First, thanks to all of you for your prayers, emails, cards, donations, gifts, etc. in regards to Brad's mom. Everything went very smoothly, and Brad is doing as well as can be expected. He handled everything so well, and made every decision by asking himself "What would mom want?" Right now there is more relief that Carolyn is finally at peace; hopefully with her husband, able to walk and see, and greeting all of those who went before her and looking over all of us she left behind. She suffered greatly in her final days, and none of us wanted that. We are grateful for all who attended the visitation and funeral, and I want to thank my Grimm family for all that they did - including sending a family "representative" - and for their wonderful words and support. I did finally meet Brad's brother for the first time, and my niece and nephew...who are 3-1/2 year old twins and absolutely adorable. I also had the opportunity to meet additional members of Brad's family, and finally went to the tavern his parents owned back in the 80's for the first time.
The last few weeks have been anything but normal. It's now been 15 weeks since my surgery, and the big question I'm asked after "How is Brad doing?" is how am I doing. With all of the driving, flying, hotel stays, pulling/lifting luggage and physical activity, I held up pretty well. If this had all happened before my surgery in December, I wouldn't have lasted a day. While I was sore, stiff and ready to go home near the end, I survived ok. I'm still sore and worse off than I was before all of this, but I've had much worse days. I was happy with my abilities these last couple of weeks.
I had to postpone my physical therapy by two weeks, so I had my first session last Friday. Though I was there an hour, it was mostly just an assessment, discussion of what I would like to accomplish, and an introduction to the staff. There are only a few individuals there, but they are seasoned professionals. The place I went to back in 2005 was mostly filled with students-in-training, and that was a mess. Though this place does not have before/after work hours, these people know what they are doing and the facilities are great. It sounds like I will mostly be working with the owner, and I'm looking forward to really getting into things.
This has been a most unusual year and month. I have follow-up appointments with my hand surgeon and spine surgeon, but plan on pushing them back a few weeks given what has transpired. I would like a chance to see how I handle PT before I have follow-up appointments, especially with my spine surgeon. Driving to Maryland and back is time consuming and costs money, and I want to make sure I can get the most benefit from the trip as possible. I also need to reschedule my appointment with my primary care physician, as I need to see where my counts are at. I've been feeling very tired lately (more than usual and beyond my control), and I'm wondering if my thyroid is low.
So what's in store for us now? I think the biggest thing is just trying to get back into a normal life. We're both behind in our jobs, and Brad has a bit of catching up to do in his classes. We need to get back into a regular schedule; I need to work on getting healthier and feeling better, and we'd like to start some home remodeling projects that have been on our mind for some time. We need to save some money; the last few months have been expensive. We'd like to go on some mini-vacations over the summer, including going to Cape Cod to see my brother as he is doing lighting design for several theatre productions there over the summer. I think overall we just hope for some reasonably peaceful months ahead. Just a little break from everything, time to mentally adjust to all of the changes, and most importantly...quality time with each other and those we care most about.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Week 13
This one will be brief. I noticed a big change last week in regards to pain levels dropping drastically. This week has been fairly stable. I notice more pain when there are drastic weather changes (which there have been several), but still a positive difference. I'm taking about 1/4 to 1/3 of the medications I was taking two weeks ago, so to me that's a telltale sign.
Brad and I are leaving for Iowa to see his mom after work today. We'll be spending the night in La Salle/Peru, IL, and then should be able to be in Adair around noon-1pm on Friday. The plan is that we will head home on Sunday, unless it looks like Brad should stay. In that case I'll fly back home Sunday, as I unfortunately need to be at work Monday unless circumstances are very critical. I'm glad to be able to go with Brad and to see my mother-in-law, but it will also be a big test in terms of how I physically handle the travel. I think I'll do fine, and am grateful that I have had a relatively quick recovery (compared to other fusion patients), so I will not complain. My main concern is for Brad and his mom, and trying to do anything I can to provide support.
I will try to post info on how Brad's mom is doing from the road depending on time/connectivity availability.
