19 Year Old Male. Scoliosis Progressing.

[rich1752]

John,, I have to agree,, I bought a 3 inch memory foam mattress before surgery. I would not be able to sleep without it. My back and butt would kill me to sleep on a regular mattress, because of the pressure on it. The memory foam is awesome! Are you wearing a brace? I have to wear a brace anytime out of bed. I actually feel wierd not wearing it now. When I take it off, I walk around funny(straight up and down). I would be too scared to bend down and grab anything off the floor. I use my toes in order to throw things on my sofa and then grab the item. hope you sleep better tonight. remember to log roll when you get in and out of bed.

rich

[Hannamom]

I got one of those cheap resin patio chairs and put it in the shower. It just fits in a tub. Much cheaper than a shower stool. My neighbor put in a removable shower head, so it made taking a shower much easier and safer. Just a thought.

Hope you have a better night sleep tonight.

Ann

[JDM555]

Thanks guys. I definitely will look for a memory foam that is 2-3" thick because there is just WAY too much pressure being put on my hip bone/joint and back. I am doing a little better than in the morning. I can't even remember if I took oxycodone at 4PM today or if I haven't since 12PM. I need to start writing this down. I'll wait till 7:35 just incase I took it at 4, I don't want to OD.

I wont bend at all anymore lol. I will just sleep all day. I hate yogurt, for some ODD reason, it always gives me a heartburn, don't know how some freakin' yogurt gives someone heartburn. I ate some fruits, I need to eat something though, it's 7PM and I basically have like 4-500 calories just off of juice and fruits. I need at least 1500. My back is TIGHT, EH!

[Hannamom]

John

Hope you got a little rest last night.
Carnation instant breakfast drinks went down very easy after surgery...and for some strange reason pound cake was a big hit too.


Ann

[JDM555]

Ohhh with the 20mg oxycontin I took 20 mins before sleeping, I managed to sleep five solid, pain free hours...EVEN on my side. Sooooo nice. I woke at 7 to take my oxycodone 10mg cause my butt and hips were hrting. Last time I took oxycodone was 12 am last night. I lasted 7 hours since I was on the oxycontin.

And DAMN what an earthquake. What is super trippy was I was expecting one in my dream a minute before it happens in real life. Wow.

[fierceliketiger]

Wow, glad you weathered the earthquake okay! (I am assuming okay since you are posting!)
Glad you got some sleep. Since people are posting their foods that they liked, I figured I would join in.
My favorites were fiberous cereal (ie. fiber one, mini-wheats, raisin bran), and fruit. Pomegranates were especially nice, mangoes, and melons made me feel like I had more energy.

[JDM555]

Wow, glad you weathered the earthquake okay! (I am assuming okay since you are posting!)
Glad you got some sleep. Since people are posting their foods that they liked, I figured I would join in.
My favorites were fiberous cereal (ie. fiber one, mini-wheats, raisin bran), and fruit. Pomegranates were especially nice, mangoes, and melons made me feel like I had more energy.

Yeah, it woke me up, it was a decent sized earthquake, I guess 4.2 or something. But yeah, I have no appetite whatsoever right now, I am forcing, but my stomach sometimes throws it right back up. I tried that "ensure" crap from walgreens, it's only 8oz and I should be able to drink it quickly and not throw it up. My mom wants to get me Pomegranate juice because that helps with the blood. That and grape juice are the best two in returning blood cells to the body.


Pain meds Update: I took my 10mg at 12AM last night, then my 20MG at 2:20AM, then I took a nother 10mg at 7AM, then now I will take the 20MG at 1PM, I don't want to rely on the 10mg too much, I feel great taking the 20MG slow release, I'm so glad I got it. Obviously if I'm in pain, I will take 10MG, but so far so good.

[fierceliketiger]

yuck. That's awful. Can you call your doctor and get them to send you something for nausea? I was sent home with phenergan both times. I am allergic to both Zofran and Reglan (which are the most commonly used ones today). Luckily, phenergan also makes you a little drowsy, so I got more sleep and my stomach settled. I was actually in the hospital longer just because of the throwing up, and because we found out that zofran and reglan make me MORE nauseated because the nurses got really busy and I missed a dose. lol Do have your mom get the juice! I tried all that ensure stuff too, gross, isn't it? The smooth milk chocolate is the best, but still, not great. BTW, throwing up after being fused it HORRIBLE, isn't it? The first time I tried to throw up into the toilet...oh man, thank goodness for the barf things from the hospital.
I had a lot of diziness after my first surgery. I was pretty low in my blood count, so maybe that is why the pomegranates made me feel so much better, that and blueberries. You can get some 100% juice with pomegranates and blueberries, plain pomegranate, or pomegranate grape. If you want the brand name I can dig it out, but it seemed to help, and wasn't SO acidic that it made me throw up.

I used to live in California, so I remember the earthquakes well, strangely especially the loma prieta, even though I was very young at the time, it was just something that stuck in my head. I would gladly trade back to earthquakes instead of the tornadoes we get here in Iowa. The first time there was a tornado after I moved the kids at school (I was 15) took turns "scaring Cali girl". yay.

