I went into the hospital for surgery on May 29 for fusion of cervical vertebrae and the aftermath has not been a happy time*. I was warned about having an extended rehabilitation but I honestly didn’t understand what they really meant was “your arms are going to be half-paralyzed but should get better after several weeks”. I certainly hope so; one of my pre-op fears was that I’d come out of the surgery never to be entirely whole again. I live alone and while I’ve had a little help from friends and a couple of in home visits I’m on my own for all day-to-day things. Right now I’ve spent several days developing work-arounds for the fact that my right arm is nearly useless and my left arm weak and with reduced range. If you saw it I don’t know if you’d laugh or cry.
Then there’s the pain. I’ve been in worse pan and thank God that with the right meds it’s mostly under control. But here’s the deal: I have not had a real night’s sleep in ten days because I simply can’t lay in one position for more than an hour without putting myself in agony. If I’m not actually getting woken up by the pain, I’m interrupting my sleep to take meds every two-to-four hours and waiting until the discomfort eases enough to (briefly) pass out again.
Then finally there’s the angst. I suffered from depression and anxiety even before all this went down, and I have never been brave about pain and helplessness. I am luckier than most, but it’s still right up in my face that people can have terrible, horrible things happen to them, chief-most being inevitable age and death. I’m only 59 but right now I feel like the human equivalent of a car that you’re no longer talking about “repairing”, you’re talking about extending how much longer before you have to junk it.
*Everyone kept telling me that I was actually better off in the hospital over the weekend than taking my chances in a riot-torn city.
Oh, man. I’m sorry to hear this.
Here’s hoping you continue to improve.
I found out with my own recent ordeal to ask for help if I needed it. I never thought my adult children would be as much help as they have been. It was hard to relinquish control over to them.
Ask for help. People will surprise you.
Good luck.
I had A Very Bad Day when I was 25: an extremely unpleasant medical procedure followed by a miserable aftermath. By the end of the day I was in the ER, getting a saline IV because I couldn’t keep fluids down, with my urinary tract lighting on fire every time I peed because I had been catheterized earlier in the day. I felt like shit, I was mentally and physically exhausted, and feared the next time I would have to pee. I was a young, healthy man who had never been through anything like this, and it freaked me out. I remember lying there and thinking “this is what it will be like to be old.”
So yeah, sometimes the anxiety that comes with prolonged physical suffering can be as miserable as the physical suffering itself.
Sorry for what you’re going through, Lumpy. Hoping for better times ahead.
Sheesh sounds like hell and I hope you feel better soon. I’ve had major surgeries around three times and it always causes me this weird anxiety while I’m recovering. I always have a fear that I will be randomly attacked in public before I heal, and not be able to defend myself. It’s so totally ridiculous but it happens every time.
Wouldn’t it be worse if you were young when all this was happening?
I’m sorry to be flippant, I do wish you well. This is just the beginning of your recovery; expect things to get a lot better.
And Murder Hornets - don’t forget the Murder Hornets!
You’re still very early into your recovery - don’t despair just yet.
Do you know about Chunk the Groundhog? Here’s a link to his youtube page. It always makes me smile. First there was Chunk, then his wife Nibbles, and now there’s their two pups - Chip and Chibbles.
Recovery is a bitch. I wish you well. One thought, from my experience, set a timer for your meds (even overnight). If you take them on a schedule, you should keep your pain under control. Waiting until you’re in pain and then taking a pill and then waiting until it works is very disruptive. You might also ask your doctor for something extended release just for overnight.
I hope things get better soon gentle long distance hug
Yes, my doctor called it “staying on the pain train.” You never want to be trying to catch up with your pain control. You always want to be slightly ahead of it.
My good vibes going your way for a much speedier recovery than it seems.
And, if it’s your thing, the videos that help me are Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund, Doxie Din, and Moonpie Starbox.
Update:
[ul]
[li]pain is almost gone, only taking regular Tylenol as needed.[/li][li]now able to usually get something close to a night’s sleep.[/li][li]very tentative progress in disabled arm.[/li][li]angst is probably exacerbated by cortisol-related depression and anxiety: dark chocolate helps slightly.[/li][li]high blood pressure (see stress and anxiety) medication making me light-headed and wobbly in the legs, at a time when the health professionals are worried about my risk of falling. Will have words with doctor Monday.[/li][/ul]
If you think COVID- mandated idleness and isolation is bad, try adding in being physically disabled.
Good work and congrats on the pain remediation! Have you thought about trying something like an online restorative yoga class specifically targeted to people recuperating from injury/illness?
Chair yoga! Dark chocolate! Chair yoga while eating dark chocolate … ?
Looks like Minnesota now allows CBD products, which can help with pain minus all the constipating “fun” of opioids. They make all sorts of stick-on patches and creams these days, including versions with menthol and stuff for topical pain relief.
Sleep is good, and I’m glad you’re able to get some restorative rest. Keep us updated!