Brad and I are leaving for Iowa to see his mom after work today. We'll be spending the night in La Salle/Peru, IL, and then should be able to be in Adair around noon-1pm on Friday. The plan is that we will head home on Sunday, unless it looks like Brad should stay. In that case I'll fly back home Sunday, as I unfortunately need to be at work Monday unless circumstances are very critical. I'm glad to be able to go with Brad and to see my mother-in-law, but it will also be a big test in terms of how I physically handle the travel. I think I'll do fine, and am grateful that I have had a relatively quick recovery (compared to other fusion patients), so I will not complain. My main concern is for Brad and his mom, and trying to do anything I can to provide support.
I will try to post info on how Brad's mom is doing from the road depending on time/connectivity availability.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Week 12
First, a quick update on Brad's mom. While she seems to have good days and bad, her memory and concentration seems to be going. She is very tired, but not getting much sleep. She says she still feels good, but it's harder to have a conversation with her. Brad's sister is doing a great job keeping in touch with hospice to monitor her condition, and Brad will travel to be with her when it appears the end is near; I'm hoping I will be able to go along as well.
In terms of my condition, I made some progress this week. I met, for the first time, the chief medical officer at the clinic my dad works at. He is a hand surgeon, and offered to see me given the amount of pain I've been suffering with over the last month and a half with in my hands and arms. This visit was of special importance, as the surgeon has offered advice and support to me through my father over the last several years, so it was a pleasure to finally meet him in person. It turns out he suffered from an "undiagnosable" disease in his 20's when he was starting med school, and while he eventually was diagnosed he told me he had a special place in his heart for me as he knows what I've been going through. It's the first person I've met that could relate to me, and while I would never wish for anyone to go through what I've been through, it created an instant understanding and bond.
They did x-rays of my hands and wrists, and to my amazement there was no bone damage. Considering there is joint degeneration in my knees and ankles, I was happily surprised. The doctor did a quick examination and determined that I was probably suffering from carpal tunnel. I was diagnosed with this in 1998; mild in my left hand, moderate in my right. I had a few injections, but the last one was back in 2003. I really hadn't suffered from any pain since that time, but with all of the time I spent glued to my laptop in December and January it likely pushed me over the edge. I was given an injection in each hand along with splints. While my fingers are still a bit numb, the pain is 98% gone. I will follow up with the surgeon at the end of the month. If the pain has returned then he will recommend surgery, which is really a minor procedure compared to everything else I've been through. If I'm still doing well and not experiencing pain, then we'll hold off on the surgery until the symptoms flare up again.
The hand surgeon was also kind enough to recommend two other items. First, he suggested that I approach my primary care physician regarding thyroid medicine. While my numbers have always been on the "normal" side, he said with everything I've been through my number should ideally be on the high side of normal. Last time it was checked it was on the lower-to-mid side. He thought medication might help make me feel a bit better. He also gave me the name of a physical therapist who takes unusual cases and provides some unusual treatments such as underwater treadmill therapy. Considering the enormous toll my condition has taken on my body in three years, I'm very excited about this opportunity and hope to be able to schedule an appointment soon. I have clearance to begin therapy for my back, but I'm actually more concerned in rebuilding my legs, which I think have been the most effected from all of this.
I'm seeing my primary care physician next Friday; I'd like to have blood work completed again to see where my numbers are. Also, since the IVC filter was removed, I've been noticing that when I come home from work my ankles are very swollen. Usually 30 minutes with my feet up in the lounge chair solves that problem, but obviously want to make sure there is no blood clot or other serious issue popping up.
With my hand/arm pain now gone, I've drastically reduced my medications this week. I'm mostly taking just normal Aleve for pain. My low back has been aching a little bit the last two days, but it's minor. I've been waking up in the morning with dizziness and some morning sickness over the last couple of weeks, but I went through a similar thing when I was getting treated for Lyme back in 1992. It makes it difficult to want to get out of bed and start the day, but I'm managing. And for the record, no, not pregnant! I suspect I'm just dealing with a lot of changes in my system. We'll see what the blood work shows.
So that is where I stand now. I'm hoping to get caught up on some correspondence over the weekend, as I had really stopped cold-turkey with emails and calls. As always, I use what little physical capabilities I have towards my job, and everything else suffers. Have to pay the bills, and given the economy I feel grateful to have a job with relative stability. I certainly have to do everything I can to hold on to that, though I hate that I give up so much on a personal level. Hopefully I will soon be able to find a better balance in life.
