My spine surgery journey: from preparation to recovery

[somerandomguy]

Good luck bellbird!

 

[blackemerald1]

Well if it's any consolation and if it is the same one I had a very long time ago... it will work bellbird and you will never, ever be constipated again... ever lol... :rolleyes:

But, I hope it is a bit gentler on you but still works!! :hug:

 

[DharmaGirl]

Guess who just finished her litre of laxative in under the time limit?!!

Yay! You did it! Isn't that just the worst stuff you've ever tasted? Bleh. Here's to hoping you start feeling a shitload better! Ok, bad pun, but I had to!

 

[bellbird]

it will work bellbird and you will never, ever be constipated again... ever lol... :rolleyes:

Phew!!
Can't wait to celebrate the day that the constipation is officially over.

Any ideas for what we should name that day?

Faecal Freedom Day?
Perfect Poop Day?
I'm open to suggestions. Celebrations will obviously involve eating solid foods and having bowel movements :tup:

Isn't that just the worst stuff you've ever tasted? Bleh.

In a non-trauma setting, yes.

Here's to hoping you start feeling a shitload better! Ok, bad pun, but I had to!

Yeah, I am currently the walking definition of the term "shitload" :laugh:
At least I can still manage to laugh about it at times!

 

[Deleted member 42984]

Faecal Freedom Day ???

 

[bellbird]

With fear of speaking too soon (and knowing that I can hit a low after "good" moments), I feel that I've turned a corner this morning.

I had an enema and it was the least bad feeling one that I've had. I wish that nurse worked all of the shifts that I needed enemas in.

Mostly liquid output, but this is the first enema where I've felt like my tummy has deflated a little afterward. Let's hope it keeps heading in that direction.

An orthopaedic doctor came by a couple minutes after the enema had been administered and I was still hanging out, on my side on my bed (for this type of enema, you have to hold it in for 15-20 minutes for best effect) and asked if I was able to talk. I said yes, just as long as we talked for 10 min max :laugh:

He told me that I'm allowed to start on light solid food again.
I asked him about my x-rays from yesterday, and he hadn't seen them. So he went and had a look and managed to make it back in under 10 minutes to let me know that the xrays were all clear!!

So much relief, and very very happy about that.

I then saw my pain nurse, and we had a really good discussion about the psychology of pain. She really took the time to talk through things with me, which I really appreciated. She's going to bring a TENS machine later today and show me how to use it.

We won't be using it near my incision at all; probably more up on my shoulders. But she said that often, there are areas of the body that weren't operated on but feel pain from compensating for the operation site and pain.

I still woke up at 3.30am this morning, in agony. Needed to get an extra morphine pill charted by the house surgeon to get me back to sleep after quite a while.

I also needed pain meds at about 7am.

Those tend to be the two major times I need it, so we are going to try to not use the sevredol at other times during the day.

 

[Wendell_R]

Yay! It's nice that you have some good news to share! Throughput! Good x-rays! Good caregivers! My wife has a TENS machine that she uses. No constipation side effects, so I hope it works for you. She loves it. It never did anything for me.

I'm really proud of you that the yucky tasting laxative was exactly that in your mind--yucky tasting laxative--and didn't take you back to abuse.

:hug: :hug:

 

[bellbird]

. No constipation side effects, so I hope it works for you. She loves it. It never did anything for me.

Yes -- drug free and non constipating.

Glad Mrs W has had benefit from it.

I think I had something similar when I used to have acupuncture; sometimes my acupuncturist would attach leads to certain needles and they'd pulse.

Sometimes it would help (actually when it'd be attached to the needles on the concave side of my spine, it was probably the modality pre-surgery that made my back feel the best (albeit for a very short time))

Other times it would have no noticeable effect, or it'd hurt once the pulsing had happened for a while.

At least with this machine, I will have total control over the machine

I'm really proud of you that the yucky tasting laxative was exactly that in your mind--yucky tasting laxative--and didn't take you back to abuse.

Thank you, friend.
I must admit, there have been some flashbacks resulting from drinking the laxatives. It also happens to have quite a thick texture (I have 8 sachets mixed in 1L of water, which I think is twice the usual concentration), which is very triggering to when my abuser used to pour oil in my mouth that I had to swallow.

Basically this is bellbird's most triggering drink, and her ticket to freedom. Joy.


In other news, I'm back to being tubeless! (again).
Let's hope it stays that way this time.

I've also had my chest tube incision dressing removed. It has healed well, and it just a small straight incision that will forever remind me of that sucker, and how far I have come.


We haven't made it to Faecal Freedom Day yet, but I have been reintroducing tiny amounts of soft food in the form of a cheese scone that I've been nibbling away at for over an hour.
Rushing it will just do more harm than good. It seems to be hitting the spot, though.

 

[bellbird]

Exactly 2 weeks ago, I was preparing myself for my surgery the next morning.

This evening, as I lie on my hospital bed watching tv, I am feeling optimistic and wiggling my toes to make myself smile.

2 weeks ago, I would have thought I would be home by now. I'm not, but I'm ok with that.

Because I can wiggle my toes.
I told myself that as long as I could wiggle my toes after surgery, I would be able to get through whatever came at me during recovery.

In this moment, I am still totally dependent on enemas and laxatives, and dependent on opiates for pain control through the night.

I need to become independent from each of those, before I am able to leave hospital.
But today for the first time in many days, I am able to hold the hope for myself.

Thank you all for your support throughout this journey so far. We've come a long way, and we have a long way to go.

Baby steps.
And wiggley toes.

 

[blackemerald1]

Exactly 2 weeks ago, I was preparing myself for my surgery the next morning.

So very much has transpired in 14 days... you are doing very well despite the setbacks. You should be pleased with yourself! :hug:

 

[bellbird]

You should be pleased with yourself! :hug:

Oof.. I think that may be even harder than holding the hope for myself :p
I'll have to sit with this idea for a while.

Thank you, b :hug:

 

[blackemerald1]

Ok well break it down...

You have prepared for and undergone a massive surgical event - and it all went well.. - Yay!
You are walking, even upstairs & down again - Yay!
You are wiggling your toes - Yay!
You are eating - Yay!
You are well aware of what is going on about you - Yay!
You are making sensible decisions - Yay!
You are persevering in the face of set-back (s) - Yay!
You are managing your ptsd in a difficult place and under difficult circumstances - Big Yay!!
You know a good looking doctor (rare) when you see one - Double Yay!!

Therefore:- You are doing very well!