Friday, June 10, 2011 Day 7 – 1 week.

I took MUCH needed shower. My commode barely fits in the shower but we didn’t want to cart the short seat all the way here for no reason. I did the shower basically all by myself, except Kevin helped shave my op leg. Got dressed and drove down the road to get a few things. Came back, sat on some benches by the beach….then came back to the cottage and ate some breakfast/lunch. I took a nap, Kevin ended up meeting up with his friends and I went over a bit later. We came back around 3pm or so, I took some more medicine and lay down. Kevin and I played cards and ate dinner around 5:3/6pm. We played more cards and now I’m catching up on my blog. Kevin will go out later and meet up with everyone while I rest.

I’ve been reading my blog from last time seeing where I am compared to that. I’m pretty even. I can get in and out of bed by myself if I have to (otherwise I’m lazy and make someone else move my leg for me). The bed at the suite was SO comfortable I could sleep all day! The bed here, not so much. But they both feel better than my mattress at home. I can’t wait to be in our spare room again. The only other difference is I feel less bloated than last time, but I do feel like I’m in a bit more pain. My right leg (hardware removal hip) is doing great. The incision is sore and the muscles running up along my butt are sure too as they are working hard to cart my body around. I can’t wait until I can sleep on my side…even if it’s for a few minutes. I tried last night with Kevin’s help but I got stuck. Couple more days until that I think.

So my medicine intake is as follows: ~3am-2 Oxycodone and 1 Tylenol, ~8am-2 Oxycodone, 1 Tylenol, ~3pm- 2 Oxycodone, 1 Tylenol, ~10pm 1 Oxycontin, 2 Oxycodone and 1 Tylenol. I also try to take one Colace every day, or every other day to help with the bowel movements. But so far so good.

I’ve been taking the extended relief once a day at night, but Kevin suggested I take it during the day since the Oxycodone works pretty well at night. So maybe I will try that tonight/tomorrow.

Going to be another long night and a rainy day tomorrow, the ceremony is at 330pm a couple miles away and the reception is at the cottages where we’re staying so I can come and go as I need to rest or anything.

All for now. I just had a pretty normal BM…so all is well! G-night. 

Kevin and I in the Cape.

Thursday, June 9, 2011, Day 6

So today is the day we check out of the Crescent Suites and head to Cape Cod for the wedding on Saturday.  During the night I woke up around 3am and again around 8 or so. The second time I shimmied myself out of bed and Mom heard me come back to bed so she helped me back in. I took my meds both times since they were all 5 hours apart and got back into bed. I watched some of the morning news and talk shows then ended up falling asleep again. It wasn’t until noon that I crawled out of bed! Sometimes the medication makes me really sleepy and sometimes I have a lot of energy. 

Mike had made his way to the suite by way of the T and then we waited for Kevin to come back to Waltham so we could check out, get some lunch, then be on our way to the Cape and my parents could head time. Kevin got there a little after 1pm and we started to pack up. I got a little sad again since things just aren’t easy and you do get down about things. It’s a major, major surgery and is a hard pill to swallow, especially less than a week later and already out of the hospital and on my own. After checking out we went to Shopper’s Café which is where we ordered dinner from last night and the food was great. I wasn’t very hungry, plus I was waiting to take my medicine with food so I was pretty sore and I was really hot. We sat down and I was real uncomfortable. I ordered a wrap and wasn’t even hungry at all. Finally our food came and I couldn’t wait for everyone to finish so we could go. I went to the bathroom before we left which was a bad idea. The “handicap” stall was not handicap at all. It was a larger stall, yeah, but the toilet was SO low I could barely get off it! I tried and it hurt so bad on my hip, but I finally got up. Then I was upset and really mad. We got the heck out of there, got into the Tahoe (which we’re borrowing from my Dad), Kevin put on my beautiful stockings, we said our goodbyes and off we went.

The car ride was OK. It took about an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes but it was fine. My butt/tailbone was getting sore. We arrived and you can’t drive up to your cottage, so we parked across the street in a large parking lot and walked over. I used the wheel chair so I could help carry stuff on my lap and because it was a long walk for me. Kevin did the rest of the trips with the large wheel barrow they offer.

