Exchange City
Comments
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I can shower after my bandage comes off on Friday, waiting that long is bad but Monday would be he**0 -
congrats catey! So happy for you. Take it easy this thanksgiving. Life on the squishy side is good. I was told no driving this week unless I really needed to. I'm exactly one week out. .0 -
mariaelizabeth, you have a very exciting life!!! Wow.
Catey, my husband in the kitchen is a scary thing. Hope it works out better at your house.
I am just sitting down after cooking for 5 hours. Time for a break, and then back at it. I swear, if I could have a good fairy in the kitchen with me to clean up behind me as I went along I would be such a happy girl!!!0 -
Goldie- hes only good when it comes to bacon and eggs, and even then he makes a huge mess so it will be interesting, and he will HAVE to clean it up LOL0 -
I ate scrambled eggs a few times a day after my bmx for a few days, as my husb repertoire is very limited! Finally I politely protested, so we had his other dish- spaghetti.0 -
Catey and Aviva, too funny!!!!! I taught my hubby how to make my protein shake, so he gave me that once a day after my bmx. Then he usually made me a sandwich of some kind for an other meal, and then he was really good at running out to Boston Market, etc. I was also lucky to have friends bring by quite a few meals. The problem is nobody cooks anymore. Let's see, we had Macaroni Grill one night, and Mexican another night, Boston Market several nights. I did have two friends that brought by homemade meals. That was really nice.
The worst part is when you feel better, and you get up and go in the kitchen and see what you are going to have to clean up!!!!0 -
Wow, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones here! My DH is a good cook. It's pretty basic stuff (meat, veggie, potato) but he does come in handy sometimes. Also had many, many friends bring meals, so many I had to keep track of them in my planner! And my mom was here every day for most of the day. I really didn't have to worry about anything except taking all my various medications on time, sleeping, and using the bathroom occasionally. I wouldn't say it was heavenly by any means, but I was very well taken care of.
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One of my good girlfriends asked me to give her a phone list of other friends and she made calls and asked if each one could pick a day to drop off meals for the first 2 weeks. It was wonderful as my husband works a lot of hours and I didn't have to rely on him for making dinner. It went great. The only problem I had was that during this time I was a little loopy from Norcos and couldn't remember which dishes belonged to who. LOL finally did get everyone their dishes back but it took awhile0 -
Aren't friends wonderful. I hope I am available to pay to forward if anybody needs it in the future.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.0 -
Eight days and a wake up until surgery #3 Dec. 6th. The nerves kicked in and caused sleeping disturbances a week ago. But in the last couple of days it's gotten worse. Monday night I didn't sleep one second. At least there are no nightmares this time. The doc gave me a prescription for Ambien today. I also talked to my counselor who reminded me that worry was normal and natural and that she would be concerned if I WASN'T worried, considering what I've been through this year. (My heart stopped twice during surgery #1 and I developed an infection the next day which led to surgery #2 two weeks later. Surgery could also trigger another stroke...which would REALLY piss me off since I'm not recovered from the first one yet.) She advised me to write down my feelings instead of keeping my concerns buried. That's what I'm doing now.
I want to get rid of this TE but am feeling sad about having to go through another surgery to do it. I wish I could fall asleep and wake it after it's all over and I'm healed. Three surgeries in three months is just too much. I feel unprepared and vulnerable this time. Losing my saline implant is making me sad too. It's never given me one second of trouble in the 3 months I've had it. (I should have two like that...grrrrr...damn infection.) I'm really going to be upset if the new gummies don't feel as good in my body as the saline one does. I can't keep it because the TE side implant will be so much smaller due to all the muscle and tissue I lost in surgery #2. I tried telling the PS that I didn't care if they were so different, but he says I will feel differently once all this is over. I trust my PS that the switch is in my best interest, but giving up a sure thing for the unknown is a scary.
Are you tired of hearing me whine? I am, so I'll stop here. Glad tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'll have lots of distractions. Thanks for listening. I feel better. The counselor was right.0 -
Sandra....I am not sick of hearing you 'whine'...in fact, it doesn't sound at all like whining to me. I know some people aren't afraid of surgery. I wish I was one of them! It is normal for ANYBODY to be afraid of surgery, but it sounds like you have even more reason. Please keep us posted after the surgery and let us know how it is going for you! IT IS GOING TO BE OK. I will be praying for you. Everyone here is such a great support. Please keep writing...don't worry that it is seeming line too much for everyone else. I know that, for me, it is nice to hear that somebody else has all the same fears that I do! When we share our fears, it makes us all feel a little more normal! I am excited to hear about the new 'girls'!!! Hugs!0 -
Sandra - you have more reason than most to worry about another surgery with all the complications you've had. So, go ahead and worry a little. You can't stop the worry and the 'what-ifs' from chasing each other around in your head, but do your best not to let it take over your life. In addition to the chance of more trouble, there's also an extremely good chance that this surgery and recovery will go very smoothly and you'll be over the moon happy (and wishing you hadn't spent so much time worrying about it)
. Hang in there.....you can do this!0 -
My exchange is tomorrow ... Ugh!! So many mixed emotions. So grateful to have this community; Although often overwhelmed with information, I always find comfort, understanding, support & guidance whenever I have the courage to log in.