[JDM555]

yuck. That's awful. Can you call your doctor and get them to send you something for nausea? I was sent home with phenergan both times. I am allergic to both Zofran and Reglan (which are the most commonly used ones today). Luckily, phenergan also makes you a little drowsy, so I got more sleep and my stomach settled. I was actually in the hospital longer just because of the throwing up, and because we found out that zofran and reglan make me MORE nauseated because the nurses got really busy and I missed a dose. lol Do have your mom get the juice! I tried all that ensure stuff too, gross, isn't it? The smooth milk chocolate is the best, but still, not great. BTW, throwing up after being fused it HORRIBLE, isn't it? The first time I tried to throw up into the toilet...oh man, thank goodness for the barf things from the hospital.
I had a lot of diziness after my first surgery. I was pretty low in my blood count, so maybe that is why the pomegranates made me feel so much better, that and blueberries. You can get some 100% juice with pomegranates and blueberries, plain pomegranate, or pomegranate grape. If you want the brand name I can dig it out, but it seemed to help, and wasn't SO acidic that it made me throw up.

I used to live in California, so I remember the earthquakes well, strangely especially the loma prieta, even though I was very young at the time, it was just something that stuck in my head. I would gladly trade back to earthquakes instead of the tornadoes we get here in Iowa. The first time there was a tornado after I moved the kids at school (I was 15) took turns "scaring Cali girl". yay.

Well, I don't really feel nauseous as much as I was in the hospital. I don't feel lightheaded/dizzy as much either. I think the food/gatorade/iron/multi/etc. is helping and of course the healing/sleeping a lot more at home helps. I'll keep Phenergan in mind though just in-case. I will tell my mom to get the pomegranate juice, the kind I really liked was the Walgreens version, they have it and it tastes good, I think it is actually Pom+Grape so that is like the perfect mix for low blood count.

BTW, My dad got me that EnSURE, and it SURE does taste like shit. The smell of it makes me gag lol. Reminds me of all the protein/weight gainer powder smells I hated a couple months back. I like chocolate a lot more than vanilla as well. Throwing up is a PITA, it hurts the incision so bad, it sucks. I threw up like 2-3 times in the past 11 days. I have 18 days of rest, so about 2.5 weeks, I hope I can pull myself together and handle the pain to go to school. I will email all my teachers to let them know I am still very early in the recovery stage and to not give me homework (I wish) lol.

Anyways, I need to gulp down that ensure cause I need my calories up. I'll try laxatives tonight cause it's been 3-4 days since my last BM and I feel a little constipated, it sucks.

So far, I haven't taken any Oxycodone 10mg, so that is good. I'll just keep it for night time when I am in pain.
John

[Singer]

Put a little ice cream in the Ensure, throw it in the blender, and it will taste a LOT better. Also, for constipation, try Miralax.

[titaniumed]

John

3-4 days? Holy moly.

Constipation: this develops in 99% of patients on opioids and since tolerance to this problem does not develop, nearly all patients on opioids will need a laxative. Over 30 years experience in palliative care has shown that most opioid constipation can be successfully prevented: "Constipation ... is treated [with laxatives and stool-softeners]" (Burton 2004, 277). According to Abse, "It is very important to watch out for constipation, which can be severe" and "can be a very considerable complication" (Abse 1982, 129) if it is ignored.

I used magnesium citrate oral solution per my hospital. Its sold over the counter.

It will drop the Hoover dam, and its 750 feet thick at its base. It takes 3 hours.

Ed

[52skeedoo]

Glad you are doing so well in general. I wanted to add to the advice about constipation. The surgery and the pain meds aren't the only thing that cause it. The iron pills you are taking are constipating, too. It's very important to stay on top of it. It might even be part of the reason you can't keep food down. For a while I felt a bit like a senior citizen because I was so focused on bowel movements, but that avoided some serious problems. I used a combination of several things - stool softeners in addition to laxatives, and plenty of fluids and fiber in my diet. Good luck.

[jrnyc]

rice pudding? baked potatoes?

Hi John
i am in nyc now to see my pain managemnt doctor....but wanted to check up on you! i am at business office of my hotel....

i think you are doing great...i take 30 mg oxycontin for pain, & havent had surgery yet.. but it hurts so much for me to walk...cant carry laptop either....so it sounds to me as if you are doing well on the pain meds...

i drink vanilla ensure..but sometimes it is too gross...have you tried rice pudding...just the stuff from the section in store where they sell jello.. tasy shack or some brand name like that...it kills my nausea with the oxy & goes down better than ensure...also, as ed said..smoothies, if you can have your mother make them for you...adding a banana can help...ice cream makes them taste good..you can leave the yogurt out since you dont like it...low fat milk, or regular milk, or lactaid all are good...you could add benefiber of something tasteless if you wanted to...

i feel for you with the vomiting with your stitches! so maybe a pill for nausea would be worth it! also...plain baked potatoes...no butter, nothing..can settle the stomach...it works for nausea on boats & airplanes....

this is the worst time....so it will get better...having been a teacher, i think all your professors & instructors will understand...i hope you can get a ride to school in the beginning...in case you need to go back home & arent able to stay for all the classes....are you close enuf to school to take cabs if need be?

feel better...hope each day improves for you!
jess

[JDM555]

John

3-4 days? Holy moly.