We ate torpedos for dinner then lounged around and I ended up falling asleep on the bed pretty early which is what I don’t want to do because I really want to sleep at night.  Kevin woke me up around 9pm and I got ready, took my meds and got into bed. I woke up around 3am and had Kevin help me to the bathroom, took medicine and woke up again around 630am, got up again, then slept off and on the rest of the morning until about 8am.

Less than thrilled to not be in my own home!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011 Day 5

I slept pretty good…got up twice with the help of my Mom, even though I HATE having to wake someone up just to lift my leg in and out of bed! At least when I called my nurse she was already awake. It is painful and sore when I get up in the night since I haven’t moved in a few hours and my meds are pretty worn off by then, but it’s manageable until I take the next dose and get back into bed. I’m sharing the King sized with my Mom and Kevin is in on the pull out couch.

I feel as though I’m sleeping a lot since I am going to bed about 10pm, waking up around 8 (with a few bathroom trips in the night) but then I am falling asleep until 10 or 11am! I slept a lot last time as well and I think a lot has to do with the medicine.

I had a little meltdown again today, but after that Mom and I took a trip down to the laundry room to do a small load. She wheeled my in the wheelchair…I was nervous since the night before she rammed my leg into the elevator wall! She ran herself into the door jam and I was cracking up I needed the cough pillow! We went back to the room, I walked around a little, then back to bed I went. Kevin is helping with my exercises but we aren’t doing them as much as we did last time which is not good! A lot of the pain I have is of my insides since I know they really dig around a lot when they’re in there. The visual incision is about 6 inches or so, but the cut they make inside is WAY bigger. So that’s where most of the pain comes from. Also, my tailbone when I sit.

My Dad came to Waltham this afternoon and Kevin went to RI for a bachelor party. When I woke up again Mom took me for a stroll in the parking lot (in my wheelchair) and it was nice to have the fresh air into my lungs, but boy was it hot! We sat outside for a little bit then headed in to decide what we would have for dinner. We ordered some food and Dad went to pick it up. I had some steak tips and rice and some salad. I went to the bathroom twice (BM) and went to bed about 10:30pm and Dad slept on the couch this time.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 Day 4

I had a decent night’s sleep. Had my normal medication dosage and was able to sleep a good amount. I woke up fairly early and watched some TV as I dozed on and off. My nurse came in and told me PT would be in shortly to do my exercises and take me on the parallel bars.  She also told me Dr. Millis was down the hall and wanted me to get my xrays and get me out of here! He comes down a couple minutes later, I was already in my wheelchair, he grabbed the handles and ran me down the hall (literally, because my nurse Rachelle was running next to me!). We raced down, he told me I was leaving that day and I told him I didn’t want to, I hadn’t passed PT and my dad wasn’t here yet with his truck! He said he didn’t care but I didn’t need to stay in the hospital anymore. I was so confused at this point! I wasn’t ready to leave!!!!!  Kevin and Mom got there around 10am and I told them I just had my breakfast, xays and I was to leave that day! I told Rachelle I was going to fail PT so I could stay another day, she said hey, if you don’t pass that you can’t go home. I had it all planned out.

My former roommate, Megan, from my first PAO in January came to visit me today!  She works a few minutes away so during her break she came over to see me. I was SO happy to see her and felt so touched.  She really looked amazing compared to the last time we saw each other…although I was in the same spot she left me! She brought me some juice that is packed with nutrients. Such a great person. Soon after she came, my PT nurses came in to take me. We ALL (Kevin, Mom, Megan, Me and my PT nurse) all went to watch me walk. So I walked on crutches down the room and back twice. I told her I wanted to fail PT so I could stay another day. She said “I will pretend I didn’t hear that…but I can see you again later LATER on today to work on stairs” I was like sounds great, so by then it would be too late to discharge me.  So we went back to my room and hung out for a little while longer. My nurse didn’t realize you could feel the screws through skin since she sees patients that are swollen or just had the hardware removed, so she felt Megan’s screws and thought that was nuts!

After Megan left, I took a shower with the help of Kevin. I felt SO much better and it brought me to life!

