(no subject)
LOL, I see from comments I've already told you this. See, narcotics fry the brain. I'll be glad to be off them.
one week post op and home for 24 hours!! Doing great.
The surgery and post op care were SO excellent. I've been home 2 days now.
I had 12 hour surgery where I was on an open table with my big old belly dangling and my sternum, chin and thighs taking all my weight. This was intentional as it put my back in the appropriate lordosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordo…) curve desired for the surgerical procedure. It also left my chest,chin and legs deeply bruised and that is my most painful issue currently but it is improving.
It is still very difficult to think and type but wanted to say hi.
HUGS, Carla
I had 12 hour surgery where I was on an open table with my big old belly dangling and my sternum, chin and thighs taking all my weight. This was intentional as it put my back in the appropriate lordosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordo…) curve desired for the surgerical procedure. It also left my chest,chin and legs deeply bruised and that is my most painful issue currently but it is improving.
It is still very difficult to think and type but wanted to say hi.
HUGS, Carla
Good day
Thank you friends. The last 24 or so hours have been much better in terms of pain control. It is a lot of medication and the relief is just marginal BUT it is stable and that is such a relief. Today was very pleasant. I got a massage, had a cuddle/nap on the recliner with baby David and achieved 2 things on my To Do List (with the help of my family). One was donations of various items which are now on the porch, awaiting pick up by our local charity. The other was organization of clothing so that others can easily pack for me as needed.
When mom was in the rehab hospital only a few weeks back (that seems so hard to believe) they expected her to wear street clothing. I hope mine will be the same. I've put together 4 days worth of clothing with layers as I get hot flashes then freeze. The family can rotate these for me, doing laundry every other day.
And being on the computer is an achievement for me. :) Really a good day.
When mom was in the rehab hospital only a few weeks back (that seems so hard to believe) they expected her to wear street clothing. I hope mine will be the same. I've put together 4 days worth of clothing with layers as I get hot flashes then freeze. The family can rotate these for me, doing laundry every other day.
And being on the computer is an achievement for me. :) Really a good day.
My medical update and long absence from here
So the MRI and CT scan showed 3 areas that trap nerves, making my butt hurt in a non consensual way along with making my thighs hurt and weakening my legs unevenly.
Surgery is on Feb 20.
Pain is horrible. It seems to be getting worse but it is hard to compare day to day as the narcotic medication has been upped daily. I seem to have hit the peak of pain (I hope) yesterday. It was so bad I was instructed to go to the ER and get admitted for pain management if the thing they was then telling me to do did not work. But YAY, it did work!! and today I have been able to even decrease the doses while still maintaining adequate pain control. Adequate meanS I can stand and sit which is a big part of the problem. It also means that I don't get random electric shocks down my legs.
My daughter and husband and I came up with a list of safety rules. Not driving is the obvious rule. I also use a walker or my hiking sticks at all times. When the electric shocks start increasing in frequency I need to rest and/or take pain meds. I chart all pain meds in a place where we can all see it when i take them and they double check what
I'm doing. It is complicated because it is constantly changing and I have max doses of 3 medications to tracks on a 24 hour basis. Xie (my daughter) is getting lots of practice with her planned future career of nursing. Larry (husband) is an engineer so has stuff on a spread sheet. But I am not mocking him, it helps.
Mentally I am so relieved to have a plan and to be getting this fixed. I'm scared but not overwhelmed by the thought of the surgery. I am pleased with the care of these doctors. I am seeing one for pain control until the surgery and the other one for the actual surgery. I have fallen asleep 10 times typing this and my cognition is really bad. But my mood is good and I am even productive at times. I see the pain doctor Weds and plan to ask about exercise. So far a walk around the neighborhood and time in the pool were both followed by really bad days but that may have been a coincidence as every day was worse until yesterday. So I want to get a physical therapy consult and do what is safe to keep up my muscle mass but will wait for permission. Even sneezing raises the pressure of my spinal fluid and makes my legs hurt more.
