Awaiting two operations eeeeeek!

[BikerMatt]

My worst nightmare has come true. After feeling like sh#t for 15 months and having to fight and push for everything with our wonderful non functioning NHS system, im waiting to have my gallbladder removed and have an outpatient appt with the surgical team 28/2. Two weeks ago i noticed a lump that i think i've had for a while above and to the right of my Woody Womb Pecker getting a lot larger turns out this is an inguinal hernia so i've now been referred for surgery with this also. I'm hoping and going to ask if they can do both at the same time.

As you can imagine my anxiety is in overdrive with what's coming up and i'm totally exhausted as it's taken 15 months of anxiety provoking fob off after fob off to get this far.

Anybody had any of these op's done?

Thanks

[Clydesdale Epona]

My dad has had his gallbladder removed.

Its a very simple procedure and I defo wouldn't be too concerned

Hernia surgery also isn't known to be that invasive x

[Buster70]

Wondered where you'd disappeared to , thought you'd got better and pulled the ladder up , A family member had his gallbladder out and he was in and out pretty quick and he had the complication of having had heart surgery a few years earlier but he was fine , now the other seems so common as soon as you said a lump near your chap I knew it would say hernia , three of my mates have had them and one was kind enough to go " look at this " and pull his trousers down an image I really wish I could un see , they all came out ok .
I'd be shi&@ing myself so I won't say don't worry you'll be ok , my partner has had so many ops and it's always me who worries more , I've wasted so much time worrying that she won't be ok but it makes no difference to the outcome and she has always got through.
Take care chap and hope it all goes ok .

[pulisa]

Oh no-why has it taken all this time to diagnose you??!! I'm so sorry-I thought you were getting better.
The prospect of any op can be daunting, let alone 2,but they are both "routine" in the medical world and at least your surgeries can be planned as opposed to being emergency procedures.
Wishing you all the very best

---------- Post added at 08:43 ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 ----------

I've had 2 midline ventral hernia repairs (pregnancy related). Obviously not the same type as yours but you will have to be careful re lifting afterwards.

[BikerMatt]

My dad has had his gallbladder removed.

Its a very simple procedure and I defo wouldn't be too concerned

Hernia surgery also isn't known to be that invasive x

Thanks. Yes if all goes well it's classed as day surgery these days and your probably out the sameday. It was once classed as major surgery but when you suffer from severe anxiety it's a whole different ball game.

---------- Post added at 20:04 ---------- Previous post was at 19:51 ----------

Wondered where you'd disappeared to , thought you'd got better and pulled the ladder up , A family member had his gallbladder out and he was in and out pretty quick and he had the complication of having had heart surgery a few years earlier but he was fine , now the other seems so common as soon as you said a lump near your chap I knew it would say hernia , three of my mates have had them and one was kind enough to go " look at this " and pull his trousers down an image I really wish I could un see , they all came out ok .
I'd be shi&@ing myself so I won't say don't worry you'll be ok , my partner has had so many ops and it's always me who worries more , I've wasted so much time worrying that she won't be ok but it makes no difference to the outcome and she has always got through.
Take care chap and hope it all goes ok .

Thanks Buster. How's your back?

Yep i'm sh#@ing myself. I've had four operations before i had anxiety and it was a breeze. The last one was 15 years ago when i had a node removed from my neck, they wanted to give me GA but i insisted on local as i knew i could pretty much leave straight away. Now it's all a different kettle of fish with anxiety with all the build up.

Don't worry i won't subject you and the forum to pictures of the one near my pecker!

[Buster70]

Funny that anxiety will make absolutely every aspect of your life more difficult it's like have the wind against you all day every day , makes it even harder when you remeber how things used to be before you spilt coffee in your brain wiring
When you've had the hernia opp just do exactly the opposite to me with my back I haven't learnt as soon as it stopped hurting a bit ( it's never getting better the discs are worn out and cruchy ) I start lifting things that are clearly too heavy , put a 70s trail bike in my van alone with no ramp , pushed a 600 Honda up a plank into the van and yesterday I spent underneath in the pi£&ing down rain laying in a puddle fixing the brakes and exhaust for the mot , today I'm walking round like an old man in agony .
If you don't take it easy after the opp you'll be having it done twice , you know the worrying about it is probably going to be worse than the actual opp

[BikerMatt]

Oh no-why has it taken all this time to diagnose you??!! I'm so sorry-I thought you were getting better.
The prospect of any op can be daunting, let alone 2,but they are both "routine" in the medical world and at least your surgeries can be planned as opposed to being emergency procedures.
Wishing you all the very best

---------- Post added at 08:43 ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 ----------

I've had 2 midline ventral hernia repairs (pregnancy related). Obviously not the same type as yours but you will have to be careful re lifting afterwards.

Thanks for replying Pulisa, Well it's a bit of a long story but i'm sure i was palmed off and palmed off as i have ANXIETY on my records!
I questioned my GP and Consultant many many times if my gallbladder was the problem as many of my symptoms fitted. Afrer CT scan and ultrasound was assured my gallbladder wasn't the problem and Consultant wanted to discharge me i had to keep on and on at them asked for a HIDA scan was refused. I wanted a HIDA as i knew CT scans and ultrasounds arn't 100% accurate. I had to badger everybody whilst feeling so unwell told them all time and time again how ill i was feeling and really can't understand why i was NOT getting listened to.

End result i've never felt so ill with 24/7 nausea for nearly a year, stomach flank and rib pain for a year, upper back pain for 15 months, dark urine, light coloured poops and generally feeling i've been hit by a bus for 15 months.Took GP 3 months to refer me. Consultant after CT and ultrasound wanted to discharge me. I've lost 8 stone.

