I've heard from Susannajon

[nicoles mom]

Susanna
I would love to see the list.I spoke to the Dr. Boachies nurse to see if my Nicole needed a shower seat raise toliet seat and she said no. I was thinking this would make her more comfortable. My dads wife {Stepmom} gave me a toliet seat Its was my Dads he never used it. Nicole was a little freak about it he recently passed away anyway. I have that if she needs it. Hope Grace is feeling well sounds as if your all glad to be home best place to be. We did most of the tests here on long island also. So I guess it will be the same stuff you did.
Jennifer
I don't think the blood in going to bug her. Peeing in the cup is something shes going to freak out about. She never did this I was telling her the other day about it she says thats gross. O boy this is why I'm so worried she has no clue about the hospital.But I guess I will deal with that when it happens. We have to be there at 9:00 am. I just hope were home by 5:00 my Nicole best friends mom is having a party/sleepover with all 6 of her closer friends.
I Thank you both for being here for me.
Theresa

[jc3]

susanna
i think i heard they do loose more blood with that type of surgery. How does the scar look? Did you have to go down before you left the hospital for an x-ray? They had us go down before we left and they practically forgot about us down there and left nicole sitting in the wheelchair for so long, i was so mad and then her drain started bleeding, it was horrible. Is she allowed to shower yet?
Jennifer

[jc3]

theresa
i don't know about anybody else, but we definitely needed the toilet seat for at home. I don't care what boachie's nurse says that was a must for us at first. The shower seat we had, but nicole didn't use it. We didn't have the toilet seat, we didn't really think we would need one until we got home with her and it was painful for her to sit, my husband ran out and got a good one and it was great. You should definitely be home by 5:00.
let us know how it goes
jennifer

[susannajon]

Jennifer,

The scar is really long but it's pretty thin and well hidden by the shadow of her arm. I think it will be barely noticeable. I just sent you before and after pics by e-mail. Let me know that you got the message and were able to see the pics. Pretty amazing! We did go down for an x-ray before we left. The tech left us down there, and I didn't wait for them to come back. My daughter was so wiped out and her pain meds were wearing off, so I wheeled her back to her room and got her back in bed.

Theresa, These are the "must haves" for your homecoming:

1) A raised toilet seat with arms so she can get up and down by herself
2) A shower seat
3) A reclining chair, preferably a light one that can be moved easily. LaFuma Zero Gravity Recliners are perfect, and they only cost about $150. We used a couple of pillows to make the seat and back softer.
4) Rent a hospital style table that can swing over the bed or chair (about $25 per month through a medical supply place)
5) A "grabber" arm, so she can pick small things up off the floor if she drops them.
6) Pillows, especially body pillows for bed. My daughter loves this thing called a "Comfort-U" pillow. It's a super long U shaped body pillow, and it is much easier than several smaller pillows that have to be rearranged. I bought it online. I weent to "froogle" and found the best price and a place that shipped free. I bought the fleece pillow case for it too.
7) cups with lids and straws
8) socks with sticky bumps on the bottom

Susanna

[Mary Lou]

Susanna,

Glad things are still going well. As for the blood loss during surgery, I don't have any info. as to whether one type of surgery is more likely to cause bleeding or not. Jamie donated two units of blood and she needed both units in the O.R. and she had posterior only. She did well after surgery and didn't need any more blood.

[nicoles mom]

Susanna
Thanks for the list I just need a chair. Did you have a list what to bring to the hospital too. I would love to see this list also. Thank you for sharing.
Theresa

[Mary Lou]

Theresa,

This may seem odd, but Jamie's chair of choice was a high backed hard rocking chair with pillows behind her back. She said the high back supported not only her back but also her neck. Three months later, this is still her chair of choice. She sits on the couch or in the Lazy Boy recliner, but like the high/hard back better.

As for the preparations for her when she came home from the hospital, we made very few adjustments for her. We already had the chair. We brought her bed downstairs so she wouldn't be have to be upstairs and away from the family activities. We already had a shower with a built-in seat, so that helped for the first week or so. She was told in the hospital to bend ONLY at her knees, no turning, twisting or bending at the hips or any part of her back, so she learned pretty quickly how to pick things up from the floor by bending at the knees.

We took very little to the hospital. We took t-shirts and pj bottoms which Jamie wore as soon as the catheter came out. She didn't look at the magazines we took at all. Didn't even ask to play video games which they had at the hospital. Slippers with good non-slip soles are a must! Personal items such as toothbrush, hair brush, something to pull her hair back, lotion etc. Other than that, we really didn't take/need too much.

Mary Lou

[susannajon]

Mary Lou,

That doesn't sound wierd at all. The LaFuma recliner is actually quite firm. It's meant for use as a deck chair, and we put two bed pillows on it to ease the pressure points, but it still provides firm support.

Theresa,

Here's some of the things you might want for the hospital:

1) A comfort item from home, like a stuffed animal. She might think she's too big, but trust me, it will be immensely comforting when she first wakes up from surgery.

2) Your daughter's basic toiletries (deodorant, tooth paste, tooth brush, soap, shampoo, conditioner, face wipes, acne cream, hair brush, covered elastic bands).

3) Some water free soap, like Cetaphil

4) Gold Bond body lotion to banish the pain med itchies

5) A small bottle of mineral oil to help get off the tape adhesive (she'll have patches of adhesive all over her from all the bandaids, tubes, IV's etc.)

