Re: I'm back!

[Guest guest]

Welcome back!

your posting was very encouraging. i am begining to get nervous, but

your experience makes me feel...less nervous. thank you

beeohbe

[Guest guest]

Good to hear that you are well, Lois.

Don't overdo it.Best wishes. ine

> Hello everyone.. Got back from my resurf in South Carolina on

> Sunday. All in all, the experience went very well, I think. Altho

> I'm not as pain free as sounded like she was, I still

don't

> need pain meds most of the time, unless I'm moving around alot. I

> guess that's not too bad for being 5 days post-op. It does feels

> like someone has sewn a soda can into my butt. And what a glorious

> butt it is! Much larger now for more of the world to enjoy (due to

> swelling). Can't even blame it on too much chocolate!

>

> One of the problems with this wonderful website is that you get to

> hoping that your recovery will be as quick and miraculous as some

of

> the " wonder-folk " on it. Here I am at 5 days (finally) and am

ready

> to move on, but have to be patient. That's the hard part.

>

> I had my surgery at Lexington Medical Center, not Providence like

> everyone else. All the rooms were private, which I think is true

of

> Providence also. The regular staff was not on vacation, but there

> were numerous non-ortho floater nurses who were not as well versed

in

> things. My Polar Care did not work at all well for the first few

> days. We had to swap it out twice before I got a good one. But I

> had to keep mentioning it. These things did not happen on their

> own. I had a day nurse named who warmed up to us out of

towners

> and talked us into coming down for a vacation on my 6 month

checkup.

> It'll be Feb then , And I'll be ready for a little southern warmth

to

> thaw out from the frozen north. but I digress.

> Here are some of the more interesting experiences I had. They had

a

> lot of trouble warming me up after surgery. Body temp had dropped

> down to 93 degrees, and I was shivering a lot. I drifted in and out

> of consciousness for the entire day after surgery, and got into a

> room about 9:30 PM, instead of 2 PM. I don't know how much of it

had

> to do with body temp and how much with the fact that they had

trouble

> finding me a room. Body temp never did get above 97, but they

didn't

> seem unhappy with that. The food was very good, but would be lousy

> for someone on a lowfat diet. I follow a lowcarb regimen most of

the

> time, and the high fat content of the southern food didn't bother

me

> at all. Bacon and eggs - YUM! I think you can request whatever

type

> of food you need. I didn't list any restrictions. Most of the

other

> meals were more conservative, fat wise. But all were good. What I

> didn't eat, my husband was more than happy to polish off for me.

> One guy, I don't know what his position was because I never got

close

> enough to read his badge, was so funny! I call him " the lurker "

He

> never introduced himself, but he was on nights. He's open the door

> and just kinda look at me. Once I caught him and asked him what he

> wanted, and he told me he was just watching me breathe. I guess he

> was in charge of counting respirations or something. But he didn't

> smile, and act as friendly as the others. A big guy, shaved head,

> blue scrubs. Just kindof funny.

> The nursing staff was very kind and apparently efficient,for the

most

> part, altho not ortho regulars. I didn't run into any " Attila the

> Nurse " types, and I absolutley love the thick southern accents on

so

> many of them. Great folks.

> My first night was the roughest. They'd taken my glasses before

> surgery, and my world was a huge blur. Because of the drug induced

> stupor, I didn't think to ask the stream of folks that were in and

> out of my room all night, nor did I want to wake my husband who was

> snoring away in the recliner next to me to turn off the weather

> channel that was on all night on (too loud to boot). I was so

> befuddled. I just tolerated it all. The next day I learned about

> all those blurry buttons on my bed rails , etc. What a difference

> that made in my life! Such power!

> The return trip (1 1/2 hour car ride) to Charlotte was not awful,

but

> I wish I'd taken more pain meds earlier in the day. I really

hadn't

> needed much previously, as I wasn't moving all that much. But the

> car was more punishing than I'd hoped. It was a new Taurus, with

> tight suspension so I felt every bump, and a cowboy husband who

kept

> forgetting that quick, tight turns made me lurch from side to side

> and stretch my stitches. When I do it next time, we will rent a

> larger, cushier car, that has a more gentle suspension. Either

that

> or a nice soft pillow that's big enough to cover the whole seat to

> nestle those abused buns within. And more pain meds!

> The 2 hour plane ride the next day wasn't bad. By then I'd learned

> my lessons and was well medicated. Even the smaller seats didn't

> bother the incision. I put the airline pillow underneath that

> portion of the leg, and it was fine. There was plenty of foot

room,

> so I did my foot pumps and leg exercises almost constantly. The

> airlines were wonderful (usair) and had a wheelchair for me the

whole

> time. But it is so nice to be home!!!!

[Guest guest]

Welcome back to the land of the living, Lois! & I were

wondering how you were doing. We'd be chatting online and say, " Well,

she ought to be doing/feeling this right about now. " We were

definitely thinking about you! *Ü*

You can read about everyone else's recovery stories, but, like you

said, you have to experience your very own at your own rate. We are

all different ages, stages of diseases, and physical conditions

before we head into that operating room. That makes a difference when

we come out! I've always been very active, so though I am overweight

now due to the past year of decreased activity, my muscles were in

pretty good shape. I had a RHR, so my left leg really took the brunt

of the recovery ~ getting me out of bed and off the sofa. Thank

goodness my thigh muscles were strong!

Keep up the good work, but take it slow. Rest and keep the leg

elevated. (stretch out on the sofa a lot!) I kept the Polar Care on

my hip constantly all day long. I didn't sleep with it on.

You are ON THE ROAD!!! I'm so happy for you. If you ever have ANY

questions, send me an email. (or ) You know we're here for

you. Again, CONGRATULATIONS!!

