Ho Hum

Not much has changed since the last blog entry. Still trying to stretch the pain meds with limited success. I tried getting out more over the holiday weekend visiting family and friends. The price was significantly increased pain this morning. So I have pounded down some pain meds and plan a lazy day in the recliner. It is really frustrating to limit my activity..... Oh well, I still believe that the recovery is going okay. I have Dr appts Thursday (wound care) and Friday (internist) & hope that I get good feedback from both.

Duaine

One Little Hurdle Cleared *****

Today was Wound Care Center day. Good news all around with the wounds continuing to heal & one wound is healed up - no more bandages for that baby! One down and two to go. Doc says all is going well..... Other than that I am seeing some progress with the pain since I am able to sometimes stretch the time between pain meds beyond the 4 hour minimum.

Duaine

On The Road Again

Well, I think I'm back on the road to recovery. Had a pretty good weekend. I'm getting around better and even driving the car again. The pain meds are working well and sometimes I find that I can spread them out beyond the minimum time (4 hours between doses)..... Seems like the wounds are continuing to heal. I'll see what the folks at the Wound Care Center say on Thursday but I expect good news..... I'm starting to walk more which should help the healing process. Last week I asked the surgeon if I could start working out again and he said very light cardio & nothing to stress the abdomen (which just about eliminates the weight lifting). He seemed reluctant to even approve that but gave the approval with stern instructions to go EASY. Personally, I think he's being over protective but I will follow his instructions - more or less.

Duaine

Good News? Bad News?

I saw the surgeon again today. The meds that he gave me eased the pain somewhat so I was focused and inquisitive. In short, he believes that the remaining pain is the result of adhesions / scar tissue. As he said, my body has a LOT of scar tissue and has suffered a LOT of trauma. The medication worked to take the gall bladder out of play. That & the hernia may have to be fixed at some point in the future or maybe not. That's the good news..... He said that it can take up to a year for the body to completely heal and the pain to subside so I might be living with it for quite a while (thank God for pain pills). However, he expects most progress in the first six months. That's the bad news...... He will allow me to start a very moderate & easy exercise program. Hopefully that will help speed my recovery...... Now the wounds need to finish healing. After that I can live with the help of my pain pills & hope that there are no more setbacks.

Duaine

Mom's Day

Two of our three sons along with their families came over for Mother's Day (the third had sick kids) and made it a great day for us - lots of fun...... I still had abdominal pain but it was at a level that I could tolerate thanks to the pain pills. Have an appt with the surgeon again Wednesday. In addition to the pain, a rather large lump has developed and grown at a very fast rate at the base of my breast bone in the area of the pain. Maybe scar tissue? I'll see what the doc says about the pain & the lump.

Duaine

Healing Too Fast???

The wounds are continuing to heal & the head nurse at the wound care center said yesterday that the smallest of them is healing a little too fast! She put something on the wound to slow the healing a bit but expects it to be fully healed in a couple of weeks (hopefully followed closely by the other two)...... The abdominal pain continues to vary up and down with no hint as to cause other than the normal healing process. It now seems focused in the muscle structure of the abdomen. Keeping my fingers crossed...... Connie talked to the Nurse at the Internist's office yesterday too & found out that the culture from last week came back clean. The staph infection is gone!!! ..... Here's hoping to have my Speedo body back in time for swim season. :-)

Duaine

New Surgeon

I saw a new surgeon today about my abdominal pain. Good guy. Told him that I have been eating only potatoes (my "spud diet") and only two meals a day. That diet along with the pain medication has enabled me to manage the pain better than anything else that I've tried. The doc thinks it is the gall bladder but gave me some medication that will reduce any inflammation or swelling of the gall bladder. He also wants me to "liberalize" my diet meaning go back to a low fat diet eating normal meals. We'll give it a week &, if there is no improvement or the pain gets worse, he will operate to remove the gall bladder. Finally, a doctor with a plan!

Duaine

Wounds Gettin' Better

I did my Thursday visit to the wound care center today and got the news that the wounds have started healing again since the infection is gone. Should all be healed in 4 to 6 weeks barring any more setbacks..... The abdominal pain has worsened over the last couple of days so I'm going to see a new surgeon - hopefully next week. We'll see what he says.

Duaine

Back on the Road to Recovery???

I had an appt with my Internist today. The primary purpose was to get a culture to ensure that the infection is gone. We'll find out in a few days..... I continue to improve and we discussed my challenges with the pain over the last 2-3 weeks. I told him that I solved my own problem no thanks to the 3 surgeons that I saw. After listening, he concurred that I fixed my problem although he disagreed with my diagnosis. His diagnosis and explanation made sense so I defer to him. The thing that really ticks me off is that he had shared his diagnosis with one surgeon who apparently chose to ignore it. If the abdominal pain recurs, we know the likely cause (a hernia) and that it can be corrected with a relatively simple surgical procedure. But you can bet your last dollar that it will not be done by any of the 3 that ignored my input on the pain.... Maybe now I can get back to the recovery process and hopefully have no more setbacks.

Duaine