# OK I just lost it!



## SweetGirl44 (Sep 26, 2011)

UGH - I was so good about staying calm, but I just lost it after the hospital called. A week and a half ago I was told I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 7 am and have surgery at 8:30 am. *Please keep in mind I had to wait 2 1/2 months for surgery due to his schedule not mine! All the while wondering if I have cancer.* So when the hospital called to tell me that I will need to arrive at the hospital at 11:30 am and have surgery at 1 pm I flipped out!!!

3 people are ahead of me now!! I am his last patient for the day and I have less confidence that he will be on his A game. Lets face it - this is tedious surgery! I met this surgeon ONCE and have not spoken to him since JUNE! I have not had any luck with doctors - I was the one that discovered my nodules and insisted on testing! Not any doctors! And now I feel that I am still a last priority with them. UGH! I have not cried or gotten really upset but now all my anxiety is coming out. He will be taking the whole thyoid and surrounding lymph nodes and I'm afraid he'll be too tired and miss something or upset the parathyroids. (Yes I have a big bottle of Tum's at home :sad0047: ) I called the surgeons office and they said he would try to call me tonight.

Am I being irrational??


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Sweet Girl, I am so sorry about this glitch. I am glad you asked the surgeon to call you. Ack....I don't know what to say except this stinks...you are in my thoughts.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

First, no, you are not being irrational. I think I might be a little peeved about that, too.

Second, there is not a chance in %$## that this doctor is doing three complete surgeries prior to 1:00 in the afternoon. If they told you you are his 4th surgery patient of the day, I would question what his actual involvement is in the surgeries. Does he get it started, then let residents do a lot of the work? Technically, even if residents are doing some of the work, he has to be there to lead and supervise.

I had two partial thyroidectomies (a partial, then a completion). My first one was 3 to 3.5 hours, and my second one (after pathology confirmed cancer) took almost 4 hours because the surgeon wanted to be very thorough and make sure he took a good look around inside my neck. (In his words, he did a "lot of dissection" which makes me think of 10th grade science class, but I digress...)

So...the way I see it is one of three things are going on:

1. You are definitely not this surgeon's 4th surgery of the day. 
2. Your surgeon is not very involved in the actual surgeries.
3. Your surgeon is a speed demon, which isn't good. It takes time to be careful with the laryngeal nerves, avoid the parathyroid glands, and remove the thyroid as well as lymph nodes.

I would be asking a lot of questions if I were you.

I'd like to hear from some of our other recent surgery patients... how long did your surgeries take?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Aw, hell...I'm sorry.

I can't say anything that might make you feel better, but I can tell you this: I was wheeled down to surgery at around 3:45pm...I was my surgeon's 4th TT of the day...we did not get started until about 4:15ish...I did not get back into my room until about 8:30/8:45ishpm...and *all* nurses said pretty much the same thing: "We know the waiting is awful, but the healthiest, strongest patients go last."

The message was the earlier the surgery, the more likely the surgeon thinks you are going to have problems, the earlier you are...and the healthier and stronger you are going in, the easier you will have in recovery. As much as the waiting sucks, the "late dayers" generally do better.

I'll bet this means your surgeon has great confidence that you will do wonderfully.

Edited to answer Oct's questions: Mine last about 3 hours and 15..maybe 20 minutes and involved the removal of 10 lymph nodes.

Lots of positive vibes coming your way. I know it's hard...hang in there.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

First one was 2.5 and the last one just under 4, I think they spent their time looking for more bad guys this time and it is a teaching hospital. 

One thing they did stress when they set the date and time, was that if a child needed surgery on that date they jump to the front of the line. We'll be thinking of you, and hoping everything goes well.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

webster2 said:


> First one was 2.5 and the last one just under 4, I think they spent their time looking for more bad guys this time and it is a teaching hospital.


You do make a good point about the teaching hospital...my surgeries were at a huge teaching hospital, and I know there was at least one resident in the room, and he was assisting my surgeon, so there was definitely some teaching going on. That could at least partially explain the length of time.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

You know...thinking about this a little more, I may need to at least partially retract my earlier suspicions about the time. Maybe the surgeries that are ahead of you that day are simpler surgeries, and not thyroidectomies. I didn't think about that possibility, so I'm hoping my previous post is wrong!


