Friday, June 5, 2013 - Day 10

Don't have too much to report! I slept almost another 12 hours again, woo! Stomach to side as usual, but my back was pretty sore because I don't roll around as much as I would without a hip issue. So got up and came to my recliner where I've been ever since, logged into my work computer and have been doing work all day. Appetite isn't too huge, I'm hungry often but not dying for a huge meal! Started my day off with a yogurt, then a small kielbasa leftover and potato salad and then a few hours later a slice of homemade pizza. Not too nuts.

Dad came today, so they'll be here until Sunday and then Mom leaves and so does all of our help. Guess it's back to reality for us, wahh!

I had a great PT back during my first PAO but between that and the second she ended up taking a new job and working one day a month at Children's, on Saturday...so I wouldn't see her anymore. No other PT would meet with patients because they cut part of the budget so it was frustrating when she left the hospital. I emailed Erin to pick her brain about this inner thigh issue and asking if Jaime was still associated with CHB, and she said Jaime is very, very occasional but does still work with them so she copied Jaime on the email and I tried to be as specific as possible with my thigh and what helps or doesn't help so I am looking forward to getting some kind of answer!

But not too much else going on, I don't have any pictures for today so I'll upload some videos from recovery and how messed up I was.

Yeah, my tongue was numb. :-)

Thursday, July 4, 2013 - Day 9

Happy 4th of July!

This day seemed to fly by.

I woke up around 8:30am and went straight into the shower...where my wonderful husband shaved me disgustingly hairy legs and helped remove my bandage...

I kept the bandage on for (almost) 10 days and then the steristrips are supposed to just fall off on their own. They are pretty stuck on me so I won't go pulling them off any time soon like I have in the past.

So around 10am I got a visit from fellow hipster, Jackie! I had met her (really her boyfriend at the time) on the Facebook PAO page and then through him and his questions started talking with Jackie as she was only a couple months behind my second PAO. Hers was also performed at Children's by Dr. Kim. It was so cool to meet another fellow in this..and have it be NOT in a hospital! We had a great chat and she brought me awesome goodies along with a pillow pet which I never even thought would be a good idea but it works so well under my knee, you were right!!

After she left we had breakfast? Brunch...it was after 11:00am!! After that, we hung around and before we knew it, it was 4pm already!! Where did the day go? We played some cards, ate some delish food and relaxed and sat down to eat dinner at 8pm. I kind of hate the day to end because getting in to bed you never know what the night will bring. Last night as I was just drifting off to sleep (second night on my stomach I might add) I twitched and swear to god I thought I broke my hip! It was such a big twitch it hurt SO friggin' bad. I slept aright, but woke up with a slight headache. I also cut a contin in half which I learned was a bad idea because it's in a slow release coating and by cutting it in half leaves one side open and dissolves into my system all at once. Oh well! I was really sore today and I hate that. It's not even my hip! I had pain in my inner thigh and my butt, all muscular. Why won't that stupid pain just go away. Make my hip hurt, no problem...that's the broken part...but leave my muscle alone. Also, the crease where my leg bends has been sore today too, very much so!

I'm ready to go bed and hope tomorrow is twice as better than today.

 Icing my hip with my zebra pillow pet.

 Mom...being....Mom.

Footnote: poop after eating beets is red. don't be scurred.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - Day 8!

A LOT to report today...Mom wants to use my computer and check her email but I gotta get today's events noted first!

To begin with, last night we are dinner on the patio (thanks Mom and Kev!)...and we sat around the table playing cards and all the sudden I felt my insides moving around and VOILA, made a bathroom trip ALL by myself. No meds necessary. Not sure if it was the prunes, the hot tea, the beets, the colace or the walking up and downstairs 18 millions times to use the commode but boy things got moving!! YAY! I am back on track. Went again today after my iced coffee too so we're back in business, no more potty talk!

Had another long night sleep. I wanted to try stomach sleeping last night, so I fell asleep that way. It was a little sore but not bad. Took a contin (20mg) and a codone (10mg) before bed just to ease my body. I did really well! 10pm-12am on my stomach, then did my side for another few hours, back to my stomach and ended on my side...woke up at 8:45! I can't believe how much I'm sleeping and during all that my hip is healing, healing, healing!

I woke up a little groggy but got some food in me and seemed to be OK. I logged into my work computer and took some stress off my boss (you're welcome)! Then around noon, Mom wanted to go grocery shopping to get a few things for the big 4th of July festivities so I decided I would go too. Threw a shirt and a hat on and off we went. Walked into the store and luckily they had a motorized cart right inside the door, I hopped on and off we went. The store was crawling with old people today for some reason, they probably wondered why such a lovely young girl was in a cart! At least I had crutches with me. I was doing so well until I decided to back up...not that the backup sensor isn't embarrassing enough, but I knocked over a whole display of dog toys!!! oops. I got over to Mom and said uhh, I knocked that over can you get someone...so she found a poor kid and he took the blame while he cleaned it up...it was kinda funny! Can't take me anywhere. I was getting a little sore sitting all crooked in that thing but we paid and went out to the truck. We emptied the bags but we forgot Strawberries and it didn't sense for us BOTH to go back into the store just for me to drop the cart off and crutch back to the car...so Mom had to take the cart back in and she said NO pictures...so guess what I did? I couldn't stop laughing, I think I popped a stitch...

