I had my third operation on Thursday to try and eradicate this fistula I've had going since May. Recovery this time has been a lot harder than the second round which I'm hoping is an indication that it's actually going to work, where the second one didn't.
If you want the gory details - I had a GORE BIO-A fistula plug inserted. Seeing the pictures on the product site were a little shiver inducing, but hopefully this one will be it - my surgeon said that it was "better" than the product typically stocked by the hospital, so he special ordered it for my procedure.
Thursday was definitely an interesting day - in the outpatient surgery area there are about 16 little alcoves along each side of a hallway - you're only separated from the hall by a curtain. A woman across the hall from me was being questioned by her nurse about her procedure (something they do to make sure everything matches up), and as miserable as I've been with this - sometimes little things you run into make you appreciate what you have. It turns out she was in her mid-30s and was there for a double mastectomy on top of removal of her ovaries and tubes. Yikes.
The surgery itself went well - the surgeon said that the infection had fully overtaken the fistula tract again (not surprising, given the amount of discharge I had been having), but he cleaned it out again and put in the BIO-A plug. I go back to see him in 3 weeks.
My post-op nurse seemed pretty interested in getting me out of there quickly - which I didn't necessarily mind, but I wasn't as clear of the anesthesia as I probably should have been. We went home and tucked me in bed - about 3 hours later I went to the bathroom to try and urinate. I don't know if everyone else experiences this, but it seems like the muscles used to allow urination really have to be kind of told what to do after a surgery like this - it takes concentration, and a bit of "effort" to allow things to relax and get flowing. So I did - several times - to empty my bladder, while the Man was standing just outside chatting with me. Suddenly, I started feeling a little wobbly - and just said "Help, I need help." He took my hands, and tried to guide me to the bed - and the next thing I know, I wake up thinking I'm laying in bed. Except I realize I'm not - my head is resting against the bed mattress, but I'm propped up on one arm and otherwise sprawled out on the floor. The Man helped me up and guided me into bed - I asked him to get my wrist blood pressure cuff - we put it on, and yeah - I was at 88/47 - just a little low. He said I'd been out for 5 to 6 seconds, which is not insignificant for an episode like that.
I have been having low-ish blood pressures for the last month or so - I've had some dizziness on elevation changes like standing up from sitting, or getting out of bed. None-the-less, this scared me enough that I asked the Man to take me to the ER to be checked out.
I had this odd phase for about an hour where my arms and legs were shaking, but not because I was cold. They took a series of blood pressure readings - laying down, sitting up, standing up, etc. The first series I had the dizziness and they were pretty low (under 100/60). They gave me some fluids, put me on a heart monitor, and drew some blood to check all of that. Took about 3 hours to get the blood results back - at which point my anesthesia had totally worn off, and I'd missed the time for when I could have taken vicodin and the pain was really ramping up.
They came back and did another series of BP readings which were slightly better - and finally gave me a percocet and decided that what happened was a vasovagal response brought on by still having some anesthesia on board, the history of low-ish blood pressure, and exerting some effort to urinate.
Not very satisfying - especially since I was worried about it happening again, but they sent us home after about 5 hours.
I've been on the vicodin pretty much every 4 hours since we got back - and draining enough that I've had to use chux pads to protect our mattress and my recliner. So much fun (really - super fun. really.)
I'm thankful that I have Monday off as an Evil Banker since it's Columbus Day, it's been a bit easier to sit for longer periods in the recliner, but any activity up and about in the house has really kicked in the pain. I suspect I'll be working from the recliner for the rest of the week, as I can't see my ass putting up with my Aero chair for 8 hours at a time.
I'm trying to keep my fluids up, though the best I've done is 40oz. Protein has been a struggle too - I probably ought to just have a shake while the Man is at work and let him feed me when he gets home, which I may consider for tomorrow.
No exercise until my 3-week follow-up appointment, which while frustrating, I'm willing to do if it means this thing will actually heal!!
Hopefully by next weekend I'll feel like cooking again, and have a little more to say here than "damn, my ass hurts and I'm still oozing like crazy."
So that ends today's issue of Too Much Information on the Internet.
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Surgery Day
Today was the day - the follow-up surgery to why my incision from the original rectal abscess surgery wasn't healing. The doctor suspected I might have a fistula (internal pocket of infection) that had connected to the incision site and was draining from there. I was getting a little worried, as after I saw him and the surgery was scheduled (for 4 weeks later), that the oozing had let up a bit. I had visions of getting put under anesthesia and being brought right back out and having him say that there was nothing more he could do.
I was told to report at 10:15, and we got there right on time. Nearly 2 hours of sit in a consult room and have various people come in and out and ask for information, take vitals, etc. Finally got taken back to the pre-op area about 11:30, waited for more visits - anesthesia, my surgeon, and then got my IV started, etc. It was nearly 1pm by the time I was actually wheeled back to the OR.
I next became aware of time and place at about 2:45 in the first recovery room. Pain wasn't too bad, maxed out at about a 6 before they got the Dilaudid on board. Surgeon stopped by very briefly and said he did find a fistula, that it was very deep behind muscle, so they didn't want to cut through that, and put a plug in it that will eventually dissolve.