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Yup, surgical residents, anesthesia residents, 2 of each, they introduced themselves...quite the little meet & greet & party going on in there. This time I was very glad to be part of a learning experience for someone.. also, I do think they took their time for that reason.


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## CLRRN (Jun 22, 2011)

You're not losing it...you just want it all over. I can totally relate. My first surgery (partial) was on a Tue and I was HIS LAST CASE OF THE DAY. He didn't operate all day-he was in the office and had a few tonsillectomies early. He didn't start until 5ish. Our hospital takes the little kids first, followed by the elder and then HEALTHY people. LOL Being last has a benefit because he/she doesn't have to "rush" to finish you to get to the next case, they can take their time and once their done, they go home and you go to the recovery room.
My 2nd surgery (a week later) was scheduled a little earlier (again, I was his last case) but that was the day of the earthquake (while walking into the hospital) and they hospital delayed all cases for about an hour so again, he started around 4:30pmish. LOL
First case took about 1 1/2 hr and the second a little over 2 hours

The best part about being last or later, you come out of the recovery room, get to your room and you are on a normal sleep schedule and sleep throughout the night (instead of sleeping all day for an earlier case) and when you wake up in the am...you can go home if all is ok. I went home both days before 12n.

My surgeon had one of his partners with him and they used some special endotrachael tube (breathing tube) with sensors to identify the laryngeal nerves and have 2 sets of eyes to look for the parathyroid glands.

You're not being irrational...it's very frustrating to wait but I'm sure you're in good hands and I'm sure he is very confident in his ability and he needs to convince you and reassure you of that now. 

Hang in there....


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## SweetGirl44 (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your support and knowledge. I've had a cry and now feel a little more "in control"? haha.

I have not spoken to the surgeon yet, but I did speak to his scheduler and she said things are always changing for surgeries. She said one of the patients put ahead of me is going home the same day, so that is not a TT. And the other two surgeries are going before me due to age or higher risk of complications. So I guess it's not all bad. I've just always thought it's best to get in early so your surgeon is less fatigued or hurried, not to mention my very long wait to have said surgery! I think my patience cap has fallen off cause I'm just plumb tired of waiting to get past this whole thing and move on. Thyroid issues just, well.... suck! I'm sure you would all agree! I'll be intouch as soon as I'm able to give you all an update. Thank you again my friends!


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

I was the first surgery and mine only took about 90 minutes. My brother told me he wouldn't want to go first - he'd rather wait until the surgeon was "awake and warmed up". :indifferent0023:

My surgeon strikes me as a morning-person but woe to the patient I'd be expected to do anything to early!!

I think there may have been at least 5 more thyroid surgeries after mine that day.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

joplin1975 said:


> Aw, hell...I'm sorry.
> 
> I can't say anything that might make you feel better, but I can tell you this: I was wheeled down to surgery at around 3:45pm...I was my surgeon's 4th TT of the day...we did not get started until about 4:15ish...I did not get back into my room until about 8:30/8:45ishpm...and *all* nurses said pretty much the same thing: "We know the waiting is awful, but the healthiest, strongest patients go last."
> 
> ...


"Triage"; makes sense. A whole lot of sense!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

SweetGirl44 said:


> Thanks everyone for your support and knowledge. I've had a cry and now feel a little more "in control"? haha.
> 
> I have not spoken to the surgeon yet, but I did speak to his scheduler and she said things are always changing for surgeries. She said one of the patients put ahead of me is going home the same day, so that is not a TT. And the other two surgeries are going before me due to age or higher risk of complications. So I guess it's not all bad. I've just always thought it's best to get in early so your surgeon is less fatigued or hurried, not to mention my very long wait to have said surgery! I think my patience cap has fallen off cause I'm just plumb tired of waiting to get past this whole thing and move on. Thyroid issues just, well.... suck! I'm sure you would all agree! I'll be intouch as soon as I'm able to give you all an update. Thank you again my friends!


Thinking of you hard and can't wait to hear from you................soon!


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