Surgery with Dr. Lenke

[mabeckoff]

Glad to hear that you are doing so well

[golfnut]

I agree with Jess on the cheese. I ate a lot of Fiber One cereal, fruit, and hot plum juice along with stool softeners, laxatives. Getting my stomach to feel decent was definitely the toughest battle for me.

[Doreen1]

You're right about cheese possibly binding people up. I only had one piece and haven't had any since. Still having rough nights of not sleeping well. Last night I got up 3 times. The great news is, I finally took a shower today! What a relief! I sat on the built in bench, washed my own hair and was able to shave my armpits (in case anyone wants to know what is possible in that first shower). Hubby carefully cleaned my back and below my knees. Otherwise, I was able to do everything else.

When Jeremy cleans both shoulder blades they are extremely painful. I wonder if it is caused by the years of twisting and the rib hump. He said a lot of the steri strips are coming off. How long does it take for the swollen abdomen to go away? I finally looked at my abdomen in the mirror today and wash quite surprised how long my torso is now. The belly crease is completely gone, but my tummy looks a little swollen.

Warmly,
Doreen

[golfnut]

Doreen,
I had trouble sleeping at night for quite a while. I remember being concerned about a bloated stomach, but it got a little better after the first month and pretty darn flat sometime after the sixth month. I took pictures at the 6th month and I still had some bloatedness. Kelly told me that it takes your body a long time to absorb all of the fluids, so I thought that at six months it was probably as good as it was going to get, but it definitely improved after that. You sound so good. You have to be an inspiration to Spring who has her surgery Jan. 10th with Dr. Lenke.

[JenniferG]

For someone who's had such a massive correction, you're doing extremely well. I would imagine that your sore shoulders are possibly due to extreme placement changes of muscles in that area. I'm only guessing of course. But with such a massive correction, there's bound to be a bit of "getting used" to the new situation.

My belly took a good 6 months to flatten.

[Doreen1]

Yaaaahooooo!

Since we're such a close knit group and can share anything with our surgeries... this afternoon I finally had my first bowel movement withOUT the aid of an enema!!!! :-) Gotta be honest, it took a loooooong time and was almost as intense as childbirth! Now, I finally, feel really good being 14 days post-op. The shower this morning probably helped too.

I talked with Dr. Lenke's nurse today and told her about the sleeping problems. She said I can take Ambien at bedtime which my primary doc prescribed a while ago.

Warmly,
Doreen

[walkingmom]

What a relief!

Hey Doreen,
I just had to chuckle after reading your most recent posting. Oh, how we can all relate! What a relief to have a forum like this. Thanks for keeping us all posted on your ongoing progress. Sounds like you are doing well.
Donna

[Doreen1]

A Good Morning

After taking an Ambien last night, I still woke up at 1a and 3a, but was able to sleep in until 7:45a. Despite having interrupted sleep, it was still quality rest. I did a few little things around the house like sorting through the massive pile of junk mail, took a walk around the house, etc. It is such a blessing to have my folks here until Christmas. Ma and I spent some time chatting over morning coffee. My daughter has a science presentation tomorrow that I will miss, but I'm excited Ma & Pa can take her and meet her teacher.

Remember when I said earlier post-op that it felt as if I had a 50 pound backpack strapped to my back? Today it feels as if I have a 5 - 10 pound packback on my back.

Off for my nap.

Warmly,
Doreen

[jeneemohler]

Two HUGE obstacles overcome!!! Bowel movements and getting a few hours of uninterrupted sleep....YAY!!! You are doing great and it will continue to get better and better. You have had such a journey and it is awesome to follow your story on one thread. I wish I had done that. Keep it up and we are all pulling for you!

[mabeckoff]

Glad to hear that you are feeling better.

God is good

[Singer]

You are doing soooo well! About the bowels -- I used Miralax every day for the whole 8 months that I was on oxycontin, and it worked great. I also ate a lot of the Fiber One products -- I defy anyone to eat a Fiber One bar and not "go" !!

[titaniumed]

In our recoveries, we have to sleep like cats. A couple of hours here, and a few there....

Basically, we are like cats on drugs. “meow” he he

Remember the bar scene with Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky. LOL

Just felt like adding some humor to keep the lungs clear

Hang in there, things get better as time passes.

Ed

[titaniumed]

That movie reminds me of my recovery, wearing a brace instead of a mask, being loaded on meds, and just struggling to cope....

The scene when the Doctor’s offer the mask, and Toms reaction is so familiar. I have felt the same emotions. A brace? a mask? Are you kidding me?

Any scolis know what I’m saying? I felt like Tom Cruise in that movie.

Sorry Doreen, I had to lay this down someplace.

Ed

[Kayde]

Congrats

That first bathroom victory is awesome! I have been eating more nuts Sort of burned myself out on them. Lol. Glad you are moving forward and doing so well

[djkinkead]

Glad to hear you are starting to do normal/fun things at home. Take lots of naps to help you body to heal. You'll be doing naps for the next couple months, slowly decreasing as time goes on.

If you can transition from oxycontin to vicodin, you might not have so much output problems.

I received Valium for muscle spasims, but it also helped me sleep, so I'd take one before going to bed the first few months.

The first shower is always the greatest feeling--it's like the first step to normalcy.

I am almost four months post surgery and the fluids are finally going away. I can feel the hardware in my body. It doesn't hurt, it's just kind of, well, weird. Getting a little more agility now.

It's nice to have a longer body trunk.

Congratulations on making good progress. I am glad to hear you are surrounded by loving, caring people.