I had my post-op visit with Dr. Cava on Thursday. It was very short. He said everything looks good and I can return to work. Still no lifting and still no exercise for a few more weeks.
And I return to see him again in March to make sure all it still well.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Post Hernia update...My Life as a Slug
One week ago today, I had the hernia surgery done.
Dr. Cava had told me ahead of time that it would be painful. He explained that when they attach the mesh that they use to repair the hernia, they attach it to muscle so there is pain involved. Now, most of the time, the pain has been bearable, but definitely there. The only time it was unbearable was the first time I stood up to go to the restroom on the day of the surgery. The pain was so bad, I broke out in a sweat and thought I was going to throw up. I knew it would hurt REALLY bad to throw up, so I got back to bed as quickly as possible, they gave me some IV pain med and I went to sleep.
Monday and Tuesday passed with me pretty much sleeping the whole time. I did come home on Tuesday and came home with ultram for pain. (I don't take Vicodin because I can't breathe right when I take it) The ultram probably eased the pain somewhat and I slept through most of the day Wednesday also.
On Thursday, I decided to try Extra Strength Tylenol and put aside the ultram. I got about the same results so I have stuck with the Tylenol since then. I take it as needed, not on a regular basis. I've been doing ok and have stayed awake a lot more. The weekend passed with me basically doing nothing. The boys were here and Quentin took great pride in helping me up out of my chair and generally taking care of me.
I felt so much better yesterday (Sunday) that I...wait for it....GOT DRESSED!!! A few weeks ago, I gave a bunch of clothes to Goodwill. Unfortunately, I gave away all but one pair of my sweat-type pants because they were all pretty old. Since I still have some swelling, I don't want to try to wear jeans yet. So, I got on the internet and ordered some new pants. Hopefully they will be here tomorrow, but just in case, I have to wash the sweat suit I have on right now:-)
I might try driving a little tonight since Geoff is home. The doctor said I can drive whenever I feel it is safe and I am no longer taking the pain meds. If I don't try tonight, then tomorrow. Elizabeth and Adriana came up today to visit. We went to lunch then came back here and hung out. It was nice to get out for a little bit.
I will be going back to the doctor on November 1 and hopefully back to work after that!
Dr. Cava had told me ahead of time that it would be painful. He explained that when they attach the mesh that they use to repair the hernia, they attach it to muscle so there is pain involved. Now, most of the time, the pain has been bearable, but definitely there. The only time it was unbearable was the first time I stood up to go to the restroom on the day of the surgery. The pain was so bad, I broke out in a sweat and thought I was going to throw up. I knew it would hurt REALLY bad to throw up, so I got back to bed as quickly as possible, they gave me some IV pain med and I went to sleep.
Monday and Tuesday passed with me pretty much sleeping the whole time. I did come home on Tuesday and came home with ultram for pain. (I don't take Vicodin because I can't breathe right when I take it) The ultram probably eased the pain somewhat and I slept through most of the day Wednesday also.
On Thursday, I decided to try Extra Strength Tylenol and put aside the ultram. I got about the same results so I have stuck with the Tylenol since then. I take it as needed, not on a regular basis. I've been doing ok and have stayed awake a lot more. The weekend passed with me basically doing nothing. The boys were here and Quentin took great pride in helping me up out of my chair and generally taking care of me.
I felt so much better yesterday (Sunday) that I...wait for it....GOT DRESSED!!! A few weeks ago, I gave a bunch of clothes to Goodwill. Unfortunately, I gave away all but one pair of my sweat-type pants because they were all pretty old. Since I still have some swelling, I don't want to try to wear jeans yet. So, I got on the internet and ordered some new pants. Hopefully they will be here tomorrow, but just in case, I have to wash the sweat suit I have on right now:-)
I might try driving a little tonight since Geoff is home. The doctor said I can drive whenever I feel it is safe and I am no longer taking the pain meds. If I don't try tonight, then tomorrow. Elizabeth and Adriana came up today to visit. We went to lunch then came back here and hung out. It was nice to get out for a little bit.
I will be going back to the doctor on November 1 and hopefully back to work after that!
Friday, September 28, 2012
A New Development...Hernia
Well, not sure if people will get notified that I have posted again since it has been almost a year since this blog was active, but here goes...
In April, while on vacation, I noticed that my stomach would "pop out" when I ate. It was just a little ball in between my ribs and it didn't bother me much. I went to the doctor for a regular checkup and he told me it is a hernia.
Over the past month, it has gotten quite large and a little bothersome. It has been painful almost every day...not all day, but some pain every day. I was kind of waiting to get to a time where some of the time I would be off would be when we are closed in October anyway.
