Please help! my son had surgery yesterday?!
Question: Please help! my son had surgery yesterday.?
My 14 yr.. old son had a massiver hernia repaired yesterday.. Can anyone tell me how long he will be in pain.? also, what can i do for him to make him more comfortable.?
He is a tough kid, he plays football, rides skate boards, and is very active.. Any suggestions on how i can make the next few weeks of "home arrest" easier for him.?
Thank you all very much! I truly appreciate your input!!Health Question & Answer
He is a tough kid, he plays football, rides skate boards, and is very active.. Any suggestions on how i can make the next few weeks of "home arrest" easier for him.?
Thank you all very much! I truly appreciate your input!!Health Question & Answer
Answers:
I can appreciate your question and your concern.. But since every individual case is different, the best source of information re: pain.. length of recovery, etc, would be his doctor.. He/she is well-informed about the extent of your son's surgery and his medical history, and we are not.. So please discuss these types of questions w/ the doc..
Now, re: your second question: I am athletic, and had knee surgery once.. I've also hung around with other athletes who were sent to the "sidelines" after injuries and/or surgery.. And I can say from experience that the psychological aspect of recovery for us were more difficult than any physical pain we had to endure!
Athletes (especially kids) have not only a great deal of energy, but also a sense of identity from their athletic skill & accomplishments.. An important part of who they are, a basis for several friendships, and source of outside respect from people in general has been lost, at least temporarily.. So it can really pack a punch on many diverse levels!
Everyone is different, so it remains to be seen how he handles this.. He may secretly enjoy the increased attention & concern from family, friends, & teammates.. He may also like slowing down for awhile and taking a little break from the stress of athletic competition.. He may even use this time to envision his return to the game, fan his passions for playing football, and come back an even better player than before the injury!
On the other hand, he may fight depression, and feel like someone who just lost an important job.. He may feel left out and alienated from his team and other people.. He may feel embarrassed over the nature of his injury, or frustrated with his inability to do "normal" things (I recall after my surgery boiling myself a huge pot of pasta for dinner, only later to realize it was impossible to lift the pot and drain the water)!
So I think some "wait-and-see" is in order before giving you any specific suggestions.. However, there are a few "pearls of wisdom" I can pass on right now.. First, encourage him to maintain a sense of humor about everything.. Communicate to him he'll look back at this time and laugh someday.. If he's a tough kid, he should not be offended and smile when told what a "pain in the butt" he is, or that girls secretly like guys who have procedures like this..
Second, I would try to let him know (in subtile, but sincere ways) that you appreciate him for more than his ability & accomplishments on the athletic field.. Or you could make comments about new ways he's spending his time ("I never knew you liked reading mysteries / solving crosswords / college basketball / knitting sweaters before"), and encouage him to continue, or attempt other things he's had an interest in but never tried to this point..
Finally, you have to expect almost everyone who sees him to ask how he's doing.. Someone in his position might grow annoyed having to answer this question all the time, so as badly as you want to know (after all, you are Mom!), try to avoid asking all the questions everyone else is asking him.. Or, at least approach the topic from a different angle ("Do you think you're making progress.? Do you wish everyone gave you a little more space.? Could you explain some things about the game of football (perhaps using a magazine or video as visual aids.?")).. Varying the menu, even with conversational angles, helps break up the monotony of the recovery process, and I believe that would be appreciated..
Well, I hope this helps! I wish him a speedy recovery, and who knows, maybe this whole thing will give you guys the opportunity to get to know each other a lot better.. Good luck!Health Question & Answer
Now, re: your second question: I am athletic, and had knee surgery once.. I've also hung around with other athletes who were sent to the "sidelines" after injuries and/or surgery.. And I can say from experience that the psychological aspect of recovery for us were more difficult than any physical pain we had to endure!
Athletes (especially kids) have not only a great deal of energy, but also a sense of identity from their athletic skill & accomplishments.. An important part of who they are, a basis for several friendships, and source of outside respect from people in general has been lost, at least temporarily.. So it can really pack a punch on many diverse levels!
