ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: msmaggie on December 13, 2008, 12:33:28 pm
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Hi Everyone!
I am doing really well. Yesterday was the best day and today I feel like a truck hit me. The only ill effects I have encountered are nausea and a swallowing disorder caused by the breathing tube during surgery. Everything else seems to work. I have to stay one more day because of the swallowing thing, and I am anxious for the peace and quiet of my own home.
Thanks for all the good wishes! I truly felt like everyone had my back during all of this. I am so glad to have it done. Now if I could get rid of this monster headache and matching backache, all would be well. I get to take a shower and wash my hair today and I can hardly wait. It's the little things in life that matter, and right now hot water is at the top of my list!
I will post when I can see better. My eyes don't want to focus, but I think nap number three of the day will fix that!
Priscilla
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Hey, hey! Welcome back, Priscilla!
Glad to hear everything went well. Sorry about the breathing tube and swallowing, I hope that clears up quickly. Take care and rest, you will be home soon, where you should also take care and rest.
Steve
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Priscilla:
Thanks for the update. Aside from the (hopefully temporary) swallowing problem, headache and backache, you seem to have gotten through this in pretty good shape. Bravo, postie! :D
I hope you're home and feeling better very soon. Now, keep resting. We'll be here when you feel better. :)
Jim
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Hi Priscilla - welcome back!
Glad to hear you're doing well. Hope the nausea and swallowing problem clear up soon. And those three naps a day (or more!) will definitely help with the fatigue or "hit by a truck" feeling! :) Looking forward to more updates when you're feeling better.
Take care and heal well!
Nancy L
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Priscilla~
So good to hear from YOU - even though your daughter (& Brian) did a great job keeping us updated. Hope everything continues to get better. Rest & relax...
K
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Welcome back postie and congratulations on being done with surgery! It's great to see you back!
I had the "truck feeling" immediately post op; the good news is it goes away ;D
Time and naps will help you recover. Don't overdo it.
Jan
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I agree! Great to hear from you.. It's great to hear that things (aside from the swallowing thing and headache/backache thing) went very well. Give it some time and lots of rest. Welcome to postieland! You done good!
Regards,
Brian
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Way to go, Priscilla! Get lots of rest and be kind to yourself.
Hugs,
Brenda
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Good to here you are on your way to recovery. I also had the run over by a truck feeling, I think it was on day 4 after surgery. I woke up feeling good so I shaved and showered. Then they brought breakfast and I ate a few bites and almost passed out before I could lay down, my hospital roommate had to call the nurse. I got a IV I'm not sure what but I layed flat in bed the whole day. The next day I was better and but I took it alot slower for the next few days. Dont try to do to much and get alot of sleep.
When I got home from the Hosp. I notice I was sleeping almost as much as our cat.
Dan in Germany
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Hey Priscilla,
Welcome back and congratulations! Take it easy on yourself for a while...
Best,
Marci
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Greetings Priscilla, I have a little tip for the headache. Try popcycles. On both of my tumor surgeries it worked great. A fellow patient shared his supply with me in 2004. I tried it again last month. They feel soooooooooo good! Larry
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Great to hear from you, Priscilla! Congratulatons on coming through so well - yes, that shower and hair washing will feel SO good! Do keep up with your naps - it does help reduce the number of days you feel as though a truck hit you.
Cindy
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Hi Priscilla -
So glad you are up and online! And, you are going to feel SOOOO good after that shower. That was a nearly religious experience for me - and one that I will not soon forget!
Hopefully the swallowing will get better fast - in the meantime, work it for all the milkshakes you can get, along with fruit smoothies! And, you can hold the cold container up against your temple if you are plagued by headaches - feels great.
Continue to heal - and take lots of naps!
Debbi, sending holiday cheer your way
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Priscilla,
So happy to hear from you as a postie. The worst part is over. I echo everyone else's suggestion of getting lots of rest.
Syl
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Hi Priscilla,
I am glad to hear you are well. I am almost 4 weeks post op and I am feeling better, you will want to sleep alot when you get home. Keep up on the drugs, i used all of mine and then some. Do not do anyhting for a couple of weeks, relax.