This has been a long post, but this should give you all a clear picture of where I'm at now. I'll still continue to post weekly, though I'm looking forward to the day where I can say "I'm done with this chapter of my life, and here is my last blog entry." That would certainly be a day of celebration for me. Thank you all who sent Brad and I anniversary cards this week; we enjoyed them all. Given everything going on we did not do much to celebrate other than a nice dinner on Saturday (Brad had class on Monday), but we made a promise to go away somewhere for a vacation when things have settled a few months from now.
I hope all of you out there are doing well, are happy and healthy, and enjoying life to the fullest.
In terms of my condition, I made some progress this week. I met, for the first time, the chief medical officer at the clinic my dad works at. He is a hand surgeon, and offered to see me given the amount of pain I've been suffering with over the last month and a half with in my hands and arms. This visit was of special importance, as the surgeon has offered advice and support to me through my father over the last several years, so it was a pleasure to finally meet him in person. It turns out he suffered from an "undiagnosable" disease in his 20's when he was starting med school, and while he eventually was diagnosed he told me he had a special place in his heart for me as he knows what I've been going through. It's the first person I've met that could relate to me, and while I would never wish for anyone to go through what I've been through, it created an instant understanding and bond.
They did x-rays of my hands and wrists, and to my amazement there was no bone damage. Considering there is joint degeneration in my knees and ankles, I was happily surprised. The doctor did a quick examination and determined that I was probably suffering from carpal tunnel. I was diagnosed with this in 1998; mild in my left hand, moderate in my right. I had a few injections, but the last one was back in 2003. I really hadn't suffered from any pain since that time, but with all of the time I spent glued to my laptop in December and January it likely pushed me over the edge. I was given an injection in each hand along with splints. While my fingers are still a bit numb, the pain is 98% gone. I will follow up with the surgeon at the end of the month. If the pain has returned then he will recommend surgery, which is really a minor procedure compared to everything else I've been through. If I'm still doing well and not experiencing pain, then we'll hold off on the surgery until the symptoms flare up again.
The hand surgeon was also kind enough to recommend two other items. First, he suggested that I approach my primary care physician regarding thyroid medicine. While my numbers have always been on the "normal" side, he said with everything I've been through my number should ideally be on the high side of normal. Last time it was checked it was on the lower-to-mid side. He thought medication might help make me feel a bit better. He also gave me the name of a physical therapist who takes unusual cases and provides some unusual treatments such as underwater treadmill therapy. Considering the enormous toll my condition has taken on my body in three years, I'm very excited about this opportunity and hope to be able to schedule an appointment soon. I have clearance to begin therapy for my back, but I'm actually more concerned in rebuilding my legs, which I think have been the most effected from all of this.
I'm seeing my primary care physician next Friday; I'd like to have blood work completed again to see where my numbers are. Also, since the IVC filter was removed, I've been noticing that when I come home from work my ankles are very swollen. Usually 30 minutes with my feet up in the lounge chair solves that problem, but obviously want to make sure there is no blood clot or other serious issue popping up.
With my hand/arm pain now gone, I've drastically reduced my medications this week. I'm mostly taking just normal Aleve for pain. My low back has been aching a little bit the last two days, but it's minor. I've been waking up in the morning with dizziness and some morning sickness over the last couple of weeks, but I went through a similar thing when I was getting treated for Lyme back in 1992. It makes it difficult to want to get out of bed and start the day, but I'm managing. And for the record, no, not pregnant! I suspect I'm just dealing with a lot of changes in my system. We'll see what the blood work shows.
So that is where I stand now. I'm hoping to get caught up on some correspondence over the weekend, as I had really stopped cold-turkey with emails and calls. As always, I use what little physical capabilities I have towards my job, and everything else suffers. Have to pay the bills, and given the economy I feel grateful to have a job with relative stability. I certainly have to do everything I can to hold on to that, though I hate that I give up so much on a personal level. Hopefully I will soon be able to find a better balance in life.
