Surgery and anesthesia

Hello everyone,

Im going to have surgery soon and am preparing for it the best I know how. Never had it before so dont know how im going to react. My psychiatrist is a little bit worried about the anesthesia and how I may come out of it. Does anyone have experience and advice for me? Also for my littles? How to best prepare them? Its a triggering surgery because of the area of the body.

I would just talk to the littles and say ok we have to have this surgery. It will make us better. They are going to be touching a private area of the body but they have to for us to get better. We are going to take a nap and when it's all done we will wake up and be better. We may be a little sore but we will be better. Also if you want you could let the doctor know you have DID. Maybe you could bring a stuffed animal or something that brings the littles comfort.

Having been through this with SF, talk to the nurse, Dr., and most importantly the aftercare nurse about past trauma. I found a card online somewhere that says something like, "I am a victim of assault. Please go slowly and let me ask questions." This way she doesn't have to actually say anything.

When SF had a colonscopy, we didn't think to tell the aftercare nurse until SF had started waking up a bit. The nurse tried to comfort her and touch made her panic... I eventually remembered to give the nurse the card. We also think she reacted particularly hard to that anesthesia...

Can't advise on insiders as most of them just hid for a few days before and after...

We had a surgery last september. For like a week beforehand we all talked a lot and made sure littles knew that they should stay hidden inside where they'd be safe and wouldn't get scared, and made sure protectors knew not to freak out and interfere or whatever.

Basically talked it over a lot with everyone inside, and made sure everyone knew what was going on, so the vulnerable / scared / traumatized ones would stay well away, and nobody would freak out.

We didn't have anything bad happen with the anaesthetic. I was there for the going under, and the waking up, and the wh ole rest of the time in hospital. That was our plan. Tho I kinda hated it and wish someone else would have taken some of it lol.

Good luck and we hope you're ok and everything goes smoothly.

V2

I've had several surgeries without trouble before and after my DID crisis. But while I was still in therapy I had a series of minor surgeries and during one of them the surgeon patted my arm and whoops a little popped out, was upset by the situation, and began crying. So before the next surgery I had to explain what happened and what I had done to make sure it would not happen again. The next surgery went fine.

This was a huge step forward for my system, as the little in question was the girl behind the wall.

explain it like sometimes bodies need to get fixed when they have a boo-boo. have you ever had a stuffed animal that got a tear and needed stitches? it's just like that. only sometimes people need fixing and the doctors make you go to sleep so when you wake up it's all done.

BEFORE your surgery: REST!!! have all your chores, errands, and hospital bag packed up 2 days before and then just take it easy. do not go into surgery tired or exhausted from doing $#%^ the day before.

bring a stuffy or a blankie of your own for when you wake up in recovery. and you might like to have something to soothe your throat like lozenges. if there is something special you like to eat (like crackers) then bring those too. cuz you might have a tummy ache and nothing is good at the hospital.

it is also good to bring something that smells like home. or your favorite chewing gum. the hospital feels so foreign. so anything you are used to could help with taste/smell/touch.

but really it's all over pretty quick and you are home before you know it. and you'll want some really comfy clothes for the ride home.

Google the recovery from your specific procedure and see if you should get anything like a donut pillow and go ahead and have that around.

when you do recover you will probably crave iron and vitamin k from blood loss and any blood thinners you were given after surgery. pay attention to your body and eat what it is asking for, like tomatoes/salsa, cucumbers, broccolli, sweet potato, eggs, etc. try to line up a buddy who can make a grocery run for you two days after to get all the things you are craving, so they are fresh.

when you are home resting have some nice things for littles like a coloring book or play dough. maybe do a library run for some reading material. audio books are great if you are very fatigued.

and go easy on yourself. bouncing back from surgery takes some time but you do get back to normal.

we have done some reasearch on DID related problems with anesthesia.
most people were perfectly fine! no problem whatsoever.
what was most troubling was the waking-up phase. when they were not properly oriented, the body felt drowsy and there was a higher risk for either flashbacks or panic or Littles fronting. So it would help to inform the nurses and get oriented quickly or have someone with you who can help calm you down.
very few people reported problems with the anesthesia itself. that it wore off more quickly than with other people or that other parts fronted who were not influenced by it. it showed that these people usually struggle to get a consistent effect with medication and that having had problems with anesthesia before meant that they were at a high risk to have problems with it again.
this could be countered when you talk and everyone knows not to front. if meds are a consistent problem the doc has to know about it to keep an eye on things.
As I said, almost half of the DID patients asked did not have any problem whatsoever.
we would focus on safety cues for the waking-up phase and bringing what is necessary to make the time until we can go home as pleasant as possible.

Thank you so much for all your replies! I have a letter from the psychiatrist to give to the doctors so I wont have to explain it all myselfs, still ashamed of my condition and very afraid that a little will come out or something. I had minor surgery once while awake and that did not go well. Although that was in the middle of my did crisis like una mentioned.
For the waking up fase after surgery my psychiatrist advices me to take something that remindes me of the year I am in and tot tell the nurses what to to (she wrote that in the letter) also aks my if my husband can stay until I fall asleep and be there before I wake up again may help.
My communication inside is still very minimal and hard so trying the best I can to prepare everyone.

Im very afraid of not waking up again.
Very afraid of retraumatising.
I will take my bunny with me, its a pink one
I hope preparing will help.

Thank again!

Grounding afterwards is very important. Having your husband there for support sounds like a good idea. That's how they did it for SF's visit. As soon as she was in recovery they got me from the waiting room. Grasping my arm and touching my beard and another keepsake kept her from being too panicky.

I'd be happy to share more with your husband about our experience if you all would like.

It was a late afternoon appointment and she was mostly back to normal the next day other than several insiders were still hiding for several more days.

I think her reaction to the anesthesia was unusual. I don't think it was related to DID. Yet, having DID added a little extra complication to an averse reaction. Not something to worry about, but better to plan ahead for just in case. You know, like making sure the spare tire has air before a road trip, just in case.

Making sure the aftercare nurse has read the letter is important, but should really be done before the anesthesia. That's the biggest lesson we learned.

Allcoulors wrote:I had minor surgery once while awake and that did not go well. Although that was in the middle of my did crisis like una mentioned.

That was then. Now is different. Now you are much more aware, much more prepared, and you have taken many great steps to enhance your actual safety and your sense of safety.

Almost everyone here has experienced that fear of not waking up again. It is a valid fear. But reality is you have woken up before and now other people know about the problem and will be looking out for you. If you don't wake up they will notice and they will wake you.

The fear of causing new trauma for insiders is totally valid too. But it won't happen this time. You have taken care to make sure it won't happen. They may be scared, and they may experience discomfort or pain, but they won't be traumatized because you and others will be there to help them and comfort them and keep them safe.

Safe hugs!