In the end i phoned up the Consultant again and said i want another ultrasound in the hope it showed something which he reluctantly did, luckily it showed my gallbladder wall is thickened.

I was made to feel it was all in my head even though i complained time and again how ill i was feeling and i even cried at one appt. One GP tried to give me an quatiapine, one GP went on about phycosomatic pain, one GP told my CT scans were the gold standard for gallbladder and i know they arn't, My GP only referred me to the Consultant saying it's not my gallbladder but will refer me for my piece mind i could have punched him in the face as he may aswell of said i will refer you but nothings wrong with you in my eyes. My Consultant appt was changed to the urgent 2 week as i lost another 2 stone in 3 weeks., all the consultant ever talked about was he was asked to investigate my weight loss did he do that properly? NO!

I have everything thats been said written down and will be taking it further when it's all over. I missed my little boys nursery graduation ceremony and first day at school. I would take him out everyday, bath him and get him ready for bed everyday and i've felt that bad i've not been able to.

AND THATS THE SHORT REPLY lol

[pulisa]

I am so sorry. That is an absolutely appalling catalogue of errors. The significant weight loss alone must have been a red flag. Once you have "anxiety" on your records some doctors just write you off-it's lazy and unprofessional but you had all the symptoms and still you were ignored..At least you will finally get some resolution now although this won't be the end of it and you can demand a full enquiry into the incompetence once you have had the surgery.

[BikerMatt]

I am so sorry. That is an absolutely appalling catalogue of errors. The significant weight loss alone must have been a red flag. Once you have "anxiety" on your records some doctors just write you off-it's lazy and unprofessional but you had all the symptoms and still you were ignored..At least you will finally get some resolution now although this won't be the end of it and you can demand a full enquiry into the incompetence once you have had the surgery.

Thanks Pulisa, Even if i suffered from health anxiety (which i don't) when i was complaining of feeling so unwell and in pain i should have been treated seriously. My reply to you was just scurting round the edges of the entire saga and you wouldn't believe what's gone on.

The next part of the saga is i was having dizzy spells all throughout 2017 until the end of July when it became 24/7 non stop which i still have and it's 26 weeks today. I was ambulanced to A&E because of this and face numbness, freezing cold feet, hands and all my other symptoms on top. I left A&E after 6 hrs and was advised my GP would be told to do an urgent referral to see a vascular surgeon. Well i phoned my GP after a week and he hadn't heard from A&E but a week later he had. He said he would do the referral and a couple of days later i got one of these stupid e-referral forms were you book it yourself and it's non urgent when he was told it should be urgent! The 1st appt 4 months! So i phoned my GP and he'd gone on holiday for 2 weeks. It took weeks of non returned phone calls and every balls up under the sun and i eventually had my vascular tests and Consultant appt all on the same day after 10 weeks, yes 10 weeks after A&E said it should be urgent! It wasn't the vascular departments fault and they and the Consultant were great. Everything was normal but the Consultant said it would be a good idea to see a neurologist. I spoke to my GP and he referred me and after 7 weeks of not hearing anything i phoned my GP again who told me it shouldn't be to much longer and asked me to phone the hospital, should i be doing this?! I did and was told it's a 29 week wait as they only have 1 neurologist! That's 7 bloody months! Takes it up to the start of June! I've spoken to my GP so many and he's totally unwilling to speed it up or help me!

I'm going to Sue my GP and the gastro Consultant. I've lost 15 months of my life so far! It's just aswell i'm not working at the mo because i couldn't anyway!

Sorry for the rant!

---------- Post added at 16:36 ---------- Previous post was at 15:27 ----------

Funny that anxiety will make absolutely every aspect of your life more difficult it's like have the wind against you all day every day , makes it even harder when you remeber how things used to be before you spilt coffee in your brain wiring
When you've had the hernia opp just do exactly the opposite to me with my back I haven't learnt as soon as it stopped hurting a bit ( it's never getting better the discs are worn out and cruchy ) I start lifting things that are clearly too heavy , put a 70s trail bike in my van alone with no ramp , pushed a 600 Honda up a plank into the van and yesterday I spent underneath in the pi£&ing down rain laying in a puddle fixing the brakes and exhaust for the mot , today I'm walking round like an old man in agony .
If you don't take it easy after the opp you'll be having it done twice , you know the worrying about it is probably going to be worse than the actual opp

Yes we never learn do we! Oh it feels a little better today i will do this and bang it goes again!

So is your job with bikes?

[Buster70]

First of all WTF ! 8 Stone I know you'd lost a lot before and you were a big chap but there must be nothing left on you , but I suppose that s a good thing going in for an op and when all this is done and you are back to good health you will be fitter for your lad to make up for the time you've lost .
Doctors missing things and misdiagnosing is one of my big worries , they messed up and my dad paid the ultimate price which made me very angry for many years and we tried to take the doctor to court ( not easy back then ) but when my daughter took an overdose and we were told she wouldn't make it they looked after her and brought her back from deaths door so you can't stay mad , sometimes they get it wrong which is not helped by a screen telling them you have anxiety , people with anxiety still get ill they should know that and not just write it off as anxiety , I worry every day that my wheezing and shortness of breath is more than asthma and anxiety but now they just suggest mental health and show me the door .
I work for myself always have ( I'm too unreliable to be employed ) , I used to restore classic cars and bikes ,now it's more vintage bicycles and the odd motorbike , the heavy stuff is just killing me , if it's old dirty and rusty I'm interested.