This has been a long post, but this should give you all a clear picture of where I'm at now. I'll still continue to post weekly, though I'm looking forward to the day where I can say "I'm done with this chapter of my life, and here is my last blog entry." That would certainly be a day of celebration for me. Thank you all who sent Brad and I anniversary cards this week; we enjoyed them all. Given everything going on we did not do much to celebrate other than a nice dinner on Saturday (Brad had class on Monday), but we made a promise to go away somewhere for a vacation when things have settled a few months from now.
I hope all of you out there are doing well, are happy and healthy, and enjoying life to the fullest.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Week 11 (almost 12)
Good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad first.
The Bad
I'm now certain that the arm/hand pain I've been really struggling with over the past month is unrelated to the metal issue. The pain continues to worsen, and it's making my life miserable. Basically both arms and hands feel like I have a thousand needles in them, my hands are constantly burning, and I've lost feeling in my fingers. Since I spend most of my day at a keyboard, you can imagine the difficulty there. Sleeping is almost impossible; I spend hours trying to find a comfortable position that reduces the pain to a level where I can actually fall asleep. How I position my neck, shoulders and wrists can effect the pain level. Last night was the first night I got 4-1/2 hours of solid sleep, but it took a lot of time, positioning and medications to get to that point. The last several nights I've not been able to sleep more than 20 minute increments; in terms of sleep, it's worse than before the surgery.
I have reason to believe that the disc I herniated in my neck back in 1992 - though it really hasn't given me problems since 1993/94 - is the cause. I'm going to start with seeing an upper extremities ortho surgeon who my dad has a good relationship with, as he offered to see me on Tuesday. If it's shoulder/arm/hand related, he can diagnose and treat. If not, then I have to make the decision which orthopedic spine surgeon to see. At this point I'm leaning towards the first spine surgeon, for a few reasons. One, he works at the clinic my dad works at so I can maybe get in a little quicker. Second, I'm hoping the treatment can be a cortisone injection; if it is, the pain mgmt physician at that same location is wonderful and I would trust him to do a good job. Though my most recent spine surgeon is my favorite, I feel my current situation would be too "average" for him, and I don't want to waste his time. He has a gift, and that's why he typically only takes difficult patients who need a rare/difficult surgery performed.
The Good
Though the upper extremity pain makes it difficult to think about anything else, I continue to notice positive changes in my back and legs. It's interesting, because it's almost like a transformation. I always felt like something was "eating away" at my bones and muscle. I'm not feeling that so much anymore. However, what I am feeling is almost like the "after-effect." My main leg complain is muscle pain, but it's different than before. In my mind, what I'm experiencing is something that could be taken care of with lots of physical therapy and time. My muscles are damaged, I've had to severely limit my activities over the last couple of years, and between the two my muscles need to be "rebuilt."
So in conclusion, while I feel I'm making some progress I'm still suffering a lot, just in a different way. It certainly would have been better had I not had this arm/hand thing pop up as I think I'd better be able to determine how things are progressing, but my health has not been, and will probably never be, an area where I'm "lucky" or even just normal. I think everyone has a certain part of their life where they struggle - mentally, professionally, relationships, health, etc. I've always been blessed with a wonderful family, a decent brain, a great husband and friends, good jobs...health is my area of struggle. And you know, the fact I have all of those other things going for me has made it possible for me to continue with a somewhat normal life despite the health stuff. I haven't given up yet, and certainly will not be giving up any time soon.
I hope everyone has/had a great weekend.
The Bad
I'm now certain that the arm/hand pain I've been really struggling with over the past month is unrelated to the metal issue. The pain continues to worsen, and it's making my life miserable. Basically both arms and hands feel like I have a thousand needles in them, my hands are constantly burning, and I've lost feeling in my fingers. Since I spend most of my day at a keyboard, you can imagine the difficulty there. Sleeping is almost impossible; I spend hours trying to find a comfortable position that reduces the pain to a level where I can actually fall asleep. How I position my neck, shoulders and wrists can effect the pain level. Last night was the first night I got 4-1/2 hours of solid sleep, but it took a lot of time, positioning and medications to get to that point. The last several nights I've not been able to sleep more than 20 minute increments; in terms of sleep, it's worse than before the surgery.