After shopping we treated ourselves to Starbucks!

We then got home and when I thought I was going to be exhausted, I wasn't too bad! We hate some lunch and back to the couch I went to get back to work and I worked most of the night until dinner and even after. I'm pretty much caught up from a week so that's good.

Big, exciting, news...Miss Jacqueline, a fellow Hipster that is almost 2 years post will be visiting tomorrow morning as she passes through New Haven! It's exciting! She recuperated just a few months behind my second PAO and her, then, boyfriend at the time was very helpful in getting to know about the surgery and do's and don'ts and whatever else. Now she is recovered, not needing her other hip done and driving through the area on her way home for the holiday and we finally get to meet! So, tomorrow morning I get to meet another girlie. It's amazing how this PAO stuff you really make such a bond with people you have never met that you feel like friends already. I honestly don't know what other kind of procedure (besides having a disease) brings so many - young - people together! So I'm looking forward to that!

That's about it...my thigh is still numb which sucks big time because Millis promised he didn't even go near my nerve, :-(  I just hope I don't have lingering issues after this is healed the second time. The third time around I get to push the envelope a bit more and REALLY know what I can and can't do which is good in the long run. Things started out rough, but I'd say this is the fastest overall. Day 8 and almost completely off meds and sleeping like a baby? What can't I do? Bring it!! I don't know about faith and this and that...but I'm glad I was given this because I feel like I can overcome it with an ALMOST perfect mood and mindset. One PAO is is bad enough, the second one...not too great but the third one, I mean...you literally want to crawl into a hole and die. My mind is really trying to stay positive and focus on the end and not dwell. I get frustrated and have to quickly change my mood that it'll be over soon. I was talking to Mom earlier too about how I've been doing better and I just said that I know (now) that no matter how bad something is today, chances are it's going to be half as better tomorrow...and even better the next day! Which is true. I was brushing my teeth last night and the inner thigh muscle thing hit me SO badly that fell into tears but today it's quite a bit better so I can't complain.

Just trying to take it ONE day at a time and know that it's getting better and better each day. So today was a big day and eventful and tomorrow should be even better! Here's a picture of my bandage before I remove it tomorrow..

Looking forward to better and better days with a smile on my face! And couldn't get through these last 8 days without my family and friends because the beginning was pretty difficult! And especially Mom and Kevo for putting up with my demands and playing "house" for me!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 - Day 7

One week...seriously, it's only been a week? But at the same time, where has the week gone? A lot has happened, there have been a lot of improvements also!

Woke up about normal time, 8:45ish and inched myself out of bed. Luckily, Kevin forgot to take my commode downstairs so I was able to pee right away. I also ended up having to wake Kevin up at 3am because I had to pee. I HATE having to do that, but he tells me I have to, so I do. I slept great, again! I'm not sure if it's the Contin and Codone or if it's because I'm comfy and tired, but I keep taking the meds at night and it seems to be working so why change it now!

To my next order of business, it's 4:00pm and I haven't taken any meds since 3am. Took 1 oxycondone and 1 tylenol then at took one oxycontin at about 10pm last night so as of now everything is out of my system. I don't feel too awfully bad. I hate taking medicine so I really try to bump myself off the stuff as quickly as possible. The hip feels fine, the main issue is my butt pain and my inner thigh/muscular pain which I'm not sure what it is yet. My tongue feels like it's getting a LITTLE better...oh and the whole bathroom issue!!!! Maybe now that the meds are lowering it'll start happening.

I've made about four trips upstairs today, can't say I'm hating it....but I certainly don't enjoy it! I've been going upstairs on both crutches (under each arm) as opposed to both under one and using the railing and Mom is yelling at me. But I said if I have to go upstairs to pee then I get to choose how I get there. Coming down I still use the railing for help as I'm a little more unsteady. After I come downstairs, Mom makes me walk to the back door then back to my chair. I'm surprised I haven't needed a nap all week from all this movement. Another sign I'm getting stronger. I did exercises once today but need to do them once more. Will wait for Kevin to come home.

So last night before dinner, Kev made me try another suppository...ugh. Didn't really do much so the food just doesn't seem to be moving down to the general area for some reason! It's getting quite frustrating.