Those recovering: I pray for quick healing.
Those coming up: I pray for peace that passes all understanding.
Happy Thankgiving ALL
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dmarie24- You will do just fine tomorrow!! The fear and anxiety was worse for me than the actually surgery. Hugs to you0 -
Thanks cateyz - glad to hear it. How is your recovery going!? Hope your thanksgiving is pain free0 -
My exchange was Monday and it already looks quite good. Recovery was a lot shorter than BMX/TEs and a lot less painful.0 -
Dmarie, Easy recovery, I was back to driving at day 4 and back to work at day 6 so different than BMX. Nothing to worry about you will be surprised!0 -
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone had or is having an enjoyable day with family and friends.
Cathy0 -
Exchange surgery tomorrow. I need to ask my plastic surgeon if he is offering any Black Friday deals. BOGO? Buy the girls, get lipo 50% off?!?
Good luck DMarie!!
Happy thanksgiving everyone - see you on the squishy side.0 -
Best wishes to those going in for surgery tomorrow. Jenn and DMarie, I know you are excited! Let us know how it goes. Our group seems to be on a "good" roll lately...all of you who just had surgery seem to be doing great!0 -
Just received message from Jenn and shes ready to go, Just waiting for PS to stop in before she heads to OR. She said shell let me now how shes doing when shes out0 -
Thanks catey and will be interested to hear how it goes. One week from today and that will be me and Sandra!0 -
6 weeks from today for me.0 -
Catey, did you get that shower today? Did you get to see your new girls? Hope you are feeling okay.
Jenn and Dmarie, you are in my prayer's today and I hope you both come out on the squishy side feeling great!!! Keep us posted.0 -
Thanks for all the encouragement. It was nice to be distracted by friends at the Thanksgiving celebration yesterday. We had wonderful weather - cool 40's mid day and clear blue sky. Went for a nice long walk after dinner, which is a tradition, but was the first time I've tried it since I had the stroke. Fortunately two friends linked arms with me so it wasn't bad unless someone pointed out something and I looked to the side. Uggh...can't do that or look up and walk at the same time without stumbling. Hills were ok going up but difficult coming down and uneven surfaced roads made me stare down most of the time. BUT I made it. Doesn't sound like much of a big deal, but as a former long time fitness instructor specializing in Pilates, Senior Fitness & Zumba, losing balance and having intermittent double vision causing me to have to give up everything cold turkey had been a difficult adjustment. Thanks to rehab for helping me regain some skills. No one can tell I had a stroke until I walk...I wobble a bit sometimes and walk like a toddler... you know, in a straight line. If I have to change direction in mid stride, I'm in trouble. My husband and I have also taught ballroom dance for many years and it's been tough to have to give that up too.
One unexpected challenge from walking: my back started to have spasms from straining to make corrections in posture as I walked. I haven't given it such a workout since the stroke at the beginning of the year. I ended up taking a muscle relaxant when we got home. That made me think of the weird aches and pains we have after our surgeries and during tissue expansion. We are constantly making adjustments.
Although I was thinking I might have "dodged a bullet" this time since I've had only insomnia, no nightmares leading up to surgery #3, but they reared their ugly heads last night. I was in a maze of rooms, looking for the way out, but kept running into more corridors and empty rooms...no exit doors. I escaped once, only to be hunted down and brought back. Freud would have no trouble figuring that one out. I don't want to go through surgery again next Friday.0 -
I am home & feeling pretty good. I do have some pain but it is definitely manageable. I did just take a norco so I expect to be dozing off soon. I took a peek down & they seem so much smaller than those nasty TEs but I will reserve judgement for the official unveiling & letting them settle into place.0 -
Congrats Jenn! Glad you're feeling well and have minimal pain. Rest up and let those new girls settle in. The implants do appear much less bulbous than the TEs. Not necessarily smaller, just a different fit. Welcome to the squishy side!!
Sandra - it must be horribly difficult for you after having been such an incredibly active woman to have these current limitations. Keep up with any sort of therapy that can help you regain your former balance and confidence - don't give up. I would so love to learn ballroom dancing. Every time I watch Dancing With The Stars I tell my husband 'That just looks like so much fun!!!'. I know it's hard work but omg I would love to achieve some level of skill with those dances.
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Jenn, so glad it went well. You got home fast! Keep us posted.0 -
Lisa Jayne,
We teach - oops, taught - a Basic Couples Ballroom/Latin Dance class (rumba, fox trot, cha cha, swing, salsa, waltz, and merengue) + a Basic II class. Loved it. We had the only class in San Antonio taught by a couple so we could demo what the dance should look like and then split up and work with the couples. We had 25 couples and a waiting list for every session in the series. At the first class my husband would ask how many men were there because their wives made them come. Every hand went up! After the second class, the men became the enthusiastic ones when they found out the women were not allowed to lead or criticize - our rules. We used to say, "We're not here to teach you how to dance...we're here to teach you to have fun on the dance floor." When the couples realized there was no pressure, they relaxed and DID have fun. Many of them will never be dancers, but they all learned how to enjoy themselves. I miss teaching so much and dancing even more.0 -
Sandra - sounds like you and your DH made the class lots of fun. There's nothing like that anywhere near where I live, unfortunately.
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