After about an hour in initial recovery, they moved me into post-op monitoring, gave me peanut butter crackers to eat so I could take a Percocet and allowed the Man to come back. He told me the surgeon told him the fistula was 5 inches long/deep and contained a very nasty infection. Lovely! I was given IV Cipro and Flagyl, and sent home with prescriptions for an oral round of both antibiotics (plus some hydrocodone for pain management).
Finally, at a little before 5pm, I was discharged. We dropped the prescriptions off at the pharmacy on the way home, and the Man went out a little while later to pick them up.
I'm definitely feeling spacy as is usually the case on Percocet/hydrocodone, and I can tell I'll definitely be hurting for a few days. I scheduled tomorrow off as well, and again I'm thankful I work from home, so if I'm not up to par on Wednesday I can work from my recliner if needed.
I truly hope that this finally ends the saga of the never ending oozing ass incision. I just want to be able to sit normally, exercise without worrying about angering it, and stop having my clothes stick to me. Not much to ask, is it?
I was told to report at 10:15, and we got there right on time. Nearly 2 hours of sit in a consult room and have various people come in and out and ask for information, take vitals, etc. Finally got taken back to the pre-op area about 11:30, waited for more visits - anesthesia, my surgeon, and then got my IV started, etc. It was nearly 1pm by the time I was actually wheeled back to the OR.
I next became aware of time and place at about 2:45 in the first recovery room. Pain wasn't too bad, maxed out at about a 6 before they got the Dilaudid on board. Surgeon stopped by very briefly and said he did find a fistula, that it was very deep behind muscle, so they didn't want to cut through that, and put a plug in it that will eventually dissolve.
After about an hour in initial recovery, they moved me into post-op monitoring, gave me peanut butter crackers to eat so I could take a Percocet and allowed the Man to come back. He told me the surgeon told him the fistula was 5 inches long/deep and contained a very nasty infection. Lovely! I was given IV Cipro and Flagyl, and sent home with prescriptions for an oral round of both antibiotics (plus some hydrocodone for pain management).
Finally, at a little before 5pm, I was discharged. We dropped the prescriptions off at the pharmacy on the way home, and the Man went out a little while later to pick them up.
I'm definitely feeling spacy as is usually the case on Percocet/hydrocodone, and I can tell I'll definitely be hurting for a few days. I scheduled tomorrow off as well, and again I'm thankful I work from home, so if I'm not up to par on Wednesday I can work from my recliner if needed.
I truly hope that this finally ends the saga of the never ending oozing ass incision. I just want to be able to sit normally, exercise without worrying about angering it, and stop having my clothes stick to me. Not much to ask, is it?
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Apparently I said "ouch"
Thankfully - when I got the call for my surgery time, they told me I was Fuzz's first of the day - I had to report at 6am, surgery scheduled for 7am. We went in, had a nice chat with the anesthesiologist about my bad experience the last time I went under, and he promised that he'd be very explicit with me in what he was doing, and let me have control of some of the mask pressure (which he did - I need to get his name and write to the dept. chair and thank him).
Apparently the first thing I said when the Man walked into my room post-op was "Ouch" and passed back out. I suppose that was succint!
Doc says that everything went really well, no concerns or complications. Obviously I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but they had me initially on an acetaminophen product and morphine, so I was also quite stoned, and slept most of the day immediately post-op. I did get up and walk part-way down the hallway and back.
Things you don't think about #392: For women at least, you have to relax a lot of muscles to pee - you don't think that it would hurt to do that, it took a lot of concentration to be able to relax the right ones.
Overnight Tuesday, my pain levels had gotten pretty high - and the lortab they switched me to (vicodin and tylenol) was really only taking the worst edge off it, and not relieving much, so they switched me to oxycodone. That knocked me back out, but it made getting up harder, as being settled in the same position too long made the gas move around worse when I got up. The hospital had incredibly dry air, so between cotton mouth from not drinking much, I also had painfully dry sinuses to deal with as well. I was allowed 2oz of 50/50 diluted grape juice an hour, so that didn't do much to help the mouth, let alone hydrate me elsewhere.
I was a good patient and walked the halls a much as I could, and was definitely doing better at it by early Thursday morning. Fuzz came and saw me about 9am and said he would discharge me, and the residents would be around a bit later to remove my drain (something they glossed over) and get all the paperwork done. Finally about 2pm they came - and the resident removed the tape around the drain, then asked if I was ready - after nodding, he pulled - and the Man says I got a look on my face like "the alien is eating me alive from the inside" - because the dude pulled out nearly TWO FEET of drain tubing. I had no idea - and will definitely be suggesting that people be prepared for that. Yikes!
We got home about 4pm Thursday - and unfortunately the Man went on a wild goose chase trying to fill the liquid oxycodone prescription for me - nobody had it in stock, at least anywhere near the quantity prescribed (yes, I know it's a highly trafficked drug, particularly in pill form). But, we'd filled the post-op prescriptions before going in, so I had the hydrocodone at least, and have been relying on it until we can get the oxy (should I still need it by the time it comes in to our pharmacy).
