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Very minor surgery

Macaddicttt

Macaddicttt

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 22, 2004
993
3
San Diego, CA
I have a very unsightly ingrown hair on the inside of my thigh that has recently gotten much bigger and more purple, so this Wednesday, I'm having it removed by a dermatologist. The reason I'm posting this is I'm a little nervous about it. My mother had something similar done and she ended up fainting and having a mild seizure because of the feeling of her skin being tugged at like it was. It might have just been something wrong with her, but I'm similarly squimish. I can usually look at gross medical things without problem if I remove myself from their feeling, but I don't think I can remove myself from the feeling of my skin being dug at.

So I'm looking for reassurance. Has anyone else had something similar done? How big is the cut? (The lump from my ingrown hair is about an inch in diameter.) What's the local anaesthetic like? Did you faint?
 
Macaddicttt said:
I have a very unsightly ingrown hair on the inside of my thigh that has recently gotten much bigger and more purple, so this Wednesday, I'm having it removed by a dermatologist. The reason I'm posting this is I'm a little nervous about it. My mother had something similar done and she ended up fainting and having a mild seizure because of the feeling of her skin being tugged at like it was. It might have just been something wrong with her, but I'm similarly squimish. I can usually look at gross medical things without problem if I remove myself from their feeling, but I don't think I can remove myself from the feeling of my skin being dug at.

So I'm looking for reassurance. Has anyone else had something similar done? How big is the cut? (The lump from my ingrown hair is about an inch in diameter.) What's the local anaesthetic like? Did you faint?
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Have them give you a couple of Valiums ahead of time.
 
I had something very similar a few years ago. The doctor gave me a painkiller, but it didn't work too well (there's a lot of meat in your thigh, so any painkiller spreads out pretty quickly) and when he cut into me, it hurt like hell. Luckily I have a really good tolerance for pain, and the pain ended quickly. He packed the wound (essential to make sure it heals completely from the inside out), bandaged me up, and sent me home.

The scar I have is about .5 inches long and has faded almost completely with time. I had to have a bandage on it for a couple of weeks, and took regular baths with Epsom salt to aid the healing process. (I also had 5 days' worth of hydrocodone... good stuff, and I had no craving for it when the pills were all gone.)

Gary's advice is very good, BTW. In my case, better painkillers would have been nice.
 
iGary said:
Have them give you a couple of Valiums ahead of time.
Click to expand...

I asked on the phone when I was making the appointment if I could get a perscription for a Valium or two, but they said they didn't do that, despite recommending that my mother do exactly that the next time. :confused:

They told me to refer to my general practitioner for that, which I thought was kind of odd.
 
clayj, how about things like swimming in a pool or the ocean? It's summer and I'm here in sunny San Diego, and I don't want to miss out on that. Did you have to keep it dry for the whole few weeks?
 
Don't worry about it! I actually just had minor surgery today on my nose. I was in the hospital at 8, operated on at 9:30, home by 1, and I feel great. I'm walking around, eating, etc. The IV was fine and I don't remember the surgery at all. I know it's not the same type thing, but you'll be fine....I was worried too. Good luck!
 
Macaddicttt said:
clayj, how about things like swimming in a pool or the ocean? It's summer and I'm here in sunny San Diego, and I don't want to miss out on that. Did you have to keep it dry for the whole few weeks?
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No, in fact they encouraged me to bathe it regularly in Epsom salt water.

But mine was in January, so there was no problem of wearing shorts or a swimsuit anywhere. I know if it had happened in the summer, I wouldn't have wanted to go into pool or sea water with it until it was fully healed... too much chance of picking up an infection through an unhealed wound.
 
clayj said:
No, in fact they encouraged me to bathe it regularly in Epsom salt water.

But mine was in January, so there was no problem of wearing shorts or a swimsuit anywhere. I know if it had happened in the summer, I wouldn't have wanted to go into pool or sea water with it until it was fully healed... too much chance of picking up an infection through an unhealed wound.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I guess I should have surmised as such from your first post, but I guess I wasn't paying attention. So I should be fine if I clean it well after swimming?
 
Macaddicttt said:
I asked on the phone when I was making the appointment if I could get a perscription for a Valium or two, but they said they didn't do that, despite recommending that my mother do exactly that the next time. :confused:

They told me to refer to my general practitioner for that, which I thought was kind of odd.
Click to expand...

Call them back and tell them to phone in a prescritpion for 2mg of Valium that you can take before you get there. If they won't do it, have your surgery somehwere else. Seriously.
 
mariahlullaby said:
Don't worry about it! I actually just had minor surgery today on my nose. I was in the hospital at 8, operated on at 9:30, home by 1, and I feel great. I'm walking around, eating, etc. The IV was fine and I don't remember the surgery at all. I know it's not the same type thing, but you'll be fine....I was worried too. Good luck!
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Problem is, I'm not getting an IV or a general anaesthetic...