I'm making a packing list for the hospital and organizing the house as much as i can. i'm so happy Xie is home. We are also actively making sure to do fun stuff. We had the best Korean lunch yesterday. So good. i want to take you guys out for Korean food when i'm better. We are planning on an IMAX movie and trying to read the same book series but i keep falling asleep so am on the first chapter and she is on book 3, lol. Oh well, best laid plans, etc. We went to a class for iTunes at the Apple store and i spent most of it on the phone with the insurance case manager. But the point is we are getting out and enjoying each other's company not just being sick.
Xie is going home to CA for a week in early Feb for a camping trip with friends and will be back in time for the surgery. I love having her home. She is considering going to U of MD nursing school (my Alma Matter). My oldest son and wife are hoping to get an assignment to Japan and if all worked out Xie could house sit for them (very near my house) while going to school. They are hoping for 6 years overseas. I'd miss them but it sure would be nice to have Xie back here 2 or 3 years.
Baby David....hmmm I think I'm due a visit. I expect he is still perfect but haven't checked him personally in days and days. He is not going anywhere, his dad is my middle son.
So this took me hours to write, what with my drifting off to sleep in a narcotic haze and typing a million excess letters while snoring. I also have not read LJ for weeks it seems so I am sorry for no comments for a long time. I may not be able catch up for some time.
Surgery is on Feb 20.
Pain is horrible. It seems to be getting worse but it is hard to compare day to day as the narcotic medication has been upped daily. I seem to have hit the peak of pain (I hope) yesterday. It was so bad I was instructed to go to the ER and get admitted for pain management if the thing they was then telling me to do did not work. But YAY, it did work!! and today I have been able to even decrease the doses while still maintaining adequate pain control. Adequate meanS I can stand and sit which is a big part of the problem. It also means that I don't get random electric shocks down my legs.
My daughter and husband and I came up with a list of safety rules. Not driving is the obvious rule. I also use a walker or my hiking sticks at all times. When the electric shocks start increasing in frequency I need to rest and/or take pain meds. I chart all pain meds in a place where we can all see it when i take them and they double check what
I'm doing. It is complicated because it is constantly changing and I have max doses of 3 medications to tracks on a 24 hour basis. Xie (my daughter) is getting lots of practice with her planned future career of nursing. Larry (husband) is an engineer so has stuff on a spread sheet. But I am not mocking him, it helps.
Mentally I am so relieved to have a plan and to be getting this fixed. I'm scared but not overwhelmed by the thought of the surgery. I am pleased with the care of these doctors. I am seeing one for pain control until the surgery and the other one for the actual surgery. I have fallen asleep 10 times typing this and my cognition is really bad. But my mood is good and I am even productive at times. I see the pain doctor Weds and plan to ask about exercise. So far a walk around the neighborhood and time in the pool were both followed by really bad days but that may have been a coincidence as every day was worse until yesterday. So I want to get a physical therapy consult and do what is safe to keep up my muscle mass but will wait for permission. Even sneezing raises the pressure of my spinal fluid and makes my legs hurt more.
I'm making a packing list for the hospital and organizing the house as much as i can. i'm so happy Xie is home. We are also actively making sure to do fun stuff. We had the best Korean lunch yesterday. So good. i want to take you guys out for Korean food when i'm better. We are planning on an IMAX movie and trying to read the same book series but i keep falling asleep so am on the first chapter and she is on book 3, lol. Oh well, best laid plans, etc. We went to a class for iTunes at the Apple store and i spent most of it on the phone with the insurance case manager. But the point is we are getting out and enjoying each other's company not just being sick.
Xie is going home to CA for a week in early Feb for a camping trip with friends and will be back in time for the surgery. I love having her home. She is considering going to U of MD nursing school (my Alma Matter). My oldest son and wife are hoping to get an assignment to Japan and if all worked out Xie could house sit for them (very near my house) while going to school. They are hoping for 6 years overseas. I'd miss them but it sure would be nice to have Xie back here 2 or 3 years.