Anyway, so Mom has been here since we came back from the hospital and it's been GREAT! I've been less active this time around so it's good she's been here. I just have no ambition to do anything and I really can't anyway because my muscle has been bothering me. She's been doing above and beyond her job duties that's for sure and Kevin and I REALLY appreciate it. Besides the grocery shopping and cooking, she's cleaning up and doing laundry, ironing Kevin's laundry and telling him to unpack his suitcase (HAHA)...she's emptying the garbages and taking care of me obviously! Then in her down time, we're catching up on ABC's newest show, Mistresses, which she wanted to watch but never started so we watched from the beginning and now we're addicted. I don't want her to leave over the weekend because I'm going to be SO lazy. It has been a HUGE help to both of us and Kevin can come home and relax...along with grilling and helping out wherever he can. 

Not too much else...yes things are getting better but it's going slowly!! You think I'd learn this time around to be patient. Nope, don't have a patient bone in my body. I just hope this one heals as well and with no problems like the other two. I don't want any lingering nerve or muscle pain..crossing my fingers big time!!!

Monday, July 1, 2013 - Day 6

I'm almost a week since surgery! Doesn't feel like it's been a week already, but I'm not sure if I feel like it's been forever or not forever.

My night was very good again. I went to bed just after 9pm and woke up maybe once or twice, Kevin got up to turn the fan on at one point and asked if I needed to go to the bathroom but I didn't - surprisingly. His alarm went off for work, I decided to take my next dose of meds so by the time I got up they have kicked in, and then I slept on my side for the next hour or so. My thigh is a little sore for some off reason, the ripping sensation is a little better, but the other thing is my inner thigh muscle (here we go again) is causing me a really uncomfortable pain. If I don't put some weight on my leg the pain is very very sore and I'm not too sure why.

So Kevin went off to work and Mom was here to take care of me. She brought me a muffin and juice to bed to soak up my meds so when I got up I wasn't sick. So after I felt full, I got up and went straight into the shower, YAY! I was afraid I'd get overheated again..but I needed to shower anyway. I grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom. Here we go again, strip down, I get real close to the shower and put my left crutch in the shower and put my left leg in then I bend my right knee backward and put that into the shower as well then I sit on my shower chair. I have a shower head that can be hand held and a loofa on a stick which is the only way to go! I shaved my armpits which were looking like Wolverine! I took a quick shower and out!! And you know how, things that can go bad, do go bad to me? I got my period again...2 weeks early. What are the friggin' chances? Seriously. What did I ever do? Hate this. I popped out of the shower and was feeling very tired so I sat in the recliner and had Mom bring my clothes to me so I can rest for a while. After I sat for a while, I came downstairs and sat on the couch under my snuggie and here I am. It's just after noon and I'm exhausted. That was a busy morning.

I have to do the first round of exercises since I didn't do it twice yesterday, not good!

Improvements: I can sit at the table longer. I sleep like a CHAMP and don't get too sore at night. I can shower somewhat with no issues. I can get dressed without help - except for socks. When I sit in the chair, I can pull my op-let up and lean it to the side with no problem. I remember that took a long long time the first time around.

Can't: I still can't stand for very long at all. I can't bend over. I don't have much of an appetite or ambition to do very much at all.

I hope by the end of the week things start looking up. I'm looking at my last blogs to compare where I was. First RPAO today is the day I got discharged (during a huge snow storm) and my LPAO we left the hotel we were staying at and drove to Cape Cod for a wedding! Not sure how I did that. I am in no shape to sit through a wedding that's for sure. Although, my sleeping is much improved.

Gonna have some lunch and relax...eating some prunes...and hope a bathroom trip is in my future!

Update: I just got a call from Christine from anesthesia - which I think is the girl that has done my epidural for each surgery. She was asking about my tongue and where the issue is.  I told her there is now a red sore on my tongue on the right side and going towards the tip. I said it hasn't quite gotten better so she will call at the end of the week and see if it has improved at all. 

Sunday, June 30, 2013 - Day 5

I started typing todays blog in yesterdays! 

We have since bought new a new bed, a king size bed which is pretty comfy on a normal night. So, Kevin put a pillow at the foot of the bed between the mattress and the foot board which pulls the sheets out a bit so my foot isn't bent over all night. Next, my leg was on two pillows, my head was on two pillows and I had a body pillow down the right side of me incase I wanted to sleep on my side. SO, who can't sleep a million hours with all those pillows? I fell asleep with music on because people were setting off fireworks and it was a little loud, woke up around midnight and thought, "oh no, I'll never get back to sleep" took my headphones off and went back to sleep. Woke up around 3am and REALLY hate having to wake someone up so I shimmied my way out of bed myself and got to the bathroom, came back and took my meds, Kevin got mad because I didn't wake him up, then he put be back in bed and I went right out again! I woke up around 6am or so and rolled onto my side on the body pillow and it felt fine! I was amazed. Thank goodness. I slept for an hour or so and rolled on my back again. I finally got up around 9am so just about 12 hours! I got up, took one step and fell back to the bed in tears! I had a ripping sensation in my lower ab/pubic region...to the side of my incision. It hurt SO badly I couldn't take it. Kevin had gone downstairs to use the bathroom and came back up to my crying in pain. He felt bad for leaving me but it wasn't his fault. I took my medicine, waited a few minutes and went to the bathroom...still VERY sore. From there I went downstairs, got down 4 steps and started sweating, feeling nauseas and overheating so Kevin ran down and brought a chair to our two flight landing and I sat there. I just lost it again. I have never had such a terrible time during recovery like this. I said "I'm done, I can't do this anymore"...and just sat there a while. After a few minutes I got up, went down the last flight and right to my recliner!

