Words of wisdom...
Monday, January 30, 2012
"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." - Marilyn Monroe
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Hey, there!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Did you wonder if I was coming back? Here I am!!
I had no intention of being gone for so long, but recovery from my surgery has been a lot tougher than I ever expected. There were a few problems with the surgery, as some of you are aware, so let me start there...
Surgery was on October 31, and the plan was to do a thoracic laminectomy at the T6-7 level, with rods & screws - and for me to just be in the hospital overnight. Unfortunately, I woke up over 24 hours later in neurosurgical ICU on a ventilator. Scary stuff. Apparently, the surgeon had problems getting the last screw in at the T7 level (probably due to my scoliosis below that level), so he moved down to the T8 level. Somehow, either my aorta or intercostal artery was nicked & there was a lot of bleeding. They had to call in a cardio-thoracic surgeon, and do an arteriogram, a venogram, 3 CT scans, & give me 4 units of blood before deciding that I could go to ICU. For obvious reasons, they wanted me to lie still for a time & also keep my blood pressure under control, so that's why they kept me in a medically-induced coma on the ventilator for 24 hours.
I remember seeing Gus's shadow & hearing his voice saying that I was okay and everything was going to be fine. I remember nodding & then starting to cry - and he told me not to cry, everything would be fine. When I finally "really" woke up the next day, I was still intubated - and let me tell you, it was horrible. It was really hard not to fight the tube. Even after they turned off the ventilator, they left the tube in for several hours to make sure I could breathe well enough on my own. I swear it was the longest few hours of my life. They kept me in the ICU for 2.5 days, and then finally moved me to a regular room on the neurosurgical floor. After another 2.5 days, I was allowed to go home. I was in a lot of pain, could only do a few things for myself, and I was as weak as a newborn kitten.
Those first few weeks, I relied on Gus for everything. I don't know what I would've done without him. I was supposed to shower 3-4 times/day (to help prevent muscle spasms in my back), but even with a shower chair, he had to help me. The first 4 weeks, I wasn't allowed to do much at all - which is good, because I probably wouldn't have been able to anyway. After 6 weeks, I was allowed to go back to physical therapy. After 8 weeks, I was doing better - less pain, getting a little stronger, doing more for myself.
Now it's been almost 12 weeks since the surgery. I'm still going to physical therapy twice per week, I still need pain meds, & I'm using Lidocaine topical patches for some of the nerve pain. I continue to have muscle pain as well as the nerve pain, but for the most part, the pain in my legs is gone. I have good days & bad days - and on the bad days, I tend to get discouraged. I still can't do much around the house, I can't do much work for my business, and I can't spend much time at the computer. It's difficult to deal with that.
I've seen the neurosurgeon a few times & he's pleased with my progress as well as being dedicated to helping me recover completely. I've also seen the cardio-thoracic surgeon, and my latest CT scan showed that the hematoma on my aorta has resolved, but I still have a pleural effusion on the left. He feels it's probably blood, which would be fibrous at this point & impossible to remove without opening up my lung. I've lost about 5% of my lung capacity on that side, but since I seem to be mostly asymptomatic, he doesn't plan to do anything. I'm supposed to have another CT scan in March & if it's okay, I won't have to see him again. I still can't cough very well and I can't sneeze, but they think it's due to muscle weakness & the fear of pain. Again, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Gus to take care of me!
So that's what's been going on for the past 3 months! I have a ton of things I want to blog about, so I'm hoping that my tolerance for sitting at the computer will get better before I forget everything!!
I hope you've all been well & are having a great 2012!
I had no intention of being gone for so long, but recovery from my surgery has been a lot tougher than I ever expected. There were a few problems with the surgery, as some of you are aware, so let me start there...
Surgery was on October 31, and the plan was to do a thoracic laminectomy at the T6-7 level, with rods & screws - and for me to just be in the hospital overnight. Unfortunately, I woke up over 24 hours later in neurosurgical ICU on a ventilator. Scary stuff. Apparently, the surgeon had problems getting the last screw in at the T7 level (probably due to my scoliosis below that level), so he moved down to the T8 level. Somehow, either my aorta or intercostal artery was nicked & there was a lot of bleeding. They had to call in a cardio-thoracic surgeon, and do an arteriogram, a venogram, 3 CT scans, & give me 4 units of blood before deciding that I could go to ICU. For obvious reasons, they wanted me to lie still for a time & also keep my blood pressure under control, so that's why they kept me in a medically-induced coma on the ventilator for 24 hours.