I have reason to believe that the disc I herniated in my neck back in 1992 - though it really hasn't given me problems since 1993/94 - is the cause. I'm going to start with seeing an upper extremities ortho surgeon who my dad has a good relationship with, as he offered to see me on Tuesday. If it's shoulder/arm/hand related, he can diagnose and treat. If not, then I have to make the decision which orthopedic spine surgeon to see. At this point I'm leaning towards the first spine surgeon, for a few reasons. One, he works at the clinic my dad works at so I can maybe get in a little quicker. Second, I'm hoping the treatment can be a cortisone injection; if it is, the pain mgmt physician at that same location is wonderful and I would trust him to do a good job. Though my most recent spine surgeon is my favorite, I feel my current situation would be too "average" for him, and I don't want to waste his time. He has a gift, and that's why he typically only takes difficult patients who need a rare/difficult surgery performed.
The Good
Though the upper extremity pain makes it difficult to think about anything else, I continue to notice positive changes in my back and legs. It's interesting, because it's almost like a transformation. I always felt like something was "eating away" at my bones and muscle. I'm not feeling that so much anymore. However, what I am feeling is almost like the "after-effect." My main leg complain is muscle pain, but it's different than before. In my mind, what I'm experiencing is something that could be taken care of with lots of physical therapy and time. My muscles are damaged, I've had to severely limit my activities over the last couple of years, and between the two my muscles need to be "rebuilt."
So in conclusion, while I feel I'm making some progress I'm still suffering a lot, just in a different way. It certainly would have been better had I not had this arm/hand thing pop up as I think I'd better be able to determine how things are progressing, but my health has not been, and will probably never be, an area where I'm "lucky" or even just normal. I think everyone has a certain part of their life where they struggle - mentally, professionally, relationships, health, etc. I've always been blessed with a wonderful family, a decent brain, a great husband and friends, good jobs...health is my area of struggle. And you know, the fact I have all of those other things going for me has made it possible for me to continue with a somewhat normal life despite the health stuff. I haven't given up yet, and certainly will not be giving up any time soon.
I hope everyone has/had a great weekend.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Week 10 - And Six Days After
It's now been six days since I had the IVC filter removed. The pain levels continue to inch down ever so slightly, and I feel little changes each day. It's like I told my case manager - this week the pain is bad but "tolerable", where as the last few weeks I would have welcomed getting hit by a bus, put in a coma...anything where I wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore as I was going out of my mind. There is an improvement, I just have a long way to go.
Currently all of my energy is going into my job, and by the time I get home at night I'm beat. While my hand pain is much better, it's still bad enough where I'm avoiding the computer when I get home. I'll know I'm making progress when I'm back to doing my evening emails, Facebook and blogs again on a regular basis, not to mention to occasional game of mahjong. When I don't even want to play a simple computer game you know I'm not well!
I'm on minimal pain medications that help me get through the day, but I'm still having trouble sleeping. It takes me forever to get comfortable, and sometimes "comfortable" is impossible to achieve. At least this past week I've been getting in at least 5 hours of sleep a night, so I'm grateful. I'm also grateful for our DirectTV, though the receiver has been freezing up a lot lately. When you can't hold a book to read, hold a phone to talk to your family/friends or type on a computer, at least the TV is there. Thank goodness for "The Office" and "Arrested Development"; they definitely help keep my mind off the pain. And though I've probably seen each episode 10+ times for this season, I'm also grateful for "Top Chef" as I just love that show.
I had orders last week to start physical therapy; I have to start looking into that. I have a follow-up to see my spine surgeon in April, and I know he'll want a status report at that time. Which reminds me...I forgot that I was to make an appointment for next week with the vascular surgeon as a follow-up to my procedure last week. Oops, completely forgot. I'm going to "blame" Brad, as they told me this information before I left the hospital...when I was heavily medicated, exhausted, in a lot of pain and really not paying attention! Given the distance, I'm guessing that all I really need to do is just do a call/check-in and let them know how I'm doing and that the site is healing well. I basically just have a small, circular scab on my collarbone, along with some light bruising from a few injections and pressure put on the area during the procedure. It looks like what you'd find after you have an IV taken out, but on a slightly larger scale. I think it's really minimal considering how big the IVC filter was. I don't know what they did to me during my spine surgery, but they did something around my neck area that looked much, much worse in terms of bruising and size!
