OT I got my pre op assemt today

My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should have
agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have that,
My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be helped by
this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for 6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure
I should have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I
don't have that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he
numbness may not be helped by this operation which will put me
out of caring for myself for 6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some
time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or
two every year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it...

It's a quality of life judgement, and only you can make the
judgement.

You're well-used to assessing risk from your professional life.

Perhaps you should think of the proposed surgery as a social work
case file - draw upon your experience.

Think of it as, for example, a 6 to 8 week temporary placement
into care. Is there an immediate need to place the subject in a
place of safety? Will such action, if taken, benefit the subject
in the long term - or is there risk that irrepairable harm would
be caused by taking such action? What could happen if action is
postponed, and further reviewed at a later date?

I'm sorry I don't have the answer - you *know* that "If I were
you..." advice isn't the way to go. Perhaps you could talk it
through with Simon?

--
MatSav

Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should have
agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have that,
My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be helped by
this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for 6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


Whatever you decide to do, I've got Kotyo and Sweety purring for you.
Best of luck!

Nadia, Kotyo and Sweety
--
Little Monster pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/nnakova/Kotyo
Sweety pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/nnakova/Sweety
Kotyo and Sweety together:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nnakova/KotyoAndSweety

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..

Purrs and best wishes, whatever you decide.

Joy

Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should have
agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have that,
My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be helped by
this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for 6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
news


Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)


No, he isn't money hungry but I'm beginning to ask myself that if it won't
be guaranteed to help the numbness in my fingers, do I really want another
arm operation that will be a) very painful b) put me into a situation where
I won't be able to do much for 6 weeks at least
I really cannot decide.
It would probably have been easier if had I hadn't had so many operations
before and knew how bad they were.

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my broken
shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

Christina Websell wrote:

My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should have
agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have that,
My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be helped by
this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for 6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..

I'm not you, but if I were in your situation, I would probably not have
that surgery. Or at least, not until I knew that there was a good chance
it would improve sensation in my fingers. But this is a procedure that's
done primarily to relieve tingling, and that's not what you have. Did
the surgeon tell you what the probability is for getting relief from the
numbness? If it's a high probability, I would be more willing to take the
risk than I would if the probability was much lower.

Are you finding the numbness to be disabling at all? I have temporary
numbness in my fingers every day, usually when I first get up. It's from
pinched nerves in my neck, caused by disc degeneration and arthritis.
The main thing I don't like about the numbness is that it makes me very
clumsy with my fingers. I never realized how much we depend on tactile
feedback to the brain, in order to perform simple manual tasks like tying
shoes. It's not a one-way street (ie, the brain telling the fingers what
to do). So when tactile sensation is impaired in my fingers, the feedback
is also impaired, and I'm not so good at that kind of stuff in the morning.
I can't put on jewelry before I leave for work - I take it with me and
put it on later when I have full sensation in my fingers.

--
Joyce

"Sentimentality" -- that's what we call the sentiment we don't share.
-- Graham Greene

Christina Websell wrote:


"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
news


Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)


No, he isn't money hungry but I'm beginning to ask myself that if it won't
be guaranteed to help the numbness in my fingers, do I really want another
arm operation that will be a) very painful b) put me into a situation where
I won't be able to do much for 6 weeks at least
I really cannot decide.
It would probably have been easier if had I hadn't had so many operations
before and knew how bad they were.

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my broken
shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.


You could put it off for now. It's not an urgent problem, is it? As I asked
you in my previous email, are you finding the numbness to affect your
ability to do things? Is it uncomfortable, or painful? I know, it seems
contradictory that numbness might be associated with pain, but I have both
in my hands. Numbness and tingling is normal. Pain means that the nerve
pinching is particularly bad that day.

--
Joyce

"Sentimentality" -- that's what we call the sentiment we don't share.
-- Graham Greene

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:

My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have
agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that,
My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be helped
by
this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for 6-8
weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two
every
year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..

I'm not you, but if I were in your situation, I would probably not have
that surgery. Or at least, not until I knew that there was a good chance
it would improve sensation in my fingers. But this is a procedure that's
done primarily to relieve tingling, and that's not what you have. Did
the surgeon tell you what the probability is for getting relief from the
numbness? If it's a high probability, I would be more willing to take the
risk than I would if the probability was much lower.

Are you finding the numbness to be disabling at all? I have temporary
numbness in my fingers every day, usually when I first get up. It's from
pinched nerves in my neck, caused by disc degeneration and arthritis.
The main thing I don't like about the numbness is that it makes me very
clumsy with my fingers. I never realized how much we depend on tactile
feedback to the brain, in order to perform simple manual tasks like tying
shoes. It's not a one-way street (ie, the brain telling the fingers what
to do). So when tactile sensation is impaired in my fingers, the feedback
is also impaired, and I'm not so good at that kind of stuff in the
morning.
I can't put on jewelry before I leave for work - I take it with me and
put it on later when I have full sensation in my fingers.

--

I absolutely don't know what to do, my surgeon says I might lose the grip in
my hand if I don't.
So i probably will go along with the surgery.
Next Thursday. 11th Oct.
I have to shower and wash my hair the day before with some anti-bac gel and
also put some stuff up my nose x3 to guard from MRSA. I have to wash myself
with my hand not with a body mop or flannel.
Which is all ridiculous. I'll be out and about contaminating myself unless
I do it right before I go to bed, and then I wash my arm with the gel next
day and get contaminated on my way to hospital.
Now the best idea for me would be to do it in hospital just before my
surgery. they have baths and showers there. Or is that too simple?

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
news


Christina Websell wrote:
My operation will take place on 11th Oct. I'm really not sure I should
have agreed to it.
The point of it is to stop pins and needles in my hand. I don't have
that, My fingers are numb and the doc says that he numbness may not be
helped by this operation which will put me out of caring for myself for
6-8 weeks/.
If I have this op- I won't be able to care for myself for some time.
I can't make up my mind about it, whether it would a benefit.
I don't know what to do
I've cancelled it once already.

Do I actually want an operation that might not work?
What would you do?
I was hoping to not have an operation this year as I had one or two
every year since 2001.
Oh, I guess I will have it..


I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I would be inclined to
refuse ANY "elective" surgery, and seek homeopathic solutions instead.
(Since you have National Health there, perhaps your doctors are not so
money hungry as they are here in the U.S., but even so....)


No, he isn't money hungry but I'm beginning to ask myself that if it won't
be guaranteed to help the numbness in my fingers, do I really want another
arm operation that will be a) very painful b) put me into a situation
where I won't be able to do much for 6 weeks at least
I really cannot decide.
It would probably have been easier if had I hadn't had so many operations
before and knew how bad they were.

I had to fill in a form at the hospital today, one of the questions was
"Have you had an operation before, if so give the date"
I did my best for the 7 eye ops, my ca op, the incisional repairs, my
broken shoulder and my broken leg. I just listed them - they should know.
Operations started in 2001 and no sign of stopping.

Here's a hint for future reference. I put my medical history on the
computer, updating it as necessary. Included are my best recollections of
when I was hospitalized and what surgeries I've had. I haven't had nearly
as many as you, but after 76 years, it adds up. I included a brief family
medical history (one or two sentences per person) and a list of my doctors
and their phone numbers. I'm thinking of adding a page with contact
information for my kids, and a copy of a letter I've written to give
doctors, granting permission to release medical information to my kids. I
carry a copy of this with me at all times. When I have to fill out a form
that asks that sort of questions, I write, "See attached", and attach my
printed document to the form. It saves a lot of writing, and trying to
recall everything while on the spot. One doctor complimented me on having
this and said he wished all his patients would do it.

Joy