June/July 2015 Surgery Buddies

[snapdresser]

Oof, ouch! I know the amoxicillin they gave me (the antibiotic) is supposed to be taken with food but I don't know any other nausea risks than that. Are you staying cool with the a/c on? The jaw bra helps me feel cooler too. With the vomiting you gotta take extra special care to stay hydrated, obv, since you lost extra fluids. I can tell you today I felt much more independent Bored but feeling up to taking care of myself. I'd expect the same for you tomorrow! It varies so much just from hour to hour. And the time passes slower than we'd like Hang in there! Hopefully we get some news from KaylaChristine soon!

[snapdresser]

Oh hey, how are you drinking? They explained to me how to do it when I can't really feel or close my lips and I wanted to make sure you got the same instruction. They got you holding your lips closed with your fingers?

[jaime]

Yeah, I think all the medications and vitamins on my dehydrated, under-fuelled body just caught up with me. I was taking vitamins but I'm going to stop until I am eating more.

No instruction on how to drink. I've been using the Zip N Squeeze bags for liquid food, and my sports squeeze bottle for water. I just drank an Ensure from the bottle, though! I have very slight control over my lips today. Enough to close them together. How are you doing with that?

Glad to hear you're feeling more independent, sounds like you're keeping well on top of things. When do you go back to see your surgeon? My appointment is tomorrow morning. It's going to be a long day as my surgeon is 2.5-3 hours from here. I probably won't have to see him again for a few months but I just don't feel ready to be out of the house for 6+ hours.

[snapdresser]

My surgeon said to avoid multivitamins cuz it can make you bleed more or something, but that was before the surgery. I haven't asked if it's ok now.

So the post-surgery resident gave me a bunch of instructions in the middle of the night when I was on morphine and one of them was how to drink. I'm supposed to use my fingers to close my lips. Don't suck, but pour in a little fluid, then close my lips with my fingers while I swallow. It works real well, preventing dribbling (or most of it) and making swallowing much easier than doing it with open lips. I've been able to close my lips a little since yesterday but today I drank a cup of Ensure working my lips without my fingers. Chugged that thing in record time

I'm supposed to see my surgeon again tomorrow at 12:30. That timing is pretty good cuz when there's traffic it can add an hour+ each way to that commute. Going from Brooklyn to Long Island and back. My first follow up was during rush hour and yeah, took about 6 hours. Sucked real bad when I was 2 days post-op. I just wanted to be at home, and there I was in the heat in the car for hours. This one should be a little easier. I HOPE!!! Let me know what they say! They'll probly do a scan and stuff to see how everything looks. Poke you to test for numbness and whatnot. That's gonna be sweet if you don't have to make that trip again for a few months!!! I was under the impression that I'll have to meet with mine again about once every one or two weeks for a while

[Nozzelnut]

Jaime; hope you're feeling better. Keep up on drinking the fluids! I know it's tough to force yourself to drink... Low BP and dehydration; in addition to the other stuff, will add to the not so good feeling

Snap; sound like things are continuing to move forward for you! Let us know how the next appt goes.

My surgeon wants to see me day after (of course; to release me from the hosp) and 1x a week for the next 5 weeks after surgery.

I'll have to remember the hold your lips with my fingers trick. I hope they don't try to give me any instructions while I'm on pain meds; I know they won't sink in.

I hope Kaylachristine is doing ok!

[jaime]

Three days away for you, Nozzelnut! How are you doing? Wow, you're going to see your surgeon a lot! I think that's better than the way my surgeon operates (pun not intended har har).

Hubby brought home some Gravol so I am feeling 100X better. I can actually stomach food now and I have my energy back, woo. Congested again though! We even went for a little walk around the block.

I tried holding my lips together today and it works well! Good tip! Thanks for that.

Hopefully you make it to your appointment in good time tomorrow, Snap. I would not want to sit in New York traffic post-surgery. Being in the car is uncomfortable enough.

I was feeling so good that I did another blog post and video! Feels good to be "back." Real good.

[Nozzelnut]

Starting to get pretty nervous. My last night of work was Saturday night, so I'm off until I have surgery. I'm trying to get all my house chores done in the next couple days so I can completely relax and recovery without any worries. Packing my hospital bag tomorrow.

[snapdresser]

Nozzelnut - Woooooo!!! Almost your big day!!! Yeah, all of us got more and more nervous beforehand, finally being a nervous wreck just trying to function on the final day lol. So that's all completely normal, I assure you That's pretty sweet that you have so much time off. I'm planning to return to work July 13th and I'm concerned I'll be rushing it too much. But honestly it's so effing boring sitting around the house all day. I put pressure on myself to get housework done. If that's the high point of my day, you know it's a pretty cr*ppy day

Jaime - Great to hear that you're feeling better!!! Thanks for the new blog/vlog post too! The bruising on your neck is similar to mine except I have it on both sides. And I have a wicked bruise on my left forearm. It's mostly yellow-green colored but runs from my wrist to almost my elbow. I figure it's cuz of how I was strapped down, but I don't know. They gave you amoxicillin PILLS??? I have a delicious tasting pink liquid. Only a 5mL dose too, so it's super easy compared to the Motrin (30mL) and Dimetapp (20mL). You should ask for a prescription for it! That lip trick they taught me when I was super drugged up and I feel like it was pretty critical when relearning to drink. Before that I was choking on every sip, pretty much. Btw, I liked your pun about the surgeon

[jaime]

Nozzel, it's nice that you have a few days to yourself before surgery. I worked up until the day before surgery but I could barely concentrate on work. Any big plans for "last" meals?

