So I was just emailing a friend and I realized that for the first time since '03 I’ve gone a full year without surgery. I don’t want to jinx it, but wow! Go me! 
Cool! I hope this means you’re feeling better as well. Good luck on another year!
I still have lingering chronic fatigue. But yes, I am much better, thank you. (My surgeon speculates that in a year I will not notice the fatigue, but I decided last week I was tired of being tired and I have an appointment with a GP on Friday.)
Keep up the good run.
Woot!!! Hope things keep looking up. And hope the GP can help you with the fatigue.
My new GP is wonderful. Really listened and is going to treat the symptoms while at the same time take a boatload (maybe even a boatload and half) of blood tests to try and find a root cause. She gave me a mild stimulant and I can honestly say I have not felt this good in years. Genuinely it has been years since I have felt like I do right now. (One of my friends said: If *one *makes you feel this good, imagine how two will make you feel… 
He was making a joke, but I do see how one could go down that path to abuse. I am not such a one, but I see how his logic would be easy to follow.)
In any case, I am now hopeful, more so than I have been in a long time, that I will finally start to lead a normal life.
Yay!
Glad things are looking up.
Keep up the good run! Do you have any scars from your surgery? I have been using this product called ScarZone on my hip scars and along with Vitamin E is doing a great job of diminishing the scars. Supposedly it even works on older scars. Just thought I would throw that out there if you happen to have a scar
But great news on the year. I am looking forward myself to next year when I can make the same claim!
A scar? LOL. I have scars that would scare children… We counted over 30 holes from all the Laparoscopic surgery, and then I have at least two really big ones. One goes from the divot at bottom of the rib cage to the bottom of my belly. They even made me a faux belly button, which is just slightly to the right of center. :smack:
Thanks for the heads up, I may try ScarZone.
Second day with the stimulant and while it is still a good day, I may experiment (with permission from my GP) on half doses. I had a little *too *up of a morning. I fly tonight and I think I may take nothing tomorrow, then try a half dose on Monday morning. Unless I am so fatigued from flying that I deem I need a full dose. We’ll see.
What sort of surgery have you had?
Ignore as appropriate.
Regards,
Shodan
PS - Congratulations!
It was all stomach surgery. I’ve posted here about it a few times, and always worry that I mention it too much.
In 03 I was treated for a hiatus hernia and what I had was a para-esophagial (sp) hernia. Basically the esophagus was too short, pulling the stomach up into the chest cavity. Since I was treated for the wrong thing the first time, things went bad thereafter. In 05 the stomach perforated (tore open) nearly killing me. That op lasted 10 1/2 hours and they took my stomach out. (technically it is in there somewhere, but they took it out of the plumbing. The esophagus now goes straight into the small intestine.)
After that it was all post-op clean up. Various post-op hernias and then in 08 they wrapped up everything in a tight mesh. This pushed some of my intestines up into my chest cavity creating a diaphramatic (sp) hernia. That operation lasted 8 1/2 hours and was the last one to date. (knock on wood.)
:cringes:
Glad you’re feeling better, and prayers that it continues. No one needs that kind of thing.
Regards,
Shodan
Eh, that will give you street cred when you tell your grandkids you were involved in a drive-by.
Here’s to the next 12 months surgery-free!
A year or two ago we were walking through a “bad” section of town and the lady I was walking with asked what I would do if we were accosted. I told her I would rip open my shirt and say “See this scar, the man who gave it to me is dead. Are you *sure *you want to try me?”
Since I’m a big man and can look pretty menacing (I’ve been told, I don’t see it), it *might *have worked. (I’m glad that we didn’t have to find out and hope that I never do.)
I would have asked that they remove all signs of a belly button … imagine being able to claim you were immortal and one of the first humans on earth … or perhaps an alien }:>
we need a little devil smiley
At the time I was in no condition to ask for anything…