I experienced all that with my wisdom teeth. Not fun. The wisdom teeth, that is, not the anaesthetic. That was great.
 
Macaddicttt said:
Problem is, I'm not getting an IV or a general anaesthetic...

I experienced all that with my wisdom teeth. Not fun.
Click to expand...

They will give you Novocain shots on your toe (for me it took about 8 shots Novocain takes forever and a lot for me for some reason) Then they will make a small incision and remove the part of the nail. If needed they may remove the matrix as well so it wont grow back. It's easy

Trust me I have had about 8 of these done, and had 10mg Valium every time for any surgeries I have ever had.

And the big pink percocets too ^_^

Just remember this, if it hurts a lot they may have put the bandage on too tightly. Happened to me once, took off bandage put on new one and was fine
 
eva01 said:
They will give you Novocain shots on your toe (for me it took about 8 shots Novocain takes forever and a lot for me for some reason) Then they will make a small incision and remove the part of the nail. If needed they may remove the matrix as well so it wont grow back. It's easy

Trust me I have had about 8 of these done, and had 10mg Valium every time for any surgeries I have ever had.

And the big pink percocets too ^_^

Just remember this, if it hurts a lot they may have put the bandage on too tightly. Happened to me once, took off bandage put on new one and was fine
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Ingrown hair on my thigh, not nail on my toe, but thanks anyway. :)
 
Don't sweat it. If the dermatologist has scheduled you for surgery you will be in the care of a surgeon and an anethesiologist (even if you aren't "going under") - most states require one on hand for all scheduled surgical procedures. iGary's suggestion is a good one, but whether or not they will allow it really depends on the practitioner. (If they will not fill a valium prescription b4 the procedure I suspect it will be because the anesthesiologist will want to supervise any administration of medications; sort of a Cover His Ass thing.) Again, don't sweat it.

Theoretically, the dermatologist will have an information sheet about the preprocedure process including anesthetics. So don't sweat it. You should also be able to call his office and get your questions about valium and swimming answered. In both my personal and work experience I found that physicians can often be vague but surgeons are usually very direct. Have I mentioned, don't sweat it?

Well here's to the successful completion of your operation. Mazel Tov!

Boggle.

P.S. Don't Sweat It!
 
Damn, how do you guys get pain meds so easy? When I lopped the tip of my finger off I had to beg for something stronger than ibuprofen. Only after looking through my medical history and repeatedly telling them that I am not an addict I finally got the right stuff.
 
jadekitty24 said:
Damn, how do you guys get pain meds so easy? When I lopped the tip of my finger off I had to beg for something stronger than ibuprofen. Only after looking through my medical history and repeatedly telling them that I am not an addict I finally got the right stuff.
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When I got my wisdom teeth out they gave me a ridiculous amount of vicadin. I had tons left over. I was careful, though, and tried not to use more than the bare minimum, just in case.

Of course, I do live in a fairly affluent suburb where there literally is a Valium shortage due to so many people being prescribed it, so... :eek:
 
Valium, yes... it'll help you relax.

I had LASIK done and that's what they gave me... imagine being awake the whole time that your eyes are being cut. :)

I'm guessing they'll do some sort of local for your procedure, discuss your discomfort beforehand and they'll be able to judge whether or not an additional sedative would be needed. Don't just go in there and try to suck it up... if you're uneasy, just tell them. They want to avoid your passing out or throwing up on them just as much as you do.
 
i think i might have had one of these guys on my inner thigh a couple years ago. i popped it.

it was nasty. and a few days later it didn't come back. i was very scared for a while though....

probably something different though. good luck! ;)
 
I just rip em out myself. Get a good long needle and some good tweezers and hack into the bugger. I once pulled a hair about an inch and a half long from my jaw. It was nasty but it's OK now.
 
I don't think this is something I could handle myself. It's more a growth or a lump than just a hair to be pulled or a bubble to be popped. We'll see what happens tomorrow, though. I'm feeling more calm about it now. My father is going to come with me, just in case they give me a Valium and I need someone to drive me home, so that's got my nerves calmed a little. I hate doing things alone, so having someone there, anyone, really does a lot for my nerves.
 
Macaddicttt said:
My father is going to come with me, just in case they give me a Valium and I need someone to drive me home, so that's got my nerves calmed a little. I hate doing things alone, so having someone there, anyone, really does a lot for my nerves.
Click to expand...

I know the feeling. I put off neck surgery because I had no way of getting to and from the hospital. Just relax, go with the flow, and ask lots of silly questions. (Do you keep your lunch in the same freezer you keep you stethoscope in?)

Vicadin is nasty stuff! I would rather be in pain then that sick to my stomach ever again!
 
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