So that's where I'm at. I'm hoping that a week from now I will be able to report continuous improvement. Given what I've seen over the last six days, I'm very optimistic. Again, this will take time. Tomorrow is a working Friday (we get every other Friday off where I work, as it's a 9/80 work schedule), so one more day and then it's the weekend. I'm looking forward to having some time at home, and will hopefully be feeling good enough to do some much needed cleaning and errands. As always, thank you to everyone for your emails and Facebook messages; I feel so disconnected from people lately, so it really brightens my day to read them.
Currently all of my energy is going into my job, and by the time I get home at night I'm beat. While my hand pain is much better, it's still bad enough where I'm avoiding the computer when I get home. I'll know I'm making progress when I'm back to doing my evening emails, Facebook and blogs again on a regular basis, not to mention to occasional game of mahjong. When I don't even want to play a simple computer game you know I'm not well!
I'm on minimal pain medications that help me get through the day, but I'm still having trouble sleeping. It takes me forever to get comfortable, and sometimes "comfortable" is impossible to achieve. At least this past week I've been getting in at least 5 hours of sleep a night, so I'm grateful. I'm also grateful for our DirectTV, though the receiver has been freezing up a lot lately. When you can't hold a book to read, hold a phone to talk to your family/friends or type on a computer, at least the TV is there. Thank goodness for "The Office" and "Arrested Development"; they definitely help keep my mind off the pain. And though I've probably seen each episode 10+ times for this season, I'm also grateful for "Top Chef" as I just love that show.
I had orders last week to start physical therapy; I have to start looking into that. I have a follow-up to see my spine surgeon in April, and I know he'll want a status report at that time. Which reminds me...I forgot that I was to make an appointment for next week with the vascular surgeon as a follow-up to my procedure last week. Oops, completely forgot. I'm going to "blame" Brad, as they told me this information before I left the hospital...when I was heavily medicated, exhausted, in a lot of pain and really not paying attention! Given the distance, I'm guessing that all I really need to do is just do a call/check-in and let them know how I'm doing and that the site is healing well. I basically just have a small, circular scab on my collarbone, along with some light bruising from a few injections and pressure put on the area during the procedure. It looks like what you'd find after you have an IV taken out, but on a slightly larger scale. I think it's really minimal considering how big the IVC filter was. I don't know what they did to me during my spine surgery, but they did something around my neck area that looked much, much worse in terms of bruising and size!
So that's where I'm at. I'm hoping that a week from now I will be able to report continuous improvement. Given what I've seen over the last six days, I'm very optimistic. Again, this will take time. Tomorrow is a working Friday (we get every other Friday off where I work, as it's a 9/80 work schedule), so one more day and then it's the weekend. I'm looking forward to having some time at home, and will hopefully be feeling good enough to do some much needed cleaning and errands. As always, thank you to everyone for your emails and Facebook messages; I feel so disconnected from people lately, so it really brightens my day to read them.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Week 10
Made it back to Ohio on Saturday around 7pm. Brad drove the whole trip, which I was grateful for. Was - and still am - feeling very exhausted from the procedure and just everything I have been through the last several weeks. We attempted to stop in Pittsburgh for a nice early Valentine's Day dinner, with no luck; every place was swamped. In the end we settled for picking up some Bob Evans down the street and eating at home.
I think it will take several weeks before I know the true outcome of these procedures I've had. I feel exhausted, yet the pain appears to be letting up a bit. I think my body chemistry is off and has a lot of "re-adjusting" to do. I feel overwhelmingly exhausted, weak and sick; try as I might, I'm having a hard time feeling "normal." I slept a lot over the weekend, and continue to feel tired. I'd love nothing more than to spend the week at home recuperating, but there is work to be done. I can only hope that once I get to work I'll find some energy to be productive, and that the days will go by quickly. I also must force myself to drink lots and lots of water (I'm horrible at that), and to eat as healthy as I can.
I doubt I'll post every day, but will definitely post every couple of days so you know if I'm seeing any improvement or not.
