jpcello
Well-Known Member
What Diana said. You had major surgery. Simply walking around your house. Get a beverage and back to the chair/couch. Just keep moving. Every day will get a little better.
Will I ever feel normal?
- Thread starter DuodenalSwitchaRoo
- Start date
DuodenalSwitchaRoo
Taking a long scenic route!
My movement is ok or at least the PTs were always impressed with how hard I pushed myself. These last two days I have side stepped downstairs so that Im not bedbound, more like sofa bound lol. It hurts and is a very emotional journey going back up the stairs for bedtime but I just know it has to be good for me and my leg muscles even if it is only once a day.
Everyone around me is being so much more patient that I am. My FIL rang tonight and told me not to come over this weekend as I should stay in my environment and try to recover....but I feel like I should be able to be out and about
My hand pisses me off the most. I consulted dr google and that was a mistake (I shall die of a heart attack due to neuropathy).
I just hope this passes sooner rather than later. I have Uni assignments due which I have already pushed back and the first week in April is my MIL 60th birthday bash....so I need to hurry up and recover!!!
Thanks for letting me whine, it does help hearing people have been there and being told it will get better eventually.
Everyone around me is being so much more patient that I am. My FIL rang tonight and told me not to come over this weekend as I should stay in my environment and try to recover....but I feel like I should be able to be out and about
My hand pisses me off the most. I consulted dr google and that was a mistake (I shall die of a heart attack due to neuropathy).
I just hope this passes sooner rather than later. I have Uni assignments due which I have already pushed back and the first week in April is my MIL 60th birthday bash....so I need to hurry up and recover!!!
Thanks for letting me whine, it does help hearing people have been there and being told it will get better eventually.
Roo just remembered I was the worst of patients everything that could go wrong did. I regretted my surgery darn there everyday for 3 months. Now I'm almost 5 months and glad I did it. Every one is different I swear I thought I would never feel decent again. But I do.
oh, Roo, I am so sorry it's this hard; I can't even imagine. :090:
you need time and more time to heal but as that happens - well, I can't wait to start reading the posts where you feel better. we are all pulling for you!
you need time and more time to heal but as that happens - well, I can't wait to start reading the posts where you feel better. we are all pulling for you!
DuodenalSwitchaRoo
Taking a long scenic route!
Had a nice little cry this afternoon, after my sponge bath. My husband is amazing, you all really should know that. He hugged me and reassured me that things will turn out ok.
I have this fear that the neuropathy will spread, and I will be a quadriplegic. It is a terrifying thought that life was already as good as it was going to get for me.
Im not on the wound vac at the mo as the hospital didn't send me home with all the dressing so the district nurses are having to order stuff in. I know that makes little sense to the yanks but those in the UK will know how clunky and wonky the NHS is when you cross county lines. ugh. So the nurses have been coming daily to dry pack it whilst they wait for the shipment of foam.
ugh. and my hand. my gd, f'ing hand!!!!! I feel more disabled now than ever!!!
I just want to fast forward 3 months from now and see that everything turns out ok.
I have this fear that the neuropathy will spread, and I will be a quadriplegic. It is a terrifying thought that life was already as good as it was going to get for me.
Im not on the wound vac at the mo as the hospital didn't send me home with all the dressing so the district nurses are having to order stuff in. I know that makes little sense to the yanks but those in the UK will know how clunky and wonky the NHS is when you cross county lines. ugh. So the nurses have been coming daily to dry pack it whilst they wait for the shipment of foam.
ugh. and my hand. my gd, f'ing hand!!!!! I feel more disabled now than ever!!!
I just want to fast forward 3 months from now and see that everything turns out ok.
You have a gem of a dh!
As far as the neuropathy...I have it pretty much all over and am not a quadriplegic! And I have all three kinds, sensory, autonomic AND motor! I have very faint reflexes in my knees and none in my ankles. I have ulnar nerve damage in both hands but left is worse (all the years of leaning that elbow on the arm rest while driving). I'm sure yours will resolve...it will just be a bump in the road to healing.
I KNOW it sucks pond water. Just keep focused ahead...and whine/cry when needed.
DuodenalSwitchaRoo
Taking a long scenic route!
Pond water is an understatement! I don't have the typical neuropathy....its my left thumb, index finger, middle finger and some of ring finger....I can use my pink...woohooo
I'm normally a level headed girl, but when it comes to my health and medical issues I can be a bit melodramatic and I always invision the worst case scenario.
On the plus side, I made the 10 foot walk to the loo without my walker/frame It's the little things eh?
I still feel really emotional. I just want the recovery to be over with. I want a good nights sleep, and that can't happen until I can sleep on my tummy. The nurses today said the wound will take weeks and weeks to heal....ugh. Im not sure how I'm going to go about normal life in the meantime.
With all of that said, I am happy to be alive I tried to tell ya'll it was going to go wrong but no one would listen!!! lol. Thankfully, I have a stubborn spirit and a husband who willed me to stay
I'm normally a level headed girl, but when it comes to my health and medical issues I can be a bit melodramatic and I always invision the worst case scenario.
On the plus side, I made the 10 foot walk to the loo without my walker/frame
It's the little things eh?I still feel really emotional. I just want the recovery to be over with. I want a good nights sleep, and that can't happen until I can sleep on my tummy. The nurses today said the wound will take weeks and weeks to heal....ugh. Im not sure how I'm going to go about normal life in the meantime.
With all of that said, I am happy to be alive
I tried to tell ya'll it was going to go wrong but no one would listen!!! lol. Thankfully, I have a stubborn spirit and a husband who willed me to stay 
huneypie
Wannabe
Hopefully the day will soon come when you look back on this and you say it was all worth it.
Elizabeth N.
Herder of cats
*****HUGS******
Honey, you're going to be okay. It's okay to be melodramatic and mentally wrecked about it all. You've been through a dreadful ordeal and it's going to take a good while, but YES, you're going to be fine. Hopefully six months from now this will all be a distant memory....And yes, progress is going to happen in miniscule steps right now. 10 feet without the walker is progress. It's a lot more than it seems right now.
One day at a time, for real. Not just as a saying.
Honey, you're going to be okay. It's okay to be melodramatic and mentally wrecked about it all. You've been through a dreadful ordeal and it's going to take a good while, but YES, you're going