Hey Ya'll,
Sorry to have been out of the loop for so long....But, I have good reason (or so I believe anyway...)!
My hubby had Back Surgery last month. He had a Laminectomy on L4-5, so I was nursing him back to health for a couple of weeks in my new Apartment. He is doing very well now, and can do just about anything that he wants to.
I had my Back Surgery on the 23rd of April. They moved my original Surgery date from the 24th to the 23rd. I was doing pretty well in the Hospital until the second night, when the Nurse attempted to remove my Drain, as I was supposed to be released the next day. But she couldn't remove it, and the harder she tried, the more it hurt. So after having a second Nurse give it the ole college try, they decided to wait and let the Doctor remove it in the morning, when he was to come in to decide if I was to be released or not that day. But my Back hurt like Hell the rest of the night!!
When the Doctor arrived, he was surprised to find out that they were unable to remove the Drain Tube, so he did it himself. Luckily I had just taken a full dose of liquid Percotet for the pain about a half hour before he arrived, so I barely felt it being removed. However, in removing the Drain, he discovered that the Tube had a couple of stitches in it from the Incision, which is why it was resistant to being removed. So it was decided that it had to be removed....Surgically. So I had to go back into Surgery that night to have it removed, under General Anesthesia again. So of course I had to spend a third night there! By early the next morning, I woke up and realized that I needed to go to the bathroom....like NOW!!
So I rang for the Nurse, and started to take off my Oxygen, etc so that she didn't have so much to get me out of the bed....and I barely made it to the bathroom before I had an accident. In fact, I really didn't make it, as I felt liquid running down my legs as I was walking as fast as I could while pulling my IV pole!! So once I finished, the Nurse had to wipe down my legs, etc with baby wipes (or something like them), talk about embarrassing.
But the difference in this toilet run, was that when I sat down, I had the most excruciating pain from my left Buttocks down my left Leg! And unfortunately, this continued every time I tried to raise or lower my Leg for several days....I was thinking....So, I had the Surgery to get rid of my Back Pain and the stabbing pain in my left Leg, and now I have Sciatica pain????
So I was finally released on Friday around lunch time. And the Sciatica pain lasted until about mid day Tuesday. I think what helped to stop it, was that I did a major amount of walking with my Step Daughter Kat! The more that I walked, the less it hurt. And it hasn't bothered me since Tuesday! (picture me dancing like Snoopy! :)). And I have been out shopping and walking every day since Monday this week until today.
I went in for my follow up appointment with the Doctor yesterday, and he was thrilled at my progress! So as soon as I hit the 3 month anniversary of my Back Surgery, I will be able to have my Hip Surgery! I haven't actually scheduled my Hip Surgery date yet, but I am expecting it to be sometime between late July-early August.
I was right, I will not need a total Hip replacement (thank God!!), just Femoral Acetabular Impingement Surgery (FAI). I am one of the lucky ones, in that I have both Cam and Pincer types, otherwise Mixed. So the Surgeon will have to go in and remove the over growth of Bone in both the Ball and Socket, plus repairing a Labral Tear. Which means that I am supposed to be using Crutches for 6 weeks!! Ahh! But I have a Cane, so I am hoping that I can switch over to it shortly after Surgery....Only time will tell.
The Orthopedic Surgeon told me that the Surgery will only last about 1 1/2 hours, and I will not need to stay overnight in the Hospital. But I won't be able to drive myself for probably 4-6 weeks, yikes!! But by taking care of the Hip now, there is hope that I won't need a total Hip replacement in the future, or at least not for some years in the future.
Anyway!!! I am doing well in my new Apartment. I love it. And I have decorated it the way that I wanted, so it totally reflects my personality. Which I have never been able to do until now. Before, I always had to get permission from my significant other on how to decorate, and what colors he would like, etc. Even Walt likes the way that I have decorated it.
Now, once I recover from my Back and future Hip Surgery, I will begin searching for a job.... :( Oh well, I knew that if I was able to get my life back, with little to no pain, that I would have to return to the work force!!
So....saying that, I must go for now, but please note that I have updated my Ticker Tape to reflect my new weight!! Yes, I am now under 160 lbs, I am no longer considered Obese, I am just a little overweight!! And for the first time in many years, I am able to clothes shop in a regular store! Just the thought of being able to walk into a regular sized store and shop, and especially that they won't look at me like, what am I doing shopping here, there isn't anything that I can wear in there, is amazing!
So....Till next time....
Aloha My Friends :)