Dr. Gross 6/12/03

RHR C2K

[Guest guest]

Louis

I was reading your account and I know how you feel, i thought because

I worked in the OR I had some kind of headstart on recovery and its

tougher than you think isnt it.........but remember everyone is

different and each few days you think, " hey I wasnt doing that on

Monday and now I can, so I must be improving " I am 5 weeks post op

now and have been out and about without my crutches etc and I could

not ever see me doing that a couple of weeks ago so hang on in there

it will get better.......

-lou (RHR-7/7/03. UK.Mr )

PS I also have a husband who drives like a cowboy and forgets about

my hip, last week by his own pure forgetfulness he smacked my bum

when he came in from work, he said affectionately........i nearly

floored him hahaha.

PPS Look forward to hearing how you get on over the next few weeks,

thinking about you

[Guest guest]

Hi Lois,

Congrats on your surgery! Hope you're feeling better each day. I'm

almost 4 weeks post-op, and am doing well. Your account of your

experience made me chuckle (not at you, but with you!). Like you, I

had been reading all the accounts of wonderful hospital stays and

amazing recoveries and had such high expectations going into

surgery. Really, everything was just fine, but not what I had been

expecting.

When I think back, it seems so long ago and is almost comical. The

day of surgery, I was soooo sleepy from the anesthesia and pain meds

that I couldn't stay awake. My dear husband was insisting that I eat

and was actually trying to feed me; he realized he had to stop when I

fell asleep while chewing. Also, my brother phoned and I called him

by my husband's name and fell asleep with the phone in my hand. Then,

my first night, I couldn't get a private room and I had a roomate

that (bless her heart) was vomiting and calling for the nurses all

night. Then I COULDN'T sleep but desperately wanted to. The second

day seemed like a chaotic blur with a constant parade of physical

therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, hospital chaplain, etc.

I was feeling pretty bummed on the second day, as I had an awful

brace attached to my body from waist to knee. Apparently, the doctor

felt it necessary to play it safe with my new hip since my CDH makes

me more prone to dislocation. I am still wearing this and should be

able to shed it at 6 to 8 weeks. The worse part was having this

brace resting on my incision (felt like a huge paper cut).

Most of the nurses were sweethearts and took great care of me. I too

had a strange problem. My temp was fine, but my blood pressure was

really low and made me very dizzy. They kept pumping more fluids

through my IV to help with the low BP, but that made me need the

bedpan more (not fun). My dizziness continued after I left the

hospital and, after a week, I finally figured out that my pain med

(dilaudin) was the problem. I'm happy to report that I'm finally

clear-headed.

Hang in there with the pain and swelling. You'll be amazed at how

quickly your incision will heal. Every day will be a little better.

Mine felt so much better after the staples were removed. I too have

the dreaded " can butt " ...so weird! I had swelling from thigh to

toes, with my left thigh looking twice the size of my right thigh. I

used a " cool pack " on my thigh for 20-minute time periods several

times each day and that helped a lot. Now, I'm almost back to

normal. I understand it can take even months for all the swelling to

disappear.

I also have a fast-driving husband (a Andretti wannabe). I

have to remind him that I don't enjoy sliding side to side in the

car. He's doing much better now. Since I can't drive, I love to

just get out of the house and go for a ride. I feel like those dogs

that ride with their heads out the window, just enjoying the wind in

their faces. I will go visit friends and family, but haven't gotten

the desire to be seen in public...the lovely TEDs stockings and big,

baggy pants that go over my brace leave me looking pretty goofy!

Best of luck to you and hang in there! Pretty soon, your hospital

stay will be like a distant memory and you'll be amazed at how fast

your body can heal itself.

Jodi

C2K, left hip, 7/17/03

[Guest guest]

Glad all is well with you. I ache for those who did not come through

so well; this has been an awful stretch for Florida.

Sharon

> Hi Connie and everyone else!

>

> We made it through. We lost power in the early afternoon and when

I woke up

> this morning, the power was back on. It was another typical

hurricane with

> all the wind and rain. The winds were worse this time because this

one went

> right through Tampa, but I'm not sure how bad the damage is yet.

Everything

> is normal with us until the power goes out and then it gets hot...

and dark

> and damp. We can't see anything. We can't watch TV, can't read,

can't sew,

> can't cook, can't get on the computer, etc. After awhile it gets

to you,

> especially since this is our third if not fourth hurricane we've

put up with

> this month. The good news is, I didn't have to put up with my

inlaws. They

> actually stayed home and this relieved a lot of stress on us.

>

> Today I will spend cleaning up the house and the yard and doing an

endless

> load of dishes and laundry.

>

> Hope everyone else made it through with minimal damage and still

has their

> sanity.

>

> Jinny

> thebirdlover@a...

> Nanday and Quaker Rescue

> Our flock includes Junior Lee (Scarlet macaw), Cleo (Severe Macaw),

Peanut

> (CAG), Sweetie, Olivia, Kiwi, Papaya, Elmo Apple and Chester

(rescued

> quakers), ie, Oliver, Irma and Coco (rescued nandays)

> STILL looking for that special Greenwing needing a home!

> -- [Nandays2] Here we go again!

>

> Are you all safe and sound out there?? Here we go again with

hurricane

> number FIVE for the month. Incredible. Stay safe. We've got the

house

> boarded up and plenty of food and water. Got the animals safe.

>

> Jinny

> thebirdlover@a...

> Nanday and Quaker Rescue

> Our flock includes Junior Lee (Scarlet macaw), Cleo (Severe Macaw),

Peanut

> (CAG), Sweetie, Olivia, Kiwi, Papaya, Elmo Apple and Chester

(rescued

> quakers), ie, Oliver, Irma and Coco (rescued nandays)

> STILL looking for that special Greenwing needing a home!

>

>

>

>