I eventually got wheeled into the theatre reception at 7 pm last night. The neurosurgeon spent a lot of time explaining the procedure to Hubby & I in finer detail, especially all the questions I had based on my Internet research. One good thing ... The procedures for the laminectomy, as described on the Internet, mention that the lamina gets cut out. But he told me that they try looking for an existing hole and work through that. By the end of the discussion both Hubby and I were far more confident.
After a last kiss goodbye, Hubby left and I went into theatre. My op was over by 8:30 pm and I went back to the ward at 8:45 pm, not before the Orthopaedic surgeon told me they had removed a large hernia.
It was a very rough night in the high care ward. The machines were beeping, the blood pressure monitor was squeezing my arm, the sister was checking up on me, and to top it off,the gent in the bed opposite couldn't sleep so kept chatting to the sister. Hence I didn't get much sleep.
This morning went better though. The Orthopaedic surgeon came in to see me between surgeries. The op had been a success. They removed a hernia the size of his thumbs side by side. Holy crap but that's huge!!!
So now it's all done... I'm waiting to be transferred to the general ward. Coz the op took place so late last night they going to hold off on physiotherapy till tomorrow.
But now I think it's time for a nap ...
Friday, 1 February 2013
Thursday, 31 January 2013
And so the wait continues
Well, I'm here ... In the hospital ... But not without hiccups on the way.
I was meant to book in at 12 pm. But because the pre-authorization had taken so long I only arrived here at 2 pm ...
So now I'm in bed, wearing my so-un-sexy hospital clothes ... In the high care ward. Where I will stay till tomorrow apparently. The lady just brought in the food. Which I cant eat (apparently it stays here till I come out of theatre). Think I'll want to eat then?!
I was meant to book in at 12 pm. But because the pre-authorization had taken so long I only arrived here at 2 pm ...
So now I'm in bed, wearing my so-un-sexy hospital clothes ... In the high care ward. Where I will stay till tomorrow apparently. The lady just brought in the food. Which I cant eat (apparently it stays here till I come out of theatre). Think I'll want to eat then?!
Pre-op jitters
Today is the big back op day. This morning I had my hair cut REALLY short so that it doesn't irritate.p me whilst I'm flat on my back for the next 6 weeks.
We now sitting a coffee shop and I am watching Hubby & Missy eat... Do they know what torture is?
I have to be at the hospital at 12 pm & am being operated on at 5 pm - theoretically.
By nature I'm not a nervous person, but my hands are starting to shake. Sending text messages are becoming slightly difficult.
T minus 2 hours & 15 minutes...
We now sitting a coffee shop and I am watching Hubby & Missy eat... Do they know what torture is?
I have to be at the hospital at 12 pm & am being operated on at 5 pm - theoretically.
By nature I'm not a nervous person, but my hands are starting to shake. Sending text messages are becoming slightly difficult.
T minus 2 hours & 15 minutes...
Monday, 28 January 2013
The road ahead
Hello friends...
It's 12:35 am ... And I can't sleep... Not because my friend Fibro is keeping me awake... But because I have 101 things filling my mind.
In my last post I mentioned that I was going to see the orthopedic surgeon later in the day. Well it was quite a day. We went through the usual formalities and examinations. And then it was time to see my back as I'd never seen it before - in an MRI. The doctor was very helpful in explaining how to read it. On the 1 sheet was my spine from the side, on the other, from above. Any uneducated person would have been able to see the problem almost immediately. I have a herniated disc L5/S1. And not just a small one either as could be seen from the top view. In fact I had to double check and point to the hernia just to make sure I wasn't looking at the wrong bit. The hernia that is pushing against my spinal cord is as big as the area housing the spinal cord & fluid... Hence my question to the surgeon.
So now... The surgeon is making arrangements to get me to theatre this week. And for those who may be wondering... This is not a rash decision. I have had back pain (on and off) for the past 3 years. I have regular physiotherapy for my Fibro - and she also works on my back. I have tried medicine - both pain killers & anti inflammatories - in the past 2 weeks I have attempted to cut down on them drastically. It is only now that I realize just how much damage I must be doing to myself when I don't feel the pain.
But with me having to be off work for a bit after the operation, my mind is going through what the the impact will be on my family, Hubby & Missy; my work and life in general. All arrangements will now be put on hold till we know where we stand...