I ate some breakfast, did my exercises and relaxed a bit while playing MORE cards....and Mom usually kicks our asses! Kevin told me that I was to do another suppository because my insides are so uncomfortable...so FINE, I did it...waited 30 minutes and went to the bathroom which made me feel much better but it's still nowhere near how much I should be going. I wish my body would kick into gear and start going.

We kind of hung around all day, I took an hour nap and Kevin cleaned the fish tank, Mom cleaned up and made salad for dinner and what not. Then Kevin made pizza for dinner and Mom had to run out to get a few more things from the store. Her and Kev are drinking their Gin&Tonics in front of me. :-(  But that's ok. I was able to sit at the table for dinner much longer, but did get tired after a little while. Sat back on the couch and played some cards for about an hour, then it was back to bed just after 9pm again.

Things are improving, but at a VERY slow rate. :-\

One thing I almost forgot, one of the girls from PT called me today and asked how I was doing and if I had any questions. I really appreciated this because they do genuinely care about their job and how you are going once you leave the hospital. I said I was doing good and also mentioned about being over heated coming downstairs and she said it's because I am so exhausted in general that that little bit of movement just exhausts me. That eased me a little...but ready for that to be done! 

Saturday, June 29 - Day 4

Well, I only got up to pee once last night and didn't get disturbed too often either. I did my exercises in the middle of the night as well when I woke up. My nighttime nurse decided to change my dosage and the amount of time between doses of meds which I'm not sure why. I knew I wasn't going to like her from the beginning. So I had to call at 7:30am and ask for meds and the nurse said it wasn't due until 8am but since I was awake she'd give them to me. I said well I was getting them every 3-4 hours and all of the sudden now it was 5-6. So she looked and saw I was correct and not sure why the nurse before changed it on her own!

Millis's fellow came in early and asked if I had any questions before I was discharged and also said he or Millis would be back in later...which neither of them were.

We didn't see Millis and no one could get in contact with him so we decided to get a started and get out of the hospital. I got in my wheelchair with all of my goodies and felt very nauseas and dizzy and hot! It was pretty terrible, I got an anti-nausea pill for the ride home but that didn't help too much. My stomach was turning on the way down to the lobby so while Kevin went to get the car I had to make a trip to the bathroom which was less than enjoyable...will skip the details this time around!! Wheeled back out to the car, piled me in and off we went!! I was still very nauseas and had no idea how I was going to make it for the 2 1/2 hours home...I put on my eyemask, put the seat back, got under my snuggie and I was out for most of the trip thank goodness. We hit some traffic so the trip ended up being about 3 hours but it didn't bother me TOO much.

We got home, I walked in (it was SO sweating hot out)..and walked right to the couch recliner and stayed there for most of the day!! Mom went to Stop&Shop to get some food for dinner and for the week and Kevin played with his beer while I just sat here and slept. Kevin grilled burgers and Mom make Macaroni Salad and it tasted SOO good! My stomach is still bloated and I have not had a bm since the other day in the hospital.

I became very sleepy at the dinner table and had to go back to the couch while everyone cleaned up. We played "cards" on our devices again (mom is obsessed with playing cards)...I went to bed around 9:30pm which was a little fiasco while we made sure I had the right pillows and everything else. Going bed was something I was not looking forward to since it brought me to tears many times the surgeries before but let me say...I slept almost 12 hours!!!!!!

I almost forgot, since I wasn't able to see Dr. Millis before I left, he emailed me and asked for my number and ended up calling me later in the day asking how I was. I asked how long until I can take the bandage off (you'd think I would remember by now), I also asked if I should be concerned about my tongue or not and he said he would contact anesthesia again and have them contact me. He said to contact him and Erin Monday and let them know how I'm doing. So I will send something off and see how I'm doing then! He's such a soothing doc. Also, he has a patient needing a PAO and the mother is STRESSING about it, so he asked my Mom if she could be put in contact with this Mom and maybe ease some of her worries. We love Millis and back everything he says. So, Mom sent him her address and said to please send patients to her/us and also direct them to my blog since it's quite informative. I hope that he does!