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Need second surgery--very depressed

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Sheba:

Really sorry you hare having a second surgery and financial woes going with it.  I hope this surgery gets the job done.  I think you can take 401k without penalty for medical situations?  depends on the details of your situation.

I do not envy the surgeons who are trying to figure out just how much they should leave to avoid permanent facial nerve damage.  Must be so frustrating to be in there but have to leave some behind.

Louise UK:
Hi mmilazzo, I've sent you a PM.
Thanks,
Louise.

mmilazzo:
Just a quick update!

Had my second surgery (translab) on Wednesday, November 16. I went home from the hospital this Saturday, so it's officially been about 5+ days since surgery.

This time around, I had a MUCH BETTER experience than my time at Florida Hospital East in Orlando. I saw Dr. Yousseff and Dr. Gubbels at the University of Colorado Anschutz Hospital, and my overall main concern this time around was the tremendous pain I experienced after my first retro surgery in Orlando, particularly the pain during that first post-op MRI.

The staff and doctors at UC Anschutz took this into consideration and didn't hesitate in giving me the pain medications I needed to be comfortable. Additionally, I was so uncomfortable because I was so thirsty, they let me drink some, which really helped (they didn't let me do anything but ice chips after the first surgery for 24 hours, which was absolutely hell). I even threw up from anesthesia (something that didn't happen the first time), and they let me drink.

Because I remember that post-op MRI being so painful, they took great care in getting me IV pain meds right before the MRI and right after the MRI, which I think greatly contributed to my comfort. I was even able to sleep that first night (a little), something I didn't do for like 48 hours after my first surgery.

I was up and walking within 24 hours, and my balance was way better than the first surgery (I didn't need any physical therapy).

I am home now and still taking pain meds when I wake up in the morning and throughout the day to manage these headaches, but overall, I couldn't have asked for a better experience the second time around, especially since the doctors say that they believe they got 100% of the tumor. YAY!

Now the only thing I really want to come back is my appetite so I can eat something for Thanksgiving. I can only hope that every hospital treats their patients like I was treated at UC Anschutz, because I believe proper pain management was the absolute key for me. I have no clue how people say they don't experience tremendous pain from this surgery--I do, and I have a history of migraines. Maybe that's why. The incision on the belly (where they took the fat) is nothing. It's like a mosquito bite. I've heard people saying that's worse than the actual surgery pain. I wish that my pain wasn't so tremendous in my head.

Janey:
Thankful things went better for you this time around.  Prayers for a speedy recovery.

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