I remember seeing Gus's shadow & hearing his voice saying that I was okay and everything was going to be fine. I remember nodding & then starting to cry - and he told me not to cry, everything would be fine. When I finally "really" woke up the next day, I was still intubated - and let me tell you, it was horrible. It was really hard not to fight the tube. Even after they turned off the ventilator, they left the tube in for several hours to make sure I could breathe well enough on my own. I swear it was the longest few hours of my life. They kept me in the ICU for 2.5 days, and then finally moved me to a regular room on the neurosurgical floor. After another 2.5 days, I was allowed to go home. I was in a lot of pain, could only do a few things for myself, and I was as weak as a newborn kitten.
Those first few weeks, I relied on Gus for everything. I don't know what I would've done without him. I was supposed to shower 3-4 times/day (to help prevent muscle spasms in my back), but even with a shower chair, he had to help me. The first 4 weeks, I wasn't allowed to do much at all - which is good, because I probably wouldn't have been able to anyway. After 6 weeks, I was allowed to go back to physical therapy. After 8 weeks, I was doing better - less pain, getting a little stronger, doing more for myself.
Now it's been almost 12 weeks since the surgery. I'm still going to physical therapy twice per week, I still need pain meds, & I'm using Lidocaine topical patches for some of the nerve pain. I continue to have muscle pain as well as the nerve pain, but for the most part, the pain in my legs is gone. I have good days & bad days - and on the bad days, I tend to get discouraged. I still can't do much around the house, I can't do much work for my business, and I can't spend much time at the computer. It's difficult to deal with that.
I've seen the neurosurgeon a few times & he's pleased with my progress as well as being dedicated to helping me recover completely. I've also seen the cardio-thoracic surgeon, and my latest CT scan showed that the hematoma on my aorta has resolved, but I still have a pleural effusion on the left. He feels it's probably blood, which would be fibrous at this point & impossible to remove without opening up my lung. I've lost about 5% of my lung capacity on that side, but since I seem to be mostly asymptomatic, he doesn't plan to do anything. I'm supposed to have another CT scan in March & if it's okay, I won't have to see him again. I still can't cough very well and I can't sneeze, but they think it's due to muscle weakness & the fear of pain. Again, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Gus to take care of me!
So that's what's been going on for the past 3 months! I have a ton of things I want to blog about, so I'm hoping that my tolerance for sitting at the computer will get better before I forget everything!!
I hope you've all been well & are having a great 2012!
Wish me luck...
Sunday, October 30, 2011
My back surgery is tomorrow - I have to be at the hospital at 5:00 am. I should only have to stay overnight if everything goes well, but I don't know how long it will take me to get back to "normal". They tell me 4-6 weeks, but I hope it doesn't really take that long. So I'm not sure how long it will be before I'm able to post here. Keep checking, because I'll be back as soon as possible!!
Deals!
Friday, October 28, 2011
DVDs!
Since pretty much all I do these days is lay around the house, I've managed to watch a couple of DVDs. I'm a little behind the times, but hey - maybe some of you are, too. :-)
No Strings Attached - Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman, Kevin Kline
A lot like "Friends with Benefits" (which I haven't seen yet), but this one came out first, LOL. I liked it - it was fun, light-hearted, and pretty much what you would expect. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Source Code - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
I'm not sure if this is sci-fi, thriller, drama - I guess I would call it an "action sci-fi thriller".
It was pretty good, although I had a little trouble following it in the beginning. Of course, that could be due to back pain & prescription pain meds. I liked it for the most part, but something about it bothered me a little. I can't put my finger on it. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.
And I almost forgot that I saw these a month or so ago!
Just Go With It - Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman
I'm not a big Adam Sandler fan - except when he does movies like this. When he tones down the obnoxious humor a bit, I find him extremely funny & likable. This is definitely a romantic comedy, but it's not a chick flick. I loved it & so did Gus. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars.
All About Steve - Bradley Cooper, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong
A little over the top, slightly goofy - but funny enough that I didn't feel like I wasted my time. There are some really funny parts, for sure. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
No Strings Attached - Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman, Kevin Kline
A lot like "Friends with Benefits" (which I haven't seen yet), but this one came out first, LOL. I liked it - it was fun, light-hearted, and pretty much what you would expect. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Source Code - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
I'm not sure if this is sci-fi, thriller, drama - I guess I would call it an "action sci-fi thriller".
It was pretty good, although I had a little trouble following it in the beginning. Of course, that could be due to back pain & prescription pain meds. I liked it for the most part, but something about it bothered me a little. I can't put my finger on it. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.
And I almost forgot that I saw these a month or so ago!
Just Go With It - Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman
I'm not a big Adam Sandler fan - except when he does movies like this. When he tones down the obnoxious humor a bit, I find him extremely funny & likable. This is definitely a romantic comedy, but it's not a chick flick. I loved it & so did Gus. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars.
All About Steve - Bradley Cooper, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong
A little over the top, slightly goofy - but funny enough that I didn't feel like I wasted my time. There are some really funny parts, for sure. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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