Having Surgery end Feb/Middle March

[mbeckoff]

Thanks I will get a friend to set it up as soon as I get a surgical date

It looks like it could really be a lot of help

Melissa

[mbeckoff]

Several new questions

Hope every one had a Happy New Year

1- How do you shave your legs and your underarms?

2- What do you wear for PT?

3- What kind of chair is the most comfortable chair to sit in when I want to sew? Right now, I use a secretary chair with arms on it .Will that work after the surgery?

Thanks for all of your advice

Melissa

[Singer]

Ask away!

1. Shaving under the arms was no problem, but my husband shaved my legs with an electric razor for quite a while..

2. For PT, I wore yoga pants or baggy sweat pants with an elastic waist...my belly was swollen for a few months. I was always cold so I wore layers on top..usually a tank top with a hoodie.

3. My favorite chair was and still is a small, firmly upholstered armchair. Everyone's different, but I couldn't recline for a long time....I could sit up straight or lie down straight and that was it. Pillows were my friend. I still hate sitting on our sofa, which is too soft and squishy for me to get out of comfortably. I still carry an inflatable pillow in my purse for the times when I have to sit in a hard-backed chair or a restaurant booth.

[mbeckoff]

Thanks for the quick reply .

I was under the impression that putting your hands over your head was a no-no or was that just in the very beginning?

Also did the waistband bother your back or was it further down ? Why was your belly swollen?

When did you start PT? How many weeks after surgery?

Thanks again for

Melissa

[debbei]

Thanks for the quick reply .

I was under the impression that putting your hands over your head was a no-no or was that just in the very beginning?

Also did the waistband bother your back or was it further down ? Why was your belly swollen?

When did you start PT? How many weeks after surgery?

Thanks again for

Melissa

raising your arms over head was one of the earliest PT exercises that the in-home PT had me do. It wasn't so hard to put on a lose over-the-head shirt. I made sure to buy larger yoga pants and sweat pants so I had no pressure on my incision, and they didn't bother me at all.

[mbeckoff]

raising your arms over head was one of the earliest PT exercises that the in-home PT had me do. It wasn't so hard to put on a lose over-the-head shirt. I made sure to buy larger yoga pants and sweat pants so I had no pressure on my incision, and they didn't bother me at all.

Is raising my arms over my head a painful thing to do?

So I don't need to have all button up the front clothing?
Just very soft things that are bigger than I normally wear with a drawstring waistband?

How long after surgery does PT start?

Melissa

[debbei]

Is raising my arms over my head a painful thing to do?
Melissa

It wasn't so bad for me, and as a matter of fact, it is a good exercise to prevent frozen shoulders (which I got anyway and then needed further PT to deal with).

So I don't need to have all button up the front clothing? Just very soft things that are bigger than I normally wear with a drawstring waistband?

Nope, not all of my things were button-up. And yes, soft larger sizes with a waistband were a bonus.

How long after surgery does PT start?

A PT came to the house for the first 2 weeks to do little things with me, most of which I found useless. Other than that, I walked every day a minimum of 30 minutes. The dr. gave me my prescription for outpatient PT at my 6 week appointment; I started around 8 weeks.

[Radiogirl]

Chris,
Why was your belly swollen? Is that normal? How long did it last and how bad?

Thanks!
Laura

[JenniferG]

Is raising my arms over my head a painful thing to do?

I think it's different for everyone. I had no trouble raising my arms over my head.

So I don't need to have all button up the front clothing?

I guess if you have trouble raising your arms, you need button up tops. Perhaps take both until you know whether you can do that or not.

Just very soft things that are bigger than I normally wear with a drawstring waistband?

I wore elasticated waistbands which generally didn't bother me. Only wearing a bra bothered me.

How long after surgery does PT start?

I never had PT.

[mbeckoff]

Thanks for all of the great information that you guys are offering me

Melissa

[JenniferG]

Ask anything that comes into mind. I know I did and the responses were very helpful.

[Singer]

Hi Laura, just saw your question. My belly was swollen because I had a very long anterior incision that cut across my torso, so my abdominal muscles were cut. It took about 3 months for the swelling to go down.

[Radiogirl]

Chris - Yikes! That sounds painful, having the scar across your torso. I guess I should be happy I will just have one very big scar down my back. Someone suggested I get a tattoo over it - like a vine or something! haah! Don't think I will do that though!

Laura

[Doodles]

Even with all posterior I still had swelling in front & it was very hard and sore and/or numb for a long time. I guess that sounds weird to be sore and numb but that's how I remember it. If finally feels more normal. I guess just from moving stuff around to insert the 2 cages I needed must cause this. Anterior would also. Janet

[debbei]

Even with all posterior I still had swelling in front & it was very hard and sore and/or numb for a long time. I guess that sounds weird to be sore and numb but that's how I remember it. If finally feels more normal. I guess just from moving stuff around to insert the 2 cages I needed must cause this. Anterior would also. Janet

For the first month or two, I also had swelling in the abdomen, and I was posterior only. I think that was normal, at least it's what the nurses told me.