Being at home on the sleep number bed has been much more comfortable than the very stiff hospital bed, but the head tilt feature there was certainly nice. The Man has been awesome in taking care of me - getting my meds every 4 hours, making sure I have water in my sport-top water bottle, and generally making sure I'm comfortable.
He helped me take a shower yesterday afternoon, which while it felt good, apparently took a lot out of me, as I didn't feel well enough after to be upright, so I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in bed.
Today I've been up and sitting on the couch with a tray table with my laptop and my knitting since about 9am, which is definite progress. I'll probably lay down again shortly (next pain dose is due in 15 minutes), but be up again for "dinner". Yesterday I struggled with yogurt as part of my "full liquid" diet, but today so far I've had a protein shake, and have finished about 3oz of yogurt without too much complaint from my new stomach. Should be able to get the 2nd shake in, we'll see about anything else - as long as I get that protein, I'm not going to push myself for sugar free jello chemicals.
So many of my knitter friends have been wonderful about checking in on me and offering kind words of support and encouragement - I love you all. I'm definitely going to take things slowly, and work on doing what's best for me over the next 5 weeks while I'm off work.
Oh - the Man has decided that the scale is possessed - it says he weighs 15-20 pounds more than normal (he's not overweight, fluctuates only with a 5 pound range). So he'll be getting new batteries, and we'll likely be getting that new mechanical balance scale I wanted, so no updated weight report, but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm down in the 2s when we get me on it.
Apparently the first thing I said when the Man walked into my room post-op was "Ouch" and passed back out. I suppose that was succint!
Doc says that everything went really well, no concerns or complications. Obviously I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but they had me initially on an acetaminophen product and morphine, so I was also quite stoned, and slept most of the day immediately post-op. I did get up and walk part-way down the hallway and back.
Things you don't think about #392: For women at least, you have to relax a lot of muscles to pee - you don't think that it would hurt to do that, it took a lot of concentration to be able to relax the right ones.
Overnight Tuesday, my pain levels had gotten pretty high - and the lortab they switched me to (vicodin and tylenol) was really only taking the worst edge off it, and not relieving much, so they switched me to oxycodone. That knocked me back out, but it made getting up harder, as being settled in the same position too long made the gas move around worse when I got up. The hospital had incredibly dry air, so between cotton mouth from not drinking much, I also had painfully dry sinuses to deal with as well. I was allowed 2oz of 50/50 diluted grape juice an hour, so that didn't do much to help the mouth, let alone hydrate me elsewhere.
I was a good patient and walked the halls a much as I could, and was definitely doing better at it by early Thursday morning. Fuzz came and saw me about 9am and said he would discharge me, and the residents would be around a bit later to remove my drain (something they glossed over) and get all the paperwork done. Finally about 2pm they came - and the resident removed the tape around the drain, then asked if I was ready - after nodding, he pulled - and the Man says I got a look on my face like "the alien is eating me alive from the inside" - because the dude pulled out nearly TWO FEET of drain tubing. I had no idea - and will definitely be suggesting that people be prepared for that. Yikes!
We got home about 4pm Thursday - and unfortunately the Man went on a wild goose chase trying to fill the liquid oxycodone prescription for me - nobody had it in stock, at least anywhere near the quantity prescribed (yes, I know it's a highly trafficked drug, particularly in pill form). But, we'd filled the post-op prescriptions before going in, so I had the hydrocodone at least, and have been relying on it until we can get the oxy (should I still need it by the time it comes in to our pharmacy).
Being at home on the sleep number bed has been much more comfortable than the very stiff hospital bed, but the head tilt feature there was certainly nice. The Man has been awesome in taking care of me - getting my meds every 4 hours, making sure I have water in my sport-top water bottle, and generally making sure I'm comfortable.
He helped me take a shower yesterday afternoon, which while it felt good, apparently took a lot out of me, as I didn't feel well enough after to be upright, so I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in bed.
Today I've been up and sitting on the couch with a tray table with my laptop and my knitting since about 9am, which is definite progress. I'll probably lay down again shortly (next pain dose is due in 15 minutes), but be up again for "dinner". Yesterday I struggled with yogurt as part of my "full liquid" diet, but today so far I've had a protein shake, and have finished about 3oz of yogurt without too much complaint from my new stomach. Should be able to get the 2nd shake in, we'll see about anything else - as long as I get that protein, I'm not going to push myself for sugar free jello chemicals.
So many of my knitter friends have been wonderful about checking in on me and offering kind words of support and encouragement - I love you all. I'm definitely going to take things slowly, and work on doing what's best for me over the next 5 weeks while I'm off work.
Oh - the Man has decided that the scale is possessed - it says he weighs 15-20 pounds more than normal (he's not overweight, fluctuates only with a 5 pound range). So he'll be getting new batteries, and we'll likely be getting that new mechanical balance scale I wanted, so no updated weight report, but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm down in the 2s when we get me on it.
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