Baby David....hmmm I think I'm due a visit. I expect he is still perfect but haven't checked him personally in days and days. He is not going anywhere, his dad is my middle son.
So this took me hours to write, what with my drifting off to sleep in a narcotic haze and typing a million excess letters while snoring. I also have not read LJ for weeks it seems so I am sorry for no comments for a long time. I may not be able catch up for some time.
a brief catch up
My mom is healing well from her broken hip and a better 85 year old rehab patient could not be imagined. She is a bit of a princess but has bent her will to do this right and be independent again and I'm so proud of her. Hopefully she will be home by Wednesday next.
My grandson David is of course the most adorable baby ever. No, really. Pictures when I am not so sleepy.
Christmas was wonderful. All our kids and our 2 DILs and the new babe were here and it was just a laid back, wonderful day. It was boosted by a very fun toy we got for both the boys, something way spontaneous, over budget and silly but they loved it. Drone helicopters controlled by their smart phones. It has been a long time since I bought them toys. It was fun. The food was paced so no one worked too hard yet was so yummy. I think the menu may become a tradition. Prime rib, roasted veggies prepared the day before, cake made the day before, cookies made the weeks before, homemade ice cream and highly salted baby potatoes and asparagus. Oh and fresh ground horseradish for which eldest son wore swim goggles which being put on after the fact were filled from inside with tears.
The weather here is crazy. I don't wish for global warming but I can't help but enjoy the local effects. I am actively gardening most days. I have spinach and kale seeded with hope that they will live and produce an early spring crop. I've done this successfully with spinach in the past. I sourced and planted the correct type of fava (broad) beans to grow over wintered and they are about 4 inches now. Strawberries are alive and well. So is garlic and Egyptian walking onions. My snowdrops were blooming Dec 23, others in my area have reported blooming daffodils. This is unique in our experience.
I have an appointment for a lumbar CAT scan to investigate a possible/probable non-union of my sacral to lumbar spinal fusion of 4/5 years ago. I have a LOT of pain now in my butt and down the back of my legs. When not medicated I can hardly walk and to sit requires kneeling then pivoting around to park my butt in the chair. I also have severe stenosis by MRI at L2L3 causing (I think) the pain I have in my right anterior thigh. I also have a weird but not objectionable sensation in my left mid back at that L2L3 level of periodic tingling as if I were wearing a TENS unit. I just hope it doesn't progress to pain. Anyway, after the CAT scan I will discuss options with the spine doc. None of them are pretty. Epidurals, surgery, continue on ridiculous amounts of pain pills...all ick.
I am managing to lose some weight, probably about 20 pounds so far. I wish that would fix this but it won't. Still I look and feel better and if I need surgery will be able to deal with it better at a more normal weight. I'm using loseit.com to track calories and I swim for exercise.
Meanwhile though, perhaps due to the Cymbalta prescribed for the pain but also incidentally an anti-depressant, I am ridiculously happy. I love being retired. I love being a grandmother. I love my fenced in garden and my birds. I love this crazy weather. I am a happy active person when the pain meds are on board and when they are not I am a happy slug in my recliner, playing on Pinterest.com and Facebook mostly because my concentration is crap.
Happy New Year to you all.
Carla
My grandson David is of course the most adorable baby ever. No, really. Pictures when I am not so sleepy.
Christmas was wonderful. All our kids and our 2 DILs and the new babe were here and it was just a laid back, wonderful day. It was boosted by a very fun toy we got for both the boys, something way spontaneous, over budget and silly but they loved it. Drone helicopters controlled by their smart phones. It has been a long time since I bought them toys. It was fun. The food was paced so no one worked too hard yet was so yummy. I think the menu may become a tradition. Prime rib, roasted veggies prepared the day before, cake made the day before, cookies made the weeks before, homemade ice cream and highly salted baby potatoes and asparagus. Oh and fresh ground horseradish for which eldest son wore swim goggles which being put on after the fact were filled from inside with tears.