Snap, yep, I'm on pills and they taste AWFUL. The good thing about pills is that they go down easily.

Well I just saw my surgeon. He and the assistant couldn't believe how good of shape I'm in, which felt REALLY good to hear after my hellish Sunday and Monday. They said I have "barely any" swelling and they were amazed at how much feeling and movement I already have back. Of course to me it feels like I can barely do anything, haha.

My midline is already lining up better but they made a few temporary hooks to pull it over even more. I will have to start removing the new elastic to eat, but he showed my husband how to put the elastic in. I have to ask my orthodontist to give me permanent hooks next time I see him.

I also got to snap a photo of my x-rays so I'll put those on the blog later when I'm home.

Gotta go back in 2 weeks to see my surgeon again.

Hope everyone is doing well today. Hoping we hear from KaylaChristine soon!

[gruntled]

Just been admitted to the ESU. Starting to get nervous! Been told I'm first on the list so I'll be getting cut open at 8.30am !

[Nozzelnut]

Good luck Gruntled! Let us know how it goes.

I just looked at the calendar on my phone; saw my surgical hook appointment for tomorrow at 10:30 and got butterflies in my stomach.

Jaime can't wait for the xray pic!

[gruntled]

Thanks! I just can't wait for it to be done! Had my braces on in 2010 with a view of finishing treatment by 2013. It's been a long time coming !

[snapdresser]

Jaime - You should try and get the liquid! It doesn't taste bad at all! Yeah, that's what I thought when I saw your results. How little swelling you have is pretty notable, IMO. Crazy! Must be that good surgeon

Nozzelnut - Yup, it's coming up quick! Then you get to be part of the Super Awesome Fun Recovery Club!!!

Gruntled - Nice! Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!

I just got back from my second post-op appt with my surgeon. She added a couple elastics at my last appt and this time she replaced them all. So everything is pretty well cinched down at this point. My teeth are together now. Eating is gonna be harder now, I suspect, but the shake I had on the way home wasn't TOO tricky. Having her sticking her fingers in there pulling around def hurt my sutures tho. Most pain since I came out She explained the massive bruise on my left forearm! Apparently some jokers on rotations were tasked with establishing an arterial line. They tried like 5 times before they gave up and a resident did it on my other arm... Just a bruise, but sheesh! Still, there's worse things they coulda let them do. Actually, maybe they were responsible for my catheter too... lol. All over now tho! Surgeon said when I see her in another 8 days my lower lip swelling will be virtually gone

Super excited to hear from KaylaChristine!!! Hopefully everything's good (or as good as anyone a couple days post-op)!

[jaime]

Yay Gruntled! Is that the opposite of disgruntled? I like it.

Good luck tomorrow, we'll be waiting to hear how you did! You'll be in my thoughts tomorrow.

Nozzelnut, cherish these last 2 days and try to just enjoy life. You'll be glad you did because you won't be enjoying the next week or so.

That's hilarious in a not-hilarious way, Snap. Here we thought it was bruising that migrated! Did you uh, feel the effects of having a catheter at all? I had one during surgery but I couldn't tell at all, no residual burning or anything like that.

Feeling super tired from 340 miles in the car today (we reset the trip odometer before we left) so x-rays might wait until tomorrow. I had a McDonalds milkshake on the way home as I was smart and brought my Zip-N-Squeeze bag. It was the quickest I've eaten anything in ages!!

That's so awesome that your lip swelling should be in gone in 8 days, snap. That gives me hope too! My lips feel strange from being so swollen, like they're being pulled at. It's uncomfortable.

[snapdresser]

Nozzenut - Yup, but remember while you can eat until 11PM the night before, no alcohol 24 hours before. Kinda lame when planning a last meal IMO

Jaime - Lol yeah, I guess they gotta train their rookies somehow. LIJ is a teaching hospital, after all. At least they didn't let them mess with the nerves and whatnot. As far as I know lol. Yeah, so the catheter was in until early the morning after surgery. I didn't realize it was in cuz I couldn't feel it. The lady there to remove it said "I'm gonna remove the tubes up your nose and the catheter. Both will feel strange but won't hurt." She was right about the tube up my nose, but the catheter removal gave me a sharp pinching pain that took probly 30 minutes to die down. She seemed surprised. Yeah, no fun. Coulda been the work of the students on rotation... You know, there were about a dozen people in the operating theater when I walked in. Who knows how many students were there playing doctor

Good job getting that long trip out of the way! At least you don't have to go back for a couple weeks so you have plenty of time to sit around being bored instead Yeah, my lips kinda feel like they're being pulled at too. Not sure if it's the sutures or the muscles being pulled to new extremes or what. Everything feels really tight in the area as a whole. My body's gotta get used to everything's new positions.