So, I went to see Dr. Cava yesterday. He will do the surgery to repair the hernia. He was very nice and took a lot of time answering questions and explaining the procedure. I talked to his scheduler today and the surgery will be on Monday October 15 at 8am. I have to be at the hospital at 6am.
It should only be an hour and a half surgery and I will stay over one night (23 hours) unless the pain is not under control then I will stay longer (probably one more night). It all sounds pretty routine and should go well.
And hopefully this is my last surgery!!!!!!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
First Post-Op Visit
Yesterday I had my first post-op doctor visit. All went well. He said everything looks fine and I can drive again. He said I can also go back to work so I am going to go back to work on Monday, at least for half a day.
I got the rest of the staples out and the incision feels SO much better. I didn't think it felt bad in the first place, but now I know it was a little uncomfortable.
Geoff asked Dr. Yahanda about the pathology report. Dr. Yahanda said the tumor was fibrous. I asked him how it grew in the first place. He said it was a gastrointestinal tumor that grew from the walls of cahall...whatever that means. He said it was a very low risk tumor and there were no abnormal (cancer) cells in it.
So, in summary, I feel pretty lucky. This has been a long month and a half, but I am thankful for the way things have worked out. If I hadn't been dizzy and passed out that day, this tumor could have stayed in my stomach for who knows how long. So I am lucky that it bled and caused my dizziness.
If it had gone undetected, how much could it have grown? And if it grew more and more before they found it, could I have lost my whole stomach instead of just part of it?
And the luckiest thing of all is that the tumor turned out to be benign instead of cancer.
So, while some people may say this was an awful thing to go through, I look at it more as just a minor inconvenience compared to what it could have turned out to be. And again...I think I am pretty lucky that the events unfolded as they did.
Add this to all the other blessings in my life and I'd have to say Life is Good:-)
I got the rest of the staples out and the incision feels SO much better. I didn't think it felt bad in the first place, but now I know it was a little uncomfortable.
Geoff asked Dr. Yahanda about the pathology report. Dr. Yahanda said the tumor was fibrous. I asked him how it grew in the first place. He said it was a gastrointestinal tumor that grew from the walls of cahall...whatever that means. He said it was a very low risk tumor and there were no abnormal (cancer) cells in it.
So, in summary, I feel pretty lucky. This has been a long month and a half, but I am thankful for the way things have worked out. If I hadn't been dizzy and passed out that day, this tumor could have stayed in my stomach for who knows how long. So I am lucky that it bled and caused my dizziness.
If it had gone undetected, how much could it have grown? And if it grew more and more before they found it, could I have lost my whole stomach instead of just part of it?
And the luckiest thing of all is that the tumor turned out to be benign instead of cancer.
So, while some people may say this was an awful thing to go through, I look at it more as just a minor inconvenience compared to what it could have turned out to be. And again...I think I am pretty lucky that the events unfolded as they did.
Add this to all the other blessings in my life and I'd have to say Life is Good:-)
Friday, September 30, 2011
Progress
Well, I thought maybe you might want an update. If you're reading this, I guess you are interested in one.
The week has been pretty uneventful. I did not feel real well on Monday night. In fact, I was feeling bad enough that I was hoping that it was going to be the darkness before the dawn. Well, Tuesday morning when I got up, I realized that it was because I felt great. I still rested all day and when evening came around, I felt good enough to go to the City Council meeting for a little while. There were two things on the agenda that I wanted to be there for. I was going to ask to rearrange the agenda so I could just be there for those two issues then come home.
As it turned out, the first item took and hour and a half to get through so I left after that one and came home. I was a little tired, but did well.
My next venture out was when I rode along with Geoff when he took the boys to school on Thursday. I rode up to Auburn, took the boys into school/daycare with Geoff and came home and spent the rest of the day at home.
Today, we (City Council members) had an appreciation lunch for all the city employees. My friend Deb came and picked me up and we went to that. But before she came, I had to take something down to the pool so the guys could come close it up. Geoff had come home earlier and walked down the hill to the pool and slipped on the grass and fell. I told him I was not going to try the hill and would take the stairs so I could hold the handrail. With 3 or 4 steps to go, I stepped on a mossy, slippery spot and fell down the rest of the steps. I hit my hip (which doesn't hurt) and my elbow (which does still hurt), but my incision looked fine.
So after the lunch, Deb took me to the doctor just to check things out. He told me what to look for as far as pain and when I should call him if I have pains in certain spots, but everything looks fine. WHEW!!! I have been really avoiding the stairs in the house and really didn't even think about not going down the stairs of the deck. DUH!