The more I thought about it, the more I figured that staying in the hospital one night just to sleep may be a waste of time.  So I ended up calling my nurse and having her locate PT and tell them I’d be willing to do stairs and pass today. They took me to the stairwell, I did up and down no problem…so now I can go home. I fell asleep and my nurse came in saying to call her any time I wanted to leave.

We got out of the hospital about 4pm, with Mom, Kevin, Me AND my brother….in my little Fusion since my Dad couldn’t make it so quickly. We were PACKED into the car and it was difficult figuring out how to get me into that thing. But we figured it out and off we went. We sat in a bit of traffic where I found out that my bestest friend Jen was surprising me by coming to visit, even though I TOLD her to come!! She almost put me in tears!! But a little pre-info….her bridal shower was the day after surgery and I was REALLY upset I couldn’t make it. So I was really glad to see her! Such a trickster her and Kevin are!!!! We all ate dinner in the suite and Jen left around 8:30 or so. After Jen left the 4 of us played some cards and I was literally falling asleep at the table! We finished up, I went to bed and Kevin drove Mike back to his apartment. YAY! I made it.

Today was mixed emotions…staying in the hospital which is my security blanket  or leaving and starting my recovery along with all my stupid little meltdowns that are sure to come.

Mom and my brother in the car with ALL my balloons. :-)

Monday, June 6, 2011 Day 3

The dreaded Day 3!! Although not as dreaded as the epidural was already out. I think taking it out the day before and easing into day 3 makes things MUCH easier. You have more time to get the pain meds under control. Instead of epi out ta 6 and out of bed by 9! That’s too soon!  So the catheter came out about 7am! They said I normally don’t have to pee for a few hours, but it wasn’t out for even 2 hours and I had to go! So my nurse….whom was pretty good at first…turned out to be a moron. She didn’t want to get me out of bed since PT hadn’t done that yet so she suggested the bad pan. I don’t care, as long as I pee, and I pee quick!!! So she got me on it and then left the room!!! I’m hanging like some trapeze monkey! I was livid. The pan puts your hip at a awkward angle so it hurt and I was hanging on the trapeze otherwise the pan would tip over. She was gone for like 5 minutes. I could have shot her. THEN, pain management comes in and I’m dangling and she’s like omg are you OK, do you need help! He felt awkward because he didn’t know how I would feel with a guy helping me but at that point who cares! But he no sooner came in and she was behind him. I was like get of me off, I‘m done! Idiot.

I was getting nervous because PT was coming soon to get me out of bed and I wanted Mom and Kevin to be there. Luckily, they got there around 9:45am JUST as PT got there so they were my cheer team! She eased my leg off the bed while I shifted my body with my good leg (same as before). She was impressed with my strength. I had to pee so she put me right on the commode and right to the toilet. Kevin helped me as I couldn’t stand and whip (sorry). Then I came out and sat in the lounge chair for an hour or so. Dad put his Skype on and we could all talk to each other. I got very tired and decided it was time to get back into bed.  I told them I didn’t want anymore Valium since that was putting my into a deep sleep, giving me weird dreams and terrible headaches. So no more of those!

Early in the afternoon I went to PT and walked back and forth twice on the parallel bars. I had to focus on keeping my op-toes up and really trying to use that leg and not use my toes to walk my foot forward. I did great. After PT I was tired but we decided to take a talk down to the Garden since it was so nice outside! But a great idea. I was feeling really good and needed the fresh air. We found a nice table in the corner and Kevin ran in to get some cards, sunglasses and drinks. We were outside for close to 2 hours! I started to get VERY tired. But my wheelchair was pretty comfortable the entire time.

We met Dr. Millis in my doorway on the way in and he was impressed with my progress. He said to take a shower and if I pooped in the shower that would serve two purposes and I could go! Yikes, too soon, too soon. He asked if I wanted to go home tomorrow….uhhhhh

Dinner tonight for Kevin and Mom will be free in the cafeteria will be free as the last two days they forgot some of my food! The girl taking my order must have notified management and the manager himself came up to apologize himself! We have enough to worry about and not getting the correct food shouldn’t be one of those! He wants to make sure they are doing their job properly. So he gave them each a gift card for $7.50 to use in the cafeteria, not too bad!

I ended up going to the bathroom about 3 times tonight and totally emptied my bowels, gosh that made me feel so much better!