A Typical Day in My Post Surgery Life
Let me preface this by saying- my hubby and I are research geeks. We research a subject until there is nothing left of it.... dead. Never to rise again..... which sometimes can be a good thing, and other times, lets just say, not so much.
That's when after I had major surgery (that I had researched for over a year)..... I was completely taken by surprise. I mean, I knew that there would be pain and that I'd need someone to help me, but I honestly never expected it to be this hard, this painful, and this much fatigue.
With that said, I did have an emergency second surgery 12 hours later due to internal bleeding and I'm sure that is partly to blame for some of it. The Doctors said having the emergency surgery really set me back.
I was supposed to come home with a pain pump, but they had to remove it during the second surgery. Anytime, some one has as much internal bleeding as I did, it causes excruciating pain. I also lost so much blood, that I had to have multiple blood transfusions and that alone can cause severe fatigue. Lastly, having two major surgeries withing 12 hours of each other is hard on anyone and can cause extra pain along with other issues..... so while, I did the research, I was not prepared for the extra complications that came with my surgery.
So.... back to my typical day. (Please note: the following is real - if too much information grosses you out, you may not want to read the following)
*Wake up. Lay in bed, unable to move because of the pain, feeling like you need to pee.
*Wake up hubby and have him pull you up to a sitting position, while you cry from the pain.
*Sit on the side of the bed, sip on water and put on your glasses.
*Have hubby pull you to a standing position. Cry in his arms while saying 'ouch' for the hundredth time.
*Hubby helps you walk to the bathroom and sit on the toilet. (This is not as easy as it sounds and takes a lot longer to go then normal.)
*After trying to wipe yourself for 5 min, crying from the pain and from the humiliation of having your hubby wipe and clean up your backside.
*Afterward, he pulls you to your feet, helps you wash up, and consoles you by saying that its okay and he loves you.
*He then helps you out to the kitchen where he gets you a drink, pain meds, and helps me walk. (The walking hurts, but it helps keep blood clots from forming.)
*Hubby helps me into the chair/sofa or bed... getting me a sheet, blanket, pillows, and alternating ice packs and the heating pad.
This same scene plays out over and over -12 times in the next 24 hrs.
And that my friend is what goes on in a typical day in my life right now.
Research is great in theory, but when it comes to individual pain or how each individual will react.... it's really not all its cracked up to be...
However, for all the research I did.... there was one thing that I overlooked.....
That one thing is having an awesome, loving, and supporting hubby who will stay by your side, taking care of my every need and taking care of the kids and the house. You don't know how good of a man you have until he will wipe and clean up your backside and still love you just the same.
Having these surgeries has defiantly kicked my butt.... but with my hubby's help....I'm gonna kick right back! My health is far too important than for me to let it get to me.
Note: We have chosen NOT to discuss or to explain my surgeries with anyone, as in the past, discussing my health has caused unnecessary drama. I, Rhoda do suffer from multiple auto-immune disorders, cancer, and chronic stress. The doctor said without this surgery, I would only have a 3% chance at going on to live a healthier life style, so for me and my family's sake, this has been the right thing to do. We will not apologize for not explaining!
Update 08/16/17: I am 2 weeks out from my surgeries and am happy to say that I am slowly getting better. Two days ago, I took my first shower by myself (with the help of a shower stool). I still need help occasionally and still cannot do anything around the house, but I am caring for myself now which feels good. The pain has also gotten better, I still regularly take prescription and over the counter pain meds, but I am starting to space them out... hopefully I can get off of them completely in another week or two.
If you have prayed, sent a card, gave a gift, brought food, cared for our family, or supported our family business during this time, we want to say thank you! We appreciate you!
That's when after I had major surgery (that I had researched for over a year)..... I was completely taken by surprise. I mean, I knew that there would be pain and that I'd need someone to help me, but I honestly never expected it to be this hard, this painful, and this much fatigue.
With that said, I did have an emergency second surgery 12 hours later due to internal bleeding and I'm sure that is partly to blame for some of it. The Doctors said having the emergency surgery really set me back.
I was supposed to come home with a pain pump, but they had to remove it during the second surgery. Anytime, some one has as much internal bleeding as I did, it causes excruciating pain. I also lost so much blood, that I had to have multiple blood transfusions and that alone can cause severe fatigue. Lastly, having two major surgeries withing 12 hours of each other is hard on anyone and can cause extra pain along with other issues..... so while, I did the research, I was not prepared for the extra complications that came with my surgery.
So.... back to my typical day. (Please note: the following is real - if too much information grosses you out, you may not want to read the following)
*Wake up. Lay in bed, unable to move because of the pain, feeling like you need to pee.
*Wake up hubby and have him pull you up to a sitting position, while you cry from the pain.
*Sit on the side of the bed, sip on water and put on your glasses.
*Have hubby pull you to a standing position. Cry in his arms while saying 'ouch' for the hundredth time.
*Hubby helps you walk to the bathroom and sit on the toilet. (This is not as easy as it sounds and takes a lot longer to go then normal.)
*After trying to wipe yourself for 5 min, crying from the pain and from the humiliation of having your hubby wipe and clean up your backside.
*Afterward, he pulls you to your feet, helps you wash up, and consoles you by saying that its okay and he loves you.
*He then helps you out to the kitchen where he gets you a drink, pain meds, and helps me walk. (The walking hurts, but it helps keep blood clots from forming.)
*Hubby helps me into the chair/sofa or bed... getting me a sheet, blanket, pillows, and alternating ice packs and the heating pad.
This same scene plays out over and over -12 times in the next 24 hrs.
And that my friend is what goes on in a typical day in my life right now.
Research is great in theory, but when it comes to individual pain or how each individual will react.... it's really not all its cracked up to be...
However, for all the research I did.... there was one thing that I overlooked.....
Having these surgeries has defiantly kicked my butt.... but with my hubby's help....I'm gonna kick right back! My health is far too important than for me to let it get to me.
Note: We have chosen NOT to discuss or to explain my surgeries with anyone, as in the past, discussing my health has caused unnecessary drama. I, Rhoda do suffer from multiple auto-immune disorders, cancer, and chronic stress. The doctor said without this surgery, I would only have a 3% chance at going on to live a healthier life style, so for me and my family's sake, this has been the right thing to do. We will not apologize for not explaining!
Update 08/16/17: I am 2 weeks out from my surgeries and am happy to say that I am slowly getting better. Two days ago, I took my first shower by myself (with the help of a shower stool). I still need help occasionally and still cannot do anything around the house, but I am caring for myself now which feels good. The pain has also gotten better, I still regularly take prescription and over the counter pain meds, but I am starting to space them out... hopefully I can get off of them completely in another week or two.
If you have prayed, sent a card, gave a gift, brought food, cared for our family, or supported our family business during this time, we want to say thank you! We appreciate you!
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