd be hunched over like a little old lady. Our nutty backs make us feel much older than we are.

[dawney]

I quit smoking, but I am a diet pepsi junkie. When I got home I drank I think 5 or 6 cans. Needless to say Eric was running out to got gas-x. I too have lost my desire for coffee. I have my occasional diet pepsi bu I mostly drink ice tea.