Unbelievable transformation…..
So this was me 2 1/2 weeks ago - my work profile picture:
This is me now:
For those of you who might not be up to speed on your Discovery Channel “Lazy Animals of South America” episodes, yes this is a brown throated three toe sloth, (AKA heatheris stuckinbedicus) I know it looks like I’m smiling, but that’s really just the percocet, vicodin and ambien cocktail talking….
And if it’s not bad enough that I’ve morphed into a sloth after just 2 weeks in bed, I’m pretty sure that by the end of recovery I’m going to look more like this: (notice the one foot stuck in equinas position)
So lazy animal transformations aside, I’ve been doing everything in my power to not completely lose my sh%t, but this week has been excruciatingly hard….(I don’t know who is crying more lately, me or my husband….)
As my family and co-workers will attest, I am your classic type A control freak personality and I am soooo not good at ever having to ask for help, let alone not be able to take care of my kids and my family. I know that I am so blessed to have an amazing family: wonderful husband, caring mom, guardian angel mother-in-law, sweet aupair (Kate you are an angel) who have all been taking amazing care of me without making me feel guilty, but when my baby gives me this look because I can’t play with her or chase her around the house…..I feel like I’m dying a little inside
I know that this won’t last forever, but I totally feel like my kids are growing up without me 
I know that this is irrational, but after spending 2 1/2 weeks in bed, I think I’m starting to lose it a little…..I want to be up and doing more, but after reading about how many people seem to have falls in the first couple of weeks, I’m a little freaked out…and unfortunately, when I fall I break something (I’ve had 13 fractures in the last 5 years - bad bones from chemo and glucocorticoids…) - My poor husband should be knighted for sainthood….
Any words of wisdom for keeping your sh%t together and not completely lose it during the Nike commercials? (cocky bastards and their two good running feet…)
Heather
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (9)Laughter: not quite the best medicine for ATR
So I know they say that “laughter is the best medicine” but honestly, I’m going to have to put laughter somewhere between Benadryl and Percocet.
I called the orthopedist yesterday because at 4AM the pain was absolutely unbearable and I realized that I couldn’t feel or move my toes at all. Not much of my toes are exposed in the splint, but what I could see/touch felt really cold, swollen and purple. The ortho said to unwrap the ace-bandage because it might be too tight with the swelling (even though I’ve kept it elevated with a ton of ice since surgery on Monday morning.) Once we unwrapped it the feeling came back in my toes, but I still have the pain. According to my ortho, it sounds like the “lightning-esque” pain that I’ve been experiencing could be from some temporary sural nerve trauma. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, how long did it last?
PS Does percocet give anyone else that “I see dead people” kind of a feeling? If not, does anyone have M. Night Shyamalan’s contact information because I’m pretty sure my life could be his next script - and I live in the Philly area - how convenient for filming!
Heather
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (8)For the love of all things holy- day 2 post-surgery
I am again questioning whether or not my orthopedic surgeon has engaged in experimental techniques with my repair. I know that in the days of yore it was common practice to employ the use of leeches to drain off blood and excess swelling and I’m wondering if my surgeon is using fire ants and/or lightning. I’m Day 2 (almost Day 3) post-surgery and I’m fairly certain that there is a small army of fire ants in my splint and a bucket full of lightning. And this isn’t the happy variety of fire ants that you may be familiar with - I’m pretty sure that this is a new mutant breed of angry, unloved and maybe menopausal fire ants who are none too happy to be trapped in a splint with my unwashed foot…. I’m actually not even mad - I’m more impressed as to how someone could capture, train and mobilize an entire army of fire ants and transport it into my cast within the confines of a sterile operating room.
Anywho, has anyone else had this much pain at this point post-op? I delivered a 12 lb baby with no epidural and I’ve had compound fractures that didn’t hurt this much. I’m taking 2 percocet every 4 hours with Toradol every 6 hours for breakthrough pain. My husband has also constructed an elevated Olympic-sized ice rink in our bed to keep my bum foot nice and chilly (but it’s only helping a little and he won’t let me drive the zamboni….)
Ooh, 1 AM, time for more happy pills… I’ll be back
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (5)AT fixed intranasally?
So has anyone else had their achilles tendon repaired via their nose? I’m wondering if my surgeon is piloting a new technique because I can’t figure out why else I came out of surgery on Monday with two black eyes and a fat lip. Did I flirt with the doctor? (she’s not my type but you never know with the anesthesia….) or did I get cheeky with the OR nurse when she was scribbling on my ankle (maybe it was just confirmation of the right ankle and not her grocery list…) Did anyone else have this experience? I know that they did the surgery in the prone position, but I can’t imagine that just lying intubated on my face would do this kind of damage….
Heather
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (3)Post ATR surgery black eyes and fat lip
Apparently, now achilles tendon repair comes with a complimentary fat lip and black eyes! At least they dropped me on my face and not on my boo-boo foot….
According to the operative report, fat lip was from being intubated and in the prone position and black eyes were from “need for additional patient restraint” during transition from “excitatory sedation phase”….hmm, they do say that redheads are harder to anesthetize….
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (5)