The weather here is crazy. I don't wish for global warming but I can't help but enjoy the local effects. I am actively gardening most days. I have spinach and kale seeded with hope that they will live and produce an early spring crop. I've done this successfully with spinach in the past. I sourced and planted the correct type of fava (broad) beans to grow over wintered and they are about 4 inches now. Strawberries are alive and well. So is garlic and Egyptian walking onions. My snowdrops were blooming Dec 23, others in my area have reported blooming daffodils. This is unique in our experience.
I have an appointment for a lumbar CAT scan to investigate a possible/probable non-union of my sacral to lumbar spinal fusion of 4/5 years ago. I have a LOT of pain now in my butt and down the back of my legs. When not medicated I can hardly walk and to sit requires kneeling then pivoting around to park my butt in the chair. I also have severe stenosis by MRI at L2L3 causing (I think) the pain I have in my right anterior thigh. I also have a weird but not objectionable sensation in my left mid back at that L2L3 level of periodic tingling as if I were wearing a TENS unit. I just hope it doesn't progress to pain. Anyway, after the CAT scan I will discuss options with the spine doc. None of them are pretty. Epidurals, surgery, continue on ridiculous amounts of pain pills...all ick.
I am managing to lose some weight, probably about 20 pounds so far. I wish that would fix this but it won't. Still I look and feel better and if I need surgery will be able to deal with it better at a more normal weight. I'm using loseit.com to track calories and I swim for exercise.
Meanwhile though, perhaps due to the Cymbalta prescribed for the pain but also incidentally an anti-depressant, I am ridiculously happy. I love being retired. I love being a grandmother. I love my fenced in garden and my birds. I love this crazy weather. I am a happy active person when the pain meds are on board and when they are not I am a happy slug in my recliner, playing on Pinterest.com and Facebook mostly because my concentration is crap.
Happy New Year to you all.
Carla
Doing well
Mom is recuperating rapidly. She goes to a rehab center in the same hospital tomorrow and will be there for 2 weeks. If anyone wants to do this I'd really appreciate it. I think she would be amused and intrigued by my online friends (all those "strangers on that internet thing).
I have a request. Please send my mom a Christmas card or a get well card or a postcard, pictures of children or pets especially welcome. If you don't know her but know me that is still wonderful. Maybe mention how we know each other for her amusement. Send to Rebha P. Mende at WakeMed 3000 New Bern Ave Raleigh, NC 27610 . No room number needed.
I have a request. Please send my mom a Christmas card or a get well card or a postcard, pictures of children or pets especially welcome. If you don't know her but know me that is still wonderful. Maybe mention how we know each other for her amusement. Send to Rebha P. Mende at WakeMed 3000 New Bern Ave Raleigh, NC 27610 . No room number needed.
falls
It has been a bad week of falls for my family.
My husband took a new medication and got the ubiquitously warned for dizziness plus very low blood pressure. He struck his head going down and had an altered level of consciousness so I called 911. He normalized over the next 18 hours as his blood pressure came back up and has been fine ever since. Which is good because ...
... Next my mom fell and broke her hip. In her case she has no notion why she fell. She just woke up on the floor. She had same day surgery and is now post op 24 hours. She is doing remarkably well for an elderly lady and I hope that continues. My brother, SIL and I are alternating days (and nights) at the hospital with her. We are expecting her to go to the rehabilitation unit on Monday and to be there for 2 weeks.
I'm grateful she is doing as well as she is and that my husband's problem was easily solved. I'm also grateful for hospitals with wifi.
My husband took a new medication and got the ubiquitously warned for dizziness plus very low blood pressure. He struck his head going down and had an altered level of consciousness so I called 911. He normalized over the next 18 hours as his blood pressure came back up and has been fine ever since. Which is good because ...
