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Originally posted by PeggyS
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My most sincere apologies for not getting back to you before now (except in a couple of other threads). I have a personal e-mail account (friends and family only) that I've been trying to maintain, plus a "bogus" e-mail account where junk/spam goes (like if I order something from Amazon or somewhere that tends to spam me once they have my address. I also have my phone, where most of my family will text me rather than sending a full-on e-mail. Then, there is the work account, which I've been avoiding like the plague because I think if I log in there and see all the work that is waiting for me to return, I'll just go ahead and start the disability paperwork and never go back. LOL
I e-mailed Megan from my work account yesterday and sent a brief "update" e-mail to my bosses since to my knowledge, my hubby only e-mailed them once to give them an update. I haven't had a chance to check in today to see if Megan has replied or not.
The main reason I am writing you is because I HAVE THE SAME PIGEON TOE ON THE RIGHT FOOT!!!! My husband noticed it a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't really been paying attention to my feet - I was more concerned with not falling over (I've been SO dizzy with all the meds). Anyway, I asked Megan about it and I would suggest you e-mail her, too. When I take a step forward with the left foot, it is perfectly out straight in front of me. I hold my balance there just for a second or two, and then take a step forward with the right foot. Instead of being out front, pointed toward the direction I am intending to go, the right big toe is basically pointed at the left big toe (which is still facing forward). This is hard to describe in an e-mail, but if I'm not careful, a step forward with the right foot may end up with my right big toe on top of my left big toe. Let's just say that if the left foot is pointed north, a step with the right foot is pointed west. I don't know if this is what you're having, but it has become a real problem with me. Also, I'm not using the walker inside the house. We have a 70s house with lots of small rooms and hallways (and way too much furniture), so I just waddle my way from room to room and there is always something to grab onto. The walker was too much of a hassle. It fit fine through every doorway except the bathroom, which is basically where I needed it in order to lower myself onto the too-low toilet. So, we've just left the thing in there. Also, it's too heavy and cumbersome to lift while outside on a walk. It doesn't want to flow smoothly over cracks in sidewalks and such. So, me and the boys take outside walks when we can, but for the most part, I'm wearing a circular pattern in the carpet upstairs.
The board nailed to the butt has lessened some for me. I'm lying on my back in bed with one pillow under each knee, which seems to help me a lot. This is not a ladylike position, but I don't care. It's not like I'm running around the house singing "I Feel Pretty" at the top of my lungs, and certainly won't be doing any of that until at least half of my hair grows back. LOL The position I'm trying to describe is lying on my back flat on the bed with a pretty flat pillow under my head. My low back is flat on the bed, so I basically have my heels and/or the soles of my feet pressed together. I then have my husband put a fairly flat pillow under each knee. Don't know if this will work for you, but hope it helps. I can't stay like this for a very long time, but I'll tell you it sure feels good when you come out of that position and straighten your legs down as far as you can toward the end of the bed. I go back and forth between these two positions and it seems to help me quite a bit. I've also been spending some time on my side (seems like I can only do the left side - the right side still hurts). Anyway, I log roll into the bed and stay on my left side. I can mostly do it myself, but sometimes have to have the hubby help me again put a fairly flat pillow between my knees or just above or below my knees, whichever feels best at the time.
Since I can't "bathe" and sounds like it will be nine months before they'll let me get in and out of a bathtub, I bought a shower chair and spend significant time in there sitting, just letting the hot water run gently down my back. Ed had mentioned in a post before about how much the hot bath seemed to help him. I was VERY disappointed when Megan told us a couple of months ago that they had found there was NO WAY a person who was fused could get in and out of a standard bathtub without bending, lifting, or twisting, so there would be no bathing allowed until the fusion was fused. We thought about putting in a walk-in bathtub, but the more we looked at the things, you'll see that the water level in such a tub really only goes to about your navel if you're lucky, so we nixed that idea. Home Depot/Lowes has a couple of portable hot tubs, so we may invest in one of those at some point. I'm a bather by nature (HATE showers), so it is killing me to not be able to soak away the soreness.
I have yet to cut any of my pills, although I admit that I forget some of them. You all have said how important it was to keep a log, and you are definitely right. I couldn't remember what I had taken and what I hadn't. I knew if I was sobbing, it was time for an Oxycontin. They stopped those a couple of weeks ago and put me on Percocet (and a couple of muscle relaxants and the Senokot). We made the fatal mistake (also that you all had warned about) right around Thanksgiving when we hadn't counted pills ahead and realized we were going to run out before Megan could mail new scripts. Our family doctor wrote a small script while we waited for Megan's to come in the mail, so we got extremely lucky over that holiday week.
I'm also keeping a BM log. I'm truly not eating much of anything because nothing tastes good, but I have found a few favorites I can't live without. Hubby makes the best hot tea (with soy milk and sugar), so he keeps me supplied in that. Every morning with my breakfast pills, I have a single "lunch-type" plastic tub of diced peaches. There's something about having those cold first thing in the morning that is just wonderful. So, I have my peaches and a tall glass of chocolate soy milk for breakfast. I drink water and a cup or two of hot tea for the rest of the day, and then husbster fixes me something for "linner." I don't want both meals, so I either eat something for lunch or, if not hungry, wait until later to eat. Bread and butter seems to be what I want most. Also, saltines with butter. Yeah, I'm really boring, but nothing else even remotely appeals to me. I was not a small person before this surgery, so it will be interesting to see when all of this turns around. Oh, and POTATOES! Bob Evans makes "heat and eat" servings of mashed potatoes, and they are better and quicker (although probably not cheaper) than anything else I've found. Pretty much been living off those. Yes, it doesn't sound like much, but it is all I want right now. The scale says I'm down 24 pounds, but I don't know how many "pounds" of hardware they've added.
A couple of more things, Peggy, and I'll say goodnight. I'm wondering if you are having any trouble with your urinary stream. ?? It this is too personal here, DM me if you like. I've noticed since the catheter was removed, I had a fairly forceful urinary stream, and it didn't seem to take very long to "take care of business" and get out of there. Since I've come home, this has been reduced to what is best described as a trickle, and it seems to take more than twice as long to urinate. It's fine, I mean, at least I can still go, but it just seems like it takes forever now. On a similar note, I, too, am still having bathroom problems and am finding it is at least four to five days between "movements," and that is taking a daily Senokot stool softener as prescribed plus a few times a week, I take the heavy duty Dulcolax "overnight relief" laxative. Maybe it is because there isn't much in there to evacuate, but I seem to be getting little results. Also, much like the urination, I'm having trouble "pushing," for lack of a better word.
Sorry to be so wordy here, but I have to take advantage of feeling well when I can. (smiley face). Peg, I hope each day brings you less pain and more joy. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to run into you in St. Louis, but it just couldn't be done with all the stuff going on with my dad. By the way, his surgery is scheduled for Tuesday the 16th. My follow up appointment with Dr. B. is on Monday the 15th. I don't know how I'm going to get through four or five hours in St. Louis on Monday and then being at Boone for dad's surgery Tuesday, but we'll figure something out. At least there are lots of waiting rooms at Boone with couches, recliners, etc.
Thinking of you, Peg, and hoping you and your family are doing well. I continue to pray for us all. (huge smiley).
Gentle healing hugs,
Fifa
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