One Month Out Already!

Just had to include this photo of Kai and Alex.
Will try and get one of Dash and Finley if they will stay still long enough for me to snap one!

It has been one month since my surgery and we are still trying to get my drug regime so that I can manage the nerve pain and get some sleep. I think what is bothering me the most at the moment is only sleeping for one hour at a time. One really doesn't get rested that way. I am usually up for an hour between 1 and 3 am and I read and have some tea, take more pain pills and then go back to bed to try to get some more sleep.

Other than that...I am so happy that I have this apartment at Willamette View. I have home health aids twice a week that help with my showers and things I can't do by myself...like laundry and changing my bed. Everyone here is friendly and very interesting. It is great having my sister here. We think we have seen more of each other in the last month than we have in the last forty years!. She has been my wheels and gets me out and around. But she is facing a knee replacement April 18th so I will have to find another way to get around until I am able to drive.

It lifts my spirits to have my kids and grandkids so nearby. I have dinner with each family once a week and am part of their activities. Am looking forward to Seder at my daughter's tonight and then Easter and Kai's birthday on Saturday and Sunday.

I am really looking forward to going to the coast for a meditation retreat with two friends and then a week visit in Corvallis. I hope to see as many of you in Corvallis as I can...It will be great to catch up in person.

Up and Down but I think the trend is up.

Today was three weeks since my surgery and I believe that things are generally getting better. I am settled in my apartment and  have most things figured out. But I get quite frustrated at how many things I drop and can't pick up. I am on a little less pain medication but the nerve pain and neuropathy in my left arm and fingers is pretty severe. I am dealing with the side effects of  the drugs I am taking. There are always the issues with constipation cause by the opiates (it is a good thing that I like prunes!). but worse is the insomnia, blurred vision and depression caused by the Gabapentin for nerve pain. I can only sleep in one position and that last about 2 hours before I wake up in pain and have to move about to relieve the pressure of the brace. Then I am wide awake and can't go back to sleep. At first the insomnia upset me, but I have decided not to fight it and just try to work with it. So I usually get up, make myself a cup of Sleepy Time tea, and read a chapter or two of my book and then try going to sleep again. I can usually get in 5 to 6 hours of sleep that way. With a nap, I seem to be doing OK and am not too tired during the day.

When I first got to the apartment, I had a helper come in for an hour a day to get me settled and things arranged so that I could get to the things I need. Now I am having someone twice a week to change the beds and help with my showers and hair washing and drying.

The weather has been quite nice and I have wanted to get out to walk (When it is nasty I can walk on the treadmills in the health center). I am not having a lot of luck finding someone here to walk with me. I was told that the first fellow who volunteered was the fastest walker here. But he almost collapsed halfway through the walk and I thought I might have to call 911 for him! Becca walked with me yesterday and saw that I am very stable on my feet and careful to watch what is coming up in front of me so she decided that I might be better off just walking by myself and not having to worry about someone else.

I am really missing friends in Corvallis and am in the process of planning a week in Corvallis in early April to see everyone, play bridge,go to book club and dinner with my dinner group..Will also fit in some appointments and a couple of potluck brunches. It is something positive to look forward to. As always, your kind thoughts and healing energy help me to fight the pain and stay positive.

Trying to figure out the new normal

I am sitting in my apartment typing on my iPad hanging on a music stand at eye level.

I moved over to the apartment yesterday afternoon... It took two carloads to get all my stuff over here. I was greeted by my neighbors with flowers and offers to help at any time.  In the evening I had dinner with my sister and Corvallis friends, Mimi, Lita, and Anita and Solon Stone… It was a lovely time.

Sunday I had a full day, spending the morning with Jon and the kids. Then in the afternoon it was wonderful to see my Altrusa friend, Karen French, who dropped by with mochas and took me for a wonderful long walk.Yesterday I had an appointment with the PA to check on my progress and get my stitches out. Both of my incisions are healing very well.  One of the things I need to work on is not looking down so much. (Do you realize how many things we do that require looking down?!) The PA said I could start walking short distances (0.1 mile). I think she was shocked when I told her I had already been walking 1+ miles twice a day without exhausting myself since I got home from the hospital. She would prefer that I did my walking on a treadmill, but I am hoping to find a walking partner here so that I can walk outside and go for longer distances on nice days.

I would love to have visitors. As most of you know, I am not great at being alone and most activities I like doing (reading, doing puzzles, knitting, etc) require looking down.

What a difference a day makes!