The eating has been getting better and better each day. I started out eating just one thing at a time and eating just a little bit. That way, I could tell if something made me sick or didn't "agree" with me, then I could stay away from that for a while. And I have been sticking to soft food (noodles, mashed potatoes, soup). That has worked pretty well and I have not been hungry or too full. I eat several times a day. Today, at the lunch, I had some pulled pork and baked beans and even some carrots and celery. It was all good...no problems and that was over three hours ago, so I think I am getting the hang of using this smaller stomach:-)
I go back to the doctor on Wednesday. Since I am feeling so good, I would like to ask him if I can try half days at work starting on Monday October 10.
The week has been pretty uneventful. I did not feel real well on Monday night. In fact, I was feeling bad enough that I was hoping that it was going to be the darkness before the dawn. Well, Tuesday morning when I got up, I realized that it was because I felt great. I still rested all day and when evening came around, I felt good enough to go to the City Council meeting for a little while. There were two things on the agenda that I wanted to be there for. I was going to ask to rearrange the agenda so I could just be there for those two issues then come home.
As it turned out, the first item took and hour and a half to get through so I left after that one and came home. I was a little tired, but did well.
My next venture out was when I rode along with Geoff when he took the boys to school on Thursday. I rode up to Auburn, took the boys into school/daycare with Geoff and came home and spent the rest of the day at home.
Today, we (City Council members) had an appreciation lunch for all the city employees. My friend Deb came and picked me up and we went to that. But before she came, I had to take something down to the pool so the guys could come close it up. Geoff had come home earlier and walked down the hill to the pool and slipped on the grass and fell. I told him I was not going to try the hill and would take the stairs so I could hold the handrail. With 3 or 4 steps to go, I stepped on a mossy, slippery spot and fell down the rest of the steps. I hit my hip (which doesn't hurt) and my elbow (which does still hurt), but my incision looked fine.
So after the lunch, Deb took me to the doctor just to check things out. He told me what to look for as far as pain and when I should call him if I have pains in certain spots, but everything looks fine. WHEW!!! I have been really avoiding the stairs in the house and really didn't even think about not going down the stairs of the deck. DUH!
The eating has been getting better and better each day. I started out eating just one thing at a time and eating just a little bit. That way, I could tell if something made me sick or didn't "agree" with me, then I could stay away from that for a while. And I have been sticking to soft food (noodles, mashed potatoes, soup). That has worked pretty well and I have not been hungry or too full. I eat several times a day. Today, at the lunch, I had some pulled pork and baked beans and even some carrots and celery. It was all good...no problems and that was over three hours ago, so I think I am getting the hang of using this smaller stomach:-)
I go back to the doctor on Wednesday. Since I am feeling so good, I would like to ask him if I can try half days at work starting on Monday October 10.
Monday, September 26, 2011
On The Way to Recovery
I know that Elizabeth posted for me after the surgery, but since I am home now and feeling a little better today, I will try to give details.
We got to the hospital at 7am on Tuesday. The surgery was to start at 9 but it really got started about 10 I think. I talked to the anesthesiologist first. I told him that I do not take Vicodin or Morphine because I can't breathe when I take them. He said that is partly what they are supposed to do, suppress breathing. But in his foreign accent told me that he would not force me to take them. He instead decided to do an epidural to help with pain management after the surgery. What a great decision...at least for two days. I had virtually NO PAIN after the surgery. I had the epidural until Thursday when I broke it and it had to be removed. Apparently that was long enough to get through the initial pain because I still did not have an extreme amount of pain from the surgery. My headache was a different story. If I could describe the pain for you...I felt like RIPPING MY HEAD OFF MY NECK. I would have done this by grabbing the back of my head at my spine and just pulling up and forward. That probably would have been quite a mess for the staff to clean up so I refrained. That pain has finally become manageable today. Not even the pain meds made much difference...I pretty much had to lay on my back (almost flat) and the pain would subside a little. All the nurses and I feel that it was from the epidural. (Also a friend of Geoff's and mine that works at FWO feels it was from the epidural.) When the anesthesiologist came in to remove it (a different one than I saw before the surgery), I asked if the headache could be from the epidural. He said he didn't think so...hmmmm. I think he lied.
So after I saw the anesthesiologist, Dr. Yahanda came in. He explained everything again and said he would see me in a little while. The anesthesiologist gave me something through my IV that he said would relax me. Now, I know he really meant relaxed, but before I left that room, I was pretty much out of it. I barely remember looking at a nurse that was holding me up in the OR while the doc put the epidural in. That was it...next thing I know, I am in my room.
So fast forward to the next morning when Dr. Yahanda came into my room. He said the surgery was a success. He removed 4-5 inches of my stomach and all seemed to be going well. My diet for that day, as it was for Tuesday and would be for Thursday also, was ice chips. Not even water...JUST ice chips. I told him he was pretty serious when he said "liquid diet". He said "What do you mean, those ice chips are solid."