I must admit, this may not be major surgery (trust me, I have googled this topic to death), but this is still a bit scary. I know how to handle my Fibro. I know how to deal with pain, fatigue, over- sensitive everything... But this is a new type of scary... And I don't know if I'm ready for a new type of scary...
It's 12:35 am ... And I can't sleep... Not because my friend Fibro is keeping me awake... But because I have 101 things filling my mind.
In my last post I mentioned that I was going to see the orthopedic surgeon later in the day. Well it was quite a day. We went through the usual formalities and examinations. And then it was time to see my back as I'd never seen it before - in an MRI. The doctor was very helpful in explaining how to read it. On the 1 sheet was my spine from the side, on the other, from above. Any uneducated person would have been able to see the problem almost immediately. I have a herniated disc L5/S1. And not just a small one either as could be seen from the top view. In fact I had to double check and point to the hernia just to make sure I wasn't looking at the wrong bit. The hernia that is pushing against my spinal cord is as big as the area housing the spinal cord & fluid... Hence my question to the surgeon.
So now... The surgeon is making arrangements to get me to theatre this week. And for those who may be wondering... This is not a rash decision. I have had back pain (on and off) for the past 3 years. I have regular physiotherapy for my Fibro - and she also works on my back. I have tried medicine - both pain killers & anti inflammatories - in the past 2 weeks I have attempted to cut down on them drastically. It is only now that I realize just how much damage I must be doing to myself when I don't feel the pain.
But with me having to be off work for a bit after the operation, my mind is going through what the the impact will be on my family, Hubby & Missy; my work and life in general. All arrangements will now be put on hold till we know where we stand...
I must admit, this may not be major surgery (trust me, I have googled this topic to death), but this is still a bit scary. I know how to handle my Fibro. I know how to deal with pain, fatigue, over- sensitive everything... But this is a new type of scary... And I don't know if I'm ready for a new type of scary...
Thursday, 24 January 2013
2 weeks in a flash
Good morning friends
The last 2 weeks have been rather interesting...
I had my 6-monthly checkup with the rheumatologist (if you exclude the 3 times i went to see her in the last 6 months due to all the flare-ups). Not such a happy day. My fibro is still not back down to a maintenance regime for my meds... Damn... And we now trying something new for the fibro fog. It's been a week so it's too soon to see if the new meds will have an effect.
One good thing that she did say was that my back is not being caused by the fibro. So off I pickled to my house doctor who, in 1 week, arranged X-rays, MRI and an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. So that's where I'm off to this morning. Wish me luck!
But onto things less fibro...
The 4 weeks leave I took over December did wonders for my body & soul. Even with my brother's wedding and subsequent death 10 days later, I was amazed at how relaxed I felt when I went back to work, and still am, 2 weeks down the line. When we travel overseas on holiday we always take 4 weeks but staying local and relaxing does sooooo much more.
During my leave hubby, missy & I tried our hands at making a mosaic mural next to our jacuzzi. Have a look at the pics I've uploaded. I'm super proud of my family. I've always known that I relax when I have a ,oasis project I'm busy with, but this brought the therapy home for me. So take my advice, if you've had a super rotten day, try your hand at a hobby. It works!
The last 2 weeks have been rather interesting...
I had my 6-monthly checkup with the rheumatologist (if you exclude the 3 times i went to see her in the last 6 months due to all the flare-ups). Not such a happy day. My fibro is still not back down to a maintenance regime for my meds... Damn... And we now trying something new for the fibro fog. It's been a week so it's too soon to see if the new meds will have an effect.
One good thing that she did say was that my back is not being caused by the fibro. So off I pickled to my house doctor who, in 1 week, arranged X-rays, MRI and an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. So that's where I'm off to this morning. Wish me luck!
But onto things less fibro...
The 4 weeks leave I took over December did wonders for my body & soul. Even with my brother's wedding and subsequent death 10 days later, I was amazed at how relaxed I felt when I went back to work, and still am, 2 weeks down the line. When we travel overseas on holiday we always take 4 weeks but staying local and relaxing does sooooo much more.
During my leave hubby, missy & I tried our hands at making a mosaic mural next to our jacuzzi. Have a look at the pics I've uploaded. I'm super proud of my family. I've always known that I relax when I have a ,oasis project I'm busy with, but this brought the therapy home for me. So take my advice, if you've had a super rotten day, try your hand at a hobby. It works!
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