When you get home I showered every couple of days, it felt great but is alot of work. My DR recommended baby shampoo for the remainder of your hair but do not wash incision. Keep those crackers around for upset stomach and Dramamine. Take Care, Bell
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Hi to all,
I continue to move at my usual pace....faster than a crawl, slower than a shuffle. A t1 week post-op, today was the day that I actually felt somewhat unbalanced. I am okay in the morning, and then slow down at lunch ..and down, down down! I am actually trying really hard to get weaned off drugs. I came home w/only Tylenol 3 and a stool softener, but the Tylenol 3 just makes me feel stupid and slow. Maybe stoned. Never tried that, but that might be a good description. Haven't had a killer headache in a couple of days, and find that Excedrin works pretty well. I do think I could use something to help me sleep at night, though. I'm having a hard time sleeping. And I have little bits of music literally stuck in my head, and hear it faintly from time to time, like the little musical sign off from an old radio show. My family is highly amused by that one, and keep asking what stations I'm picking up. Don't know what to say! ??? ???
Yesterday I was a little weepy. I think the euphoria of getting it over with, and the adrenalin feeling of "Woo, Hoo!" wore off, and I was left with the reality of an 60 yr. old body trying to make a comeback from something bigger than it had ever dealt with before. I have been very low key today, and am taking baby steps, as directed by all you veterans out there! I am also dealing with the emotion and gratitude of a swifter than most recovery, and am feeling very humbled by the very large blessing that I was given.
Food still has no real appeal, but I eat enough to keep my daughter happy. She has given up most of her Christmas break to stay with me, and I want her to fell like she is accomplishing something :D
Love to all,
Priscilla
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Hello Priscilla!
You, and a number of other people, said post op was like being hit by a truck. Mine was definitly a bus. Yup, a big old bus.
Glad to hear your operation went well and that there are no big issues to deal with. I'm at the 9th day post op, so can very much relate to where you are at. Having an appetite is not an issue for me. Probably the opposite. Eating too much for my activity level.
As others advise, keep the goals and expectations realistic. and you'll seldom be let down on your progress. Keep up the positive energy too. You cannot go too far wrong with feeling good.
Best of luck to you!
Cheers,
Ken
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Hi Priscilla,
I think both you and Ken are heading into the next stage of recovery, where you realize that while you have finished your first week, you have only started your first month. This is where you have to accept that it will take a little while to get everything going again. By the new year you will be feeling much better.
Meanwhile, try to enjoy the down time, and a gentle version of the holiday festivities. Peace and quiet, as my dad likes to say. :)
Steve
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Priscilla, great to hear from you! As others have said, you are VERY early in the recovery process. Give it some time and just enjoy the time off (as much as you can). Your appetite and endurance will come back over time. From what I remember, you guys are more than on track with your recovery.
At least your not alone picking up weird radio stations. Now, if they start talking (or singing) in Russian, I'd be a little worried. ;)
Regards,
Brian
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Hi Priscilla (and Ken!),
Sounds like things are progressing pretty well. It's interesting that you hear snippets of music. I wonder if your surgeons were playing music? I did and said a lot of weird things for the first several weeks of my recovery and I had also gotten off the heavy meds relatively quickly. I also learned that my unsteadiness was made worse by the happy pills, but I did take them at night so that I could sleep. Maybe you could try that? As everyone has said, be prepared for the slow recovery progress. It's caused me to have more patience than I ever thought myself capable of!
Be well, both of you,
Marci
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so glad it went well Young lady !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!keep in touch 8)
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Priscilla
I am sure you read others recovery stories and that has given you some relief to what you are experience now. Thanks for the posts, as a newbie, it is good to see the reality of the other side.
Take care, be patient - and be thankful, somewhat, that you won't be struck by the Christmas weight gain. We aren't eating much here this week - we are stuffed like a foie gras!
Ann
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Priscilla,
Sorry I am late in coming to this thread. I haven't been on very much lately, and usually when I am, not for very long periods of time. Glad to hear you are a postie and doing well. ;D Rest and let yourself be pampered. You will continue to have good and bad days for a while, and as you have learned first hand, if you overdo it, will feel ike you've been hit by a truck. Take care of yourself and keep us posted!
Sending healing vibes your way,
Wendy