Basically, the rest is all pretty mundane. Tuesday night, I stood by the side of my bed. Wed and on, I walked at least three times and up to five times, depending on the severity of my headache. There was one funny story...
I had a tube up through my nose that went down into my stomach to drain my stomach of acids, etc. Wednesday night, two nurses came in to talk to me and get my vitals, etc. They had to wake me up because it was 1:30 in the morning and at that point I had been pretty much sleeping all the time. When the nurse that stood talking to me woke me and stayed beside the bed, I started smelling this AWFUL smell and the only thing I could think it could be was this nurse. And I thought, if they aren't saying anything about this smell, then it MUST be one of them. I could not wait for them to leave. I thought I was going to throw up. At last, they left. I rolled over to the other side to go back to sleep to find my bed was wet everywhere. And the smell was coming from the bed. I called them right back in and told them about it. My drain tube from my stomach had leaked all over my bed and me. So, at 1:30 in the morning, one nurse was helping me change and wash while the other was changing everything on my bed. Now, didn't I feel bad thinking it was one of the two nurses who stunk up the room when actually it was ME!!!!!
Being home has been so much better. I have been able to eat a little today without gagging at the sound of the word "food". And, as I said, the headache has gotten a little better. The only pain med I am taking is Extra Strenght Tylenol every 4 hours or so. I think I'm on my way...
We got to the hospital at 7am on Tuesday. The surgery was to start at 9 but it really got started about 10 I think. I talked to the anesthesiologist first. I told him that I do not take Vicodin or Morphine because I can't breathe when I take them. He said that is partly what they are supposed to do, suppress breathing. But in his foreign accent told me that he would not force me to take them. He instead decided to do an epidural to help with pain management after the surgery. What a great decision...at least for two days. I had virtually NO PAIN after the surgery. I had the epidural until Thursday when I broke it and it had to be removed. Apparently that was long enough to get through the initial pain because I still did not have an extreme amount of pain from the surgery. My headache was a different story. If I could describe the pain for you...I felt like RIPPING MY HEAD OFF MY NECK. I would have done this by grabbing the back of my head at my spine and just pulling up and forward. That probably would have been quite a mess for the staff to clean up so I refrained. That pain has finally become manageable today. Not even the pain meds made much difference...I pretty much had to lay on my back (almost flat) and the pain would subside a little. All the nurses and I feel that it was from the epidural. (Also a friend of Geoff's and mine that works at FWO feels it was from the epidural.) When the anesthesiologist came in to remove it (a different one than I saw before the surgery), I asked if the headache could be from the epidural. He said he didn't think so...hmmmm. I think he lied.
So after I saw the anesthesiologist, Dr. Yahanda came in. He explained everything again and said he would see me in a little while. The anesthesiologist gave me something through my IV that he said would relax me. Now, I know he really meant relaxed, but before I left that room, I was pretty much out of it. I barely remember looking at a nurse that was holding me up in the OR while the doc put the epidural in. That was it...next thing I know, I am in my room.
So fast forward to the next morning when Dr. Yahanda came into my room. He said the surgery was a success. He removed 4-5 inches of my stomach and all seemed to be going well. My diet for that day, as it was for Tuesday and would be for Thursday also, was ice chips. Not even water...JUST ice chips. I told him he was pretty serious when he said "liquid diet". He said "What do you mean, those ice chips are solid."
Basically, the rest is all pretty mundane. Tuesday night, I stood by the side of my bed. Wed and on, I walked at least three times and up to five times, depending on the severity of my headache. There was one funny story...
I had a tube up through my nose that went down into my stomach to drain my stomach of acids, etc. Wednesday night, two nurses came in to talk to me and get my vitals, etc. They had to wake me up because it was 1:30 in the morning and at that point I had been pretty much sleeping all the time. When the nurse that stood talking to me woke me and stayed beside the bed, I started smelling this AWFUL smell and the only thing I could think it could be was this nurse. And I thought, if they aren't saying anything about this smell, then it MUST be one of them. I could not wait for them to leave. I thought I was going to throw up. At last, they left. I rolled over to the other side to go back to sleep to find my bed was wet everywhere. And the smell was coming from the bed. I called them right back in and told them about it. My drain tube from my stomach had leaked all over my bed and me. So, at 1:30 in the morning, one nurse was helping me change and wash while the other was changing everything on my bed. Now, didn't I feel bad thinking it was one of the two nurses who stunk up the room when actually it was ME!!!!!
Being home has been so much better. I have been able to eat a little today without gagging at the sound of the word "food". And, as I said, the headache has gotten a little better. The only pain med I am taking is Extra Strenght Tylenol every 4 hours or so. I think I'm on my way...
Sunday, September 25, 2011
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