I’m back home and trying to adjust!

I HAVE HAD SO MANY WONDERFUL E-MAILS AND CARDS FROM MY BLOG FRIENDS and the prayer offerings were just over the top. THANK YOU EVERYONE.
I know I’m overdue on a blog post but it hasn’t been easy to even answer e-mails up to this point but hopefully  I will start feeling like my old self.  This post may be boring to some but I’m doing this as a request from several of you.

I also have orders that need to be started but they have assured me it’s okay to wait to start them…just such nice people our there.

So to answer everyone’s questions I promised them I’d do an update.
A week ago Monday I had my back surgery – Jan. 7th. 

I was to go home the next day but the pain going from my buttocks down the backs of my legs was unbearable and so they kept me there for 3 days to get the pain under control some, and then on late on that Wed. night they transferred me to the physical therapy floor. They wanted me there for 10 days…I wasn’t so sure about that. Each day I  had 4 hours of OT and PT – it was hard work as my right leg does not want to hold me up – the pain I had right after surgery they got under control but  there is still pain going from the buttocks, out my hip and down the outside of my leg…sometimes it goes into my foot.  Plus they had me on Morphine and i had a reaction to it…when they would get me up for the bathroom I’d start to blackout and got dizzy and my ears started ringing horribly…and my blood pressure dropped waayyy low.  So they took me off the Morphine and it went away but the blood pressure has been running low since.

After 7 days of therapy they helped me to get some mobility – and there’s an apartment on that floor where they take you to help with the ‘home atmosphere’.  They need to see how you get around in the kitchen, bedroom and even the shower.  This was the best place I could be I tell you…they are wonderful there.
So after seeing how well I did with EVERYTHNG, they let me come home mid afternoon this Wednesday - 16th.

I loved being on the PT floor- everyone was soooo nice and gentle.  Even though I hurt it was like a vacation.  I totally put home and business out of my mind and just slept when I wasn't in OT/PT.  I think the average age of the therapists was around 30 – and as well as being young and nice they were all adorable!

These photos of me are not going to be pretty…there was no way to comb my hair or even to put on makeup – and I didn’t care if I did…so messy hair and a face of ‘pain’ is what you are getting.

This is Diane…she has a heart of gold and loves her job…AND…this was her birthday!

Therapy and pain pills and a Lidocaine patch on my back took care of the extreme pain shooting down the backs of my legs. I THINK the surgery worked for the area he intended…but now I have more intense pain in one area that was originally painful. They all think it may still be some swelling in this area and it’s pushing on a nerve but as my days at home progress I am getting less use out of the leg – hard to even put weight on it – when I do I about go through the roof and the leg wants to give out.

I had one therapist who did some massage therapy in the buttocks area and it was awesome...she felt just once along those muscles and nerves and said they were terribly inflamed - how they can tell with just a feel is beyond me.  So she worked on it for about 20 minutes.  I am hoping when my 8 weeks are up I can go to the massage therapist here and get some work on it.

Walking down to the therapy room – at times I could put my right foot down flat and walk perfectly normal but in a flash the pain shoots and I’m back to limping or just plain stopping in place.
Besides wearing the brace at all times they put this white belt on you incase you start to fall or do fall they grab the belt to help you up again.  So not only are they young and cute they have to be quite strong.

 

Here you an see the brace…it’s rather comfortable – I had imagined a completely hard plastic one but except for the hard plastic on the outside back the rest is all fabric.
 

Getting some massage on one of my ribs – they seem to be out of line and there is a bump on one of them. She as thinking that quite possibly they are out of line from compensating my walking.
 

Learning how to step up to get into my house…this box is almost the height of the our back deck step so it worked out great for this.
 

Here’s the face of pain hitting out of nowhere!!!

I am in a back brace and have to use a walker for 6 - 8 weeks but can be up and about to do whatever as long as I don't twist, bend or reach too high.
Doug is a saint – he has had to take on the roll of caregiver.  Basically I’m on the sofa just like one would be that was recovering from being sick…pillows for back support, comforter for warmth, continuous glass of water…table next to me with ‘all my things I need’…and there are many – this helps to keep hollering for Doug.

Now it's back to reality...LOL

Going to have to re-arrange some of the cupboards in the kitchen so I don't have to bend...and take the wash cloths and hand towels and put them in a reachable area.  Lots of things to think about!

On Sunday Doug was invited to Darren/MaryAnn’s house for lunch and he took a few pictures of the kids.

Miranda was napping when he got there

 

But then came the smiles!

And Mr. Aidan was having a snack

Oh and if all our surgeries weren’t enough little Aidan had surgery on Thursday last week…
he had what they call ‘hydrocele’ and also a small Hernia.  I guess he wanted to keep up with daddy, his uncle and his grandma!  He came home the same day, had ice on the area and Darren said he was his normal self – I look at this picture and almost get tears…I can just imagine what he’s thinking – but Darren said he didn’t seem or say he was scared.

Monday was Doug’s birthday and I wasn’t home so Brett/Heather invited him for dinner.  I felt bad but like I said earlier – I put it all behind me for the time being – I tend to fret about things if I don’t have a handle on it…so I didn’t let the fact I was not able to give him a nice dinner bother me.

I knew my discharge date so earlier this week I asked my brother and Gail if they could come over on Thursday and cook me a pot roast dinner – so they came yesterday around 11:30 and we had a nice quiet day chatting and catching up on things and towards evening I had Doug turn on the fireplace…it was a great day/evening. 
They are still down here living with Tina/family but are planning on going back home on Monday.   Tina was given a complete release so they are more than ready to head back home.

I’m anxious to get to my rug hooking too -

Well that’s all I can think of – I’m so tired right now…I’ve had so many typo’s it’s taking me forever to get this typed…my eyes are blurry too but that’s from all the pain medication.

So it’s off to sleep for awhile.

Love you all – such wonderful friends.

Karen