... Next my mom fell and broke her hip. In her case she has no notion why she fell. She just woke up on the floor. She had same day surgery and is now post op 24 hours. She is doing remarkably well for an elderly lady and I hope that continues. My brother, SIL and I are alternating days (and nights) at the hospital with her. We are expecting her to go to the rehabilitation unit on Monday and to be there for 2 weeks.
I'm grateful she is doing as well as she is and that my husband's problem was easily solved. I'm also grateful for hospitals with wifi.
Writer's Block: Family ties
What do you love to do with your family?
I'm a grandma and oh so happy about it.
David was born this morning and is lovely and eating and pooping and doing all the expected baby things. It is delightful to watch my son with him. I have always, seriously always know Joey would be a wonderful father. Thankfully Julie is breastfeeding or she might not get to see baby very often.
Nesting?
Do soon to be grandmothers have nesting behavior? Because I am gardening like a maniac although that is something I normally only get into in the spring. This is truly excessive but VERY productive.
I've hauled van loads (10 or 12) of leaves other people have bagged and spread them all about. The fence around the garden helps hold them in place on bare soil and the stalks of perennials hold them in elsewhere.
I'm planting vegetables that I hope will overwinter in the soil then begin growing well on their own in the spring. I've done this with spinach in the past and it worked well. This year I found the appropriate fava bean varieties for wintering over and planted 6 ounces of seed. I'm also trying some kale as a fall planting. I have garlic to plant yet. I will plant spinach again if I can find the seed.
I'm figuring this is much like "winter sowing" see: http://www.wintersown.org/
but with no need to transplant as I'm planting them directly in the site they will stay in.
I've not tried the true "winter sowing" in jugs but may if I find I have appropriate seed on hand for experimentation.
I've managed to get most of my bulbs planted and many perennials divided. Even garden clean up is pretty well done.
Baby Boy David's due date was yesterday. I helped his mom start using her breast pump with the hope of moving things along. Obstetricians here are unlikely to let her go past 41 weeks without inducing her so a little pump induced oxytocin and a little colostrum in the freezer just in case seems a much better plan. When David arrives I expect all gardening will cease. Ooops, except for whatever it was I mail ordered last night at 30% off from the Antique Bulbs catalog.
Meanwhile...I'd better go get a shower as the moon is out post "falling back" an hour from our switch of time, and although I have been known to garden in the dark I have dinner plans with my other son (the uncle to be).
I've hauled van loads (10 or 12) of leaves other people have bagged and spread them all about. The fence around the garden helps hold them in place on bare soil and the stalks of perennials hold them in elsewhere.
I'm planting vegetables that I hope will overwinter in the soil then begin growing well on their own in the spring. I've done this with spinach in the past and it worked well. This year I found the appropriate fava bean varieties for wintering over and planted 6 ounces of seed. I'm also trying some kale as a fall planting. I have garlic to plant yet. I will plant spinach again if I can find the seed.
I'm figuring this is much like "winter sowing" see: http://www.wintersown.org/
but with no need to transplant as I'm planting them directly in the site they will stay in.
I've not tried the true "winter sowing" in jugs but may if I find I have appropriate seed on hand for experimentation.
I've managed to get most of my bulbs planted and many perennials divided. Even garden clean up is pretty well done.
Baby Boy David's due date was yesterday. I helped his mom start using her breast pump with the hope of moving things along. Obstetricians here are unlikely to let her go past 41 weeks without inducing her so a little pump induced oxytocin and a little colostrum in the freezer just in case seems a much better plan. When David arrives I expect all gardening will cease. Ooops, except for whatever it was I mail ordered last night at 30% off from the Antique Bulbs catalog.
Meanwhile...I'd better go get a shower as the moon is out post "falling back" an hour from our switch of time, and although I have been known to garden in the dark I have dinner plans with my other son (the uncle to be).