Everyone is different, so it remains to be seen how he handles this.. He may secretly enjoy the increased attention & concern from family, friends, & teammates.. He may also like slowing down for awhile and taking a little break from the stress of athletic competition.. He may even use this time to envision his return to the game, fan his passions for playing football, and come back an even better player than before the injury!
On the other hand, he may fight depression, and feel like someone who just lost an important job.. He may feel left out and alienated from his team and other people.. He may feel embarrassed over the nature of his injury, or frustrated with his inability to do "normal" things (I recall after my surgery boiling myself a huge pot of pasta for dinner, only later to realize it was impossible to lift the pot and drain the water)!
So I think some "wait-and-see" is in order before giving you any specific suggestions.. However, there are a few "pearls of wisdom" I can pass on right now.. First, encourage him to maintain a sense of humor about everything.. Communicate to him he'll look back at this time and laugh someday.. If he's a tough kid, he should not be offended and smile when told what a "pain in the butt" he is, or that girls secretly like guys who have procedures like this..
Second, I would try to let him know (in subtile, but sincere ways) that you appreciate him for more than his ability & accomplishments on the athletic field.. Or you could make comments about new ways he's spending his time ("I never knew you liked reading mysteries / solving crosswords / college basketball / knitting sweaters before"), and encouage him to continue, or attempt other things he's had an interest in but never tried to this point..
Finally, you have to expect almost everyone who sees him to ask how he's doing.. Someone in his position might grow annoyed having to answer this question all the time, so as badly as you want to know (after all, you are Mom!), try to avoid asking all the questions everyone else is asking him.. Or, at least approach the topic from a different angle ("Do you think you're making progress.? Do you wish everyone gave you a little more space.? Could you explain some things about the game of football (perhaps using a magazine or video as visual aids.?")).. Varying the menu, even with conversational angles, helps break up the monotony of the recovery process, and I believe that would be appreciated..
Well, I hope this helps! I wish him a speedy recovery, and who knows, maybe this whole thing will give you guys the opportunity to get to know each other a lot better.. Good luck!Health Question & Answer
iInvite some of his friends over and rent some good videos for them, make some good snacks for them.. Just like a small impromptu party.. This should help break the monotony during his recovery.. Find out what his favorite car is and get him a model of it to assemble; that can occupy him for hours..Health Question & Answer
There are so many kinds of hernias :you should have been a bit more precise:was it back surgery,abdominal,testicular.?
This way,cannot answer the question properly..
Planets..Health Question & Answer
This way,cannot answer the question properly..
Planets..Health Question & Answer
ask his doctor how long he will be in pain! and to make him more comfterable just be nice and hart warming that should make him feel alot better to know that you care! also if he has chores do them for him!Health Question & Answer
Don't you talk to the DOCTOR.? You should have had that info before you left..Health Question & Answer
These sounds like questions his doctor would really be the one to answer..Health Question & Answer
just call a stripper to make him feel goodHealth Question & Answer
the pain should start to subside soon enough.. He probably feels like a truck hit him in the abdomen; there's the puncture wounds from the surgery, his muscles were stretched from the gas they pump in there to blow up the abdomen, and the actual hernia itself.. He's gonna be pretty sore for about a week..
This is gonna be tough on him since he's so active.. And he won't be able to do any of those activities for about three months of so; you have to give the repair time to heal and 'fuse' itself to the muscle..
Hopefully, he's got a great network of friends who can help him pass the time.. He's gonna get sick of watching TV all the time.. Some field trips involving some easy walking might be in order.. And hopefully, he likes to read..
Good luck.. And tell him to take it easy; he doesn't want to go back in for re-repair..Health Question & Answer
This is gonna be tough on him since he's so active.. And he won't be able to do any of those activities for about three months of so; you have to give the repair time to heal and 'fuse' itself to the muscle..
Hopefully, he's got a great network of friends who can help him pass the time.. He's gonna get sick of watching TV all the time.. Some field trips involving some easy walking might be in order.. And hopefully, he likes to read..
Good luck.. And tell him to take it easy; he doesn't want to go back in for re-repair..Health Question & Answer