6) Little tube of A&D ointment for her bottom (she's going to be quite sore after that first BM.) Also, a little tube of antibiotic cream to dab on old IV holes and such.

7) If her hair is long, put it in two braids, and try to brush it out every day and rebraid it. If it's short, get it cut even shorter right before surgery, because she's going to get a big rats nest on the back of her head if not.

8) Slipper socks with sticky bumps on the bottom.

9) Portable music (an I-pod, radio, or CD player with headphones).

10) DVD's which you can play in the computer (they'll bring you a PC to use in the room. Good distraction for mom too!)

11) A couple of mushy pillows from home (comforting and familiar). My daughter loves those bead filled bright colored pillows you can get at the department stores.

12) The hospital will give you these lemon glycerin swabs to wipe her mouth. Don't use them, they feel good for a minute, but then they make her mouth feel sticky. Wet a paper towel, and let her wipe her lips and tongue and suck on it a little. It's enough moisture to make her mouth feel better, and wet her mouth and throat a little, but not so much water it will hurt her.

13) Feminine supplies (even if she just got her period, she'll get it again. This always happens to women after surgery). You will probably want to warn your daughter to expect this, so she will be mentally prepared.

14) Soft loose PJ's for after the catheter comes out

That's all I can think of at the moment...

Susanna

[nicoles mom]

Thank You Thank You So Very Much. I Brought Huggies Washcloths To Sponge Her Down {very Soft}. My Sister Uses They On Her Babies When She Travels. Half Of Those Things I Would Of Never Though Of. I Was Thinking About Her Period. Nicole Hasn't Gotton Her Period Yet But Any Day Now And I Bet It Will Be The Day Of Surgery Which Is Going To Be A Little Problem. But We Will Deal With That.
Thanks Susanna Great List
Theresa

[susannajon]

She'll probably get it day three or four. Just be sure to warn her. Poor little thing! It's just adding insult to injury.

My daughter was 11 1/2 when she had it for the first time. I tried to make it a special rite of passage. We had a girls day out to celebrate her womanhood. We went out lunch just the two of us and got a manicure and pedicure. I hope it waits to come until after you guys get home from the hospital, but if not, maybe you guys can make plans for a special girls day when she's well enough to enjoy it!

Susanna

[nicoles mom]

Boy Do We Think A like. Its So Funny Because I Told Her That When She Becomes A Woman That We Would Do Something Special. I Hope It Waits To Come I Was Telling My Husband That I Pray She Doesn't Get It. But We Can Have Are Special Something When She Feeling Better. My Poor Baby I Still Can Get That Sick Feeling Out Of My Stomach. As I Read Your Expereince In The Hospital And Nikkis Too I Was Starting To Feel Better. But Today I'm Going Crazy Again. I'm Looking For A Chair For Her. In My Living Room I Have A 2 Love Seats. In My Den A Big Old Leather U Shaped Couch. Hard Wood Kitchen Chairs A Computer Chair. I Was Looking At The Lafuma Chairs Is Grace Using Hers. I Was Thinking Of Buying An Lazy Boy Type Recliner. I Also Have A Rocking Chair You Know The Glider One Baby Shower Gift From Dad When My Nicole Was Born. We Are Bringing Her Bedroom Down Stairs. My Husband Make A Platform For The Mattress. Her Bed Frame Is Too High Mattress Is New 18" Thick. Well Anyone Susanna Thanks For The List Again And Let Me Know About How Grace Likes The Chair. Nicole Is Having Posteir Fusion I Don't Know If That Make A Different With The Tpye Of Chair You Use. I Think My Glider Moves To Much Getting Into It.
Theresa

[susannajon]

Theresa,

My daughter is loving the LaFuma chair. She's pratically living in it now. She's using the padded computer chair to eat dinner with us at the table, but every other waking moment she's sitting in the LaFuma because it's easy on her back, and easy for her to adjust the angle and sit back if she needs it. It's a light comfortable option, and it's really portable and we can move it easily from room to room if needed.

Our place is all on one level, so she's sleeping in her own bed... I don't know how posterior surgery will differ as far as pain. I would suggest an egg crate, or a memory foam mattress topper to reduce her pressure points on the bed. Maybe get one for the bed, and a twin topper to use in her chair.

Susanna

[nicoles mom]

Ok I Think I'm Going For The Chair.i Have The Memory Form. I Like That I Can Take It From Room To Room. Theresa

[Mary Lou]

I agree with Susanna, get an egg crate. We had one on Jamie's bed before surgery and she still uses it to this day. If your daughter uses the rocking/glider chair at all, make sure someone holds it from moving in the beginning for her and always make sure she uses the arm rests to hold onto. Anterior/posterior surgery. I don't think that will make much difference. Your daughter will still have some pain. If she were having both, I would say there might be more pain if she were to lay on the side where the incision is located. As for the menstrual issue, I would plan on her getting it while in the hospital. No one told us to expect this before surgery but we had thought about it. We figured since Jamie had just had hers, that was something we wouldn't have to deal with. Wrong. She got within two or three days of surgery.

Mary Lou

[susannajon]

Here I go with my ad again . I swear I don't work for these people, but the best price on LaFuma is comfortchannel.com. They're awesome.

Susanna