I think it will take several weeks before I know the true outcome of these procedures I've had. I feel exhausted, yet the pain appears to be letting up a bit. I think my body chemistry is off and has a lot of "re-adjusting" to do. I feel overwhelmingly exhausted, weak and sick; try as I might, I'm having a hard time feeling "normal." I slept a lot over the weekend, and continue to feel tired. I'd love nothing more than to spend the week at home recuperating, but there is work to be done. I can only hope that once I get to work I'll find some energy to be productive, and that the days will go by quickly. I also must force myself to drink lots and lots of water (I'm horrible at that), and to eat as healthy as I can.
I doubt I'll post every day, but will definitely post every couple of days so you know if I'm seeing any improvement or not.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Filter Removal
Arrived at the hospital at 6am and checked in. After going through the whole process, it was realized that lab messed up and just cross-typed my blood platelets yesterday and didn't do an actual count. So, I was wheeled into the Radiology area where the procedure was to be done, and ended up being delayed about two hours. My platelet count was 16 (hey, that was up from last Friday!), so they did the platelet transfusion which took about 25 minutes. In order to keep on schedule they had a few patients go in before me, so by the time I was wheeled in I was definitely ready to go.
The procedure at minimum was to take 45 minutes, but it went really smoothly and took closer to 20-25 per the staff. I was awake the whole time, though they gave me drugs on several attempts to put me in more of a sleep-yet-still-awake mode. They went in through my neck so my whole head was covered and I couldn't see anything. The surgeon spoke with me the whole time, telling me what he was doing, and before I knew it the thing was out. Afterwards the staff showed it to me, and it was pretty cool. A lot more connected pieces/parts than I thought it was back when they put it in, but was glad to see it out.
I was immediately given a chest xray and things looked clear. I was coughing up blood for about 20 minutes which freaked me out a bit, but was told it was normal. Sat in the recovery area for about 2 hours, got a turkey sandwich and a percocet for the arm/hand pain I was having. Got the discharge instructions and was back at the hotel by 1pm.
I basically slept most of the afternoon, though I'm in a lot of pain/discomfort. Brad was kind enough to go out and get dinner, so I thought it would be a good time to do a quick blog. I have a feeling I'll have a rough night, but have approval to drive back home tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it; things are just more comfortable there.
So this is now the time for "the big wait". I am currently nickel-free; what will happen now? If I get better, I'll probably be a case study. If I don't, then I have a lot of thinking to do as to where to go from here. No change in pain yet, but it hasn't even been 12 hours. I want to drink lots fluids, eat healthy, etc. My body has a lot going on and it's going to take some time for everything to be where it's suppose to be.
I hope everyone has a great weekend and Valentine's Day. I'll post when we're back in Ohio.
The procedure at minimum was to take 45 minutes, but it went really smoothly and took closer to 20-25 per the staff. I was awake the whole time, though they gave me drugs on several attempts to put me in more of a sleep-yet-still-awake mode. They went in through my neck so my whole head was covered and I couldn't see anything. The surgeon spoke with me the whole time, telling me what he was doing, and before I knew it the thing was out. Afterwards the staff showed it to me, and it was pretty cool. A lot more connected pieces/parts than I thought it was back when they put it in, but was glad to see it out.
I was immediately given a chest xray and things looked clear. I was coughing up blood for about 20 minutes which freaked me out a bit, but was told it was normal. Sat in the recovery area for about 2 hours, got a turkey sandwich and a percocet for the arm/hand pain I was having. Got the discharge instructions and was back at the hotel by 1pm.
I basically slept most of the afternoon, though I'm in a lot of pain/discomfort. Brad was kind enough to go out and get dinner, so I thought it would be a good time to do a quick blog. I have a feeling I'll have a rough night, but have approval to drive back home tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it; things are just more comfortable there.
So this is now the time for "the big wait". I am currently nickel-free; what will happen now? If I get better, I'll probably be a case study. If I don't, then I have a lot of thinking to do as to where to go from here. No change in pain yet, but it hasn't even been 12 hours. I want to drink lots fluids, eat healthy, etc. My body has a lot going on and it's going to take some time for everything to be where it's suppose to be.
I hope everyone has a great weekend and Valentine's Day. I'll post when we're back in Ohio.
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