Just wanted everyone to know that I am back on feet again. The doctors made some minor adjustments in my medications. But we're pretty sure we have identified the cause of the nerve pain: vibrations from the walker on my arm and neck caused by the rough sidewalks. I took a long walk this morning (about a mile!) with Becca and Alex. I held onto Becca's arm and had no problem. And this afternoon I took another long walk with Jon

Now what I need is a clever designer and builder who can design a reading/computer lap table that will allow me to read and use my iPad without putting stress on my neck or bad arm.  Anyone want to take on the challenge?

Hope the sun keeps shining.  It really lifts the spirits!

You've got to expect a stumble or two along the way

Hi all,

I still have to pinch myself when I think about how well I am doing. As a result, I probably am doing too much and so today is a forced day of more rest and less activity due to much higher levels of pain. Time to begin watching all those movies in my queue on Netflix.

Yesterday, I had two long walks (about 1/2 hr each) and a visit with Dash, Lori, and Finley.  I found out that the rough sidewalks send vibrations up the walker and inti my bad arm which is very irritating to the nerves. So it looks like I will need to just walk around here holding on to someone's arm rather than using the walker.  I am interacting with the kids from a sofa or chair, but that still requires bending my head down which I am not supposed to do.

So by bedtime last night I was in a significant amount of pain and had a more restless night of sleep. Ice and a hydrocodone pill this morning helped some, but it's still a lot rougher than the past two days. So definitely a quiet movie day is in store..

Also, is anyone heading up to Portland in the next day or two? I need some things brought up from my house.

Thanks to all...keep sending those healing thoughts.

I'm home! (almost)...

Modeling the latest in stylish attire.....

I am home at Becca's for a few days. My discharge from the hospital was complicated by the hospital changing over to a new computer system over the weekend and a on-call Dr that had two hospitals to cover and an emergency surgery. She was supposed to show up at noon and didn't get to me until about 6:30 pm and seemed to be running on fumes. So I ended up coming home with only a partial list of medications that I was taking and no instructions for wound care. (Luckily we clarified all of that this morning by talking with the PA who helped with my surgery.)

A huge thank you to Catherine Mater who came for a short visit and ended up staying all day and bringing me home to Becca's house so my kids could cope with family and work issues which were complicated by the fact that no one expected me to come home before Monday or Tuesday.

I am sitting in the sunshine using a calligraphy desk that sits over my knees while I am sitting on the sofa. I will take a long nap this afternoon and hopefully get out for a walk around the block in the sunshine..

Thanks for all the healing energy you are sending my way. I think it makes a huge difference!

Molly

Some adjustments needed

So it was to be expected that Mom would likely have to come down slightly from her high of yesterday. And today was a day of adjustments:adjusting to new medications, new nurses, and new aches and pains. After having an unbelievably amazing nurse yesterday, we actually had to call in a supervisor and have a nurse changed today. In general this has been a rare issue at Providence and we appreciated the support we got from staff management. It sounds like they're going to be very articulate about who they assign to her for the remainder of the stay.

 She does continue to heal and make progress though. So all in all a good day.

What a difference a day makes!

Wow.

So we know that there will be lots of ups and downs along the way and a couple steps backward for large jumps forward and we don't want to jinx things -- but Mom's operative phrase for this afternoon has been "Pinch Me".

As in, "I can't believe things are going so well". In the last 24 hours she has:

• gotten a strategy that has her pain under control while dialing way back on the narcotics
• had a PT and OT session
• has gone for multiple walks around the floor
• has gotten rid of her catheter, has had a wonderful shower, gotten her hair washed, brushed her teeth and gotten to put pajama pants on (don't underestimate the power of those last four in feeling more human again)
• has found out that she doesn't need to wear her neck brace when she's in bed (allowing for more comfortable reclining and also for being able to see a tv/computer/ipad screen a little more
• has regained some of the strength in her left arm (the surgeon nicked/beat up on some of the major nerves to it, greatly weakening it and causing pain...hopefully only temporarily)
• has been able to start eating a little more than just liquids and so has gotten a little more strength/energy back
• has had a wonderful long nap thanks to the increased comfort of her bed now that she has her foam pad (thank you! thank you!)

It's kinda crazy. And I know there will be really rough days ahead, maybe even before she's discharged. But we'll take it for however long it lasts.

Sounds like at the moment, best guess is Monday for discharge...I think it mostly depends on a) when she regains all her swallowing ability and b) whether they want her to do a little more PT. Plus I think they just want a few more days to keep an eye on her and how the nerve pain and strength comes and goes.

Thanks all for all your good wishes and energy. Something's working, that's for sure.

b