Constipation: this develops in 99% of patients on opioids and since tolerance to this problem does not develop, nearly all patients on opioids will need a laxative. Over 30 years experience in palliative care has shown that most opioid constipation can be successfully prevented: "Constipation ... is treated [with laxatives and stool-softeners]" (Burton 2004, 277). According to Abse, "It is very important to watch out for constipation, which can be severe" and "can be a very considerable complication" (Abse 1982, 129) if it is ignored.

I used magnesium citrate oral solution per my hospital. Its sold over the counter.

It will drop the Hoover dam, and its 750 feet thick at its base. It takes 3 hours.

Ed

Well I had my laxatives yesterday and had my second BM last night. How often is "safe"? 1-2 days? Thanks for the info. I'm just using a walgreens laxative pill, but I was about to go to the bathroom before taking it anyways.
John

Glad you are doing so well in general. I wanted to add to the advice about constipation. The surgery and the pain meds aren't the only thing that cause it. The iron pills you are taking are constipating, too. It's very important to stay on top of it. It might even be part of the reason you can't keep food down. For a while I felt a bit like a senior citizen because I was so focused on bowel movements, but that avoided some serious problems. I used a combination of several things - stool softeners in addition to laxatives, and plenty of fluids and fiber in my diet. Good luck.

I will try to have my dad get some stool softeners and some miralax because the walgreen tablets he got me are like overnight 6-12 hour relief, I don't want to shit my pants at 6AM when I'm still sleeping lol.
John

Hi John
i am in nyc now to see my pain managemnt doctor....but wanted to check up on you! i am at business office of my hotel....

i think you are doing great...i take 30 mg oxycontin for pain, & havent had surgery yet.. but it hurts so much for me to walk...cant carry laptop either....so it sounds to me as if you are doing well on the pain meds...

i drink vanilla ensure..but sometimes it is too gross...have you tried rice pudding...just the stuff from the section in store where they sell jello.. tasy shack or some brand name like that...it kills my nausea with the oxy & goes down better than ensure...also, as ed said..smoothies, if you can have your mother make them for you...adding a banana can help...ice cream makes them taste good..you can leave the yogurt out since you dont like it...low fat milk, or regular milk, or lactaid all are good...you could add benefiber of something tasteless if you wanted to...

i feel for you with the vomiting with your stitches! so maybe a pill for nausea would be worth it! also...plain baked potatoes...no butter, nothing..can settle the stomach...it works for nausea on boats & airplanes....

this is the worst time....so it will get better...having been a teacher, i think all your professors & instructors will understand...i hope you can get a ride to school in the beginning...in case you need to go back home & arent able to stay for all the classes....are you close enuf to school to take cabs if need be?

feel better...hope each day improves for you!
jess

Yeah, before the shower incident were I bent too much and caused myself a great deal of pain, I wasn't even using oxycontin (20mg twice a day) and I was just using the 5mg x 2 Oxycodone for pain and was fine. But since it hurt a lot, I had to go back to oxycontin and that is helping a LOT! It is a very strong dose. I barely use the oxycodone now, I'm trying to stick to only one, I don't want to keep using both non-stop since it will be harder to get back off of them.

Rice Pudding sounds good. I might have to tell my parents about that. Some jello would be tasty and easy to eat as well. Not really healthy, but it's ok.

I also can't even find some of my teachers freakin' emails. They aren't all posted, I don't want to explain everything the first day. I hope they let me come a little late/leave a little early if I can't stand the class desk/etc.
John

[titaniumed]

John

You need to go every day. Write it down, along with your med intake. Mark as BM. Document your sleeping also.

Once your clear, like now, you have depleted everything in your intestines. This needs to be replaced, I used pedialyte. Yogurt has bacteria, etc that your intestines need. Pickles are put on hamburgers for this reason, also excellent. Read about digestive health.

DO NOT abuse laxatives... That's a no-no. Only use when necessary. Start drinking water, and start walking. Smaller multiple walks a few times per day. The movement will help keep things moving.

Get some organic granola.Throw some fresh blueberries on top. I like a low fat skim or soy milk. No fat, no cholesterol. Fats are hard to digest. Ice cream is pure fat......Throw a container of ice cream outside for 5 days, then look at the contents. You will see what I mean.

Cholesterol starts the day you are born. It keeps building up and becomes an issue when you are older.

Apples, apples, apples......Wash em first....Don't eat the label. LOL

Study about eating good foods. Google it. Your body needs good foods right now. Smaller meals 6x per day.
You are what you eat.

Stay out of the center of the supermarket.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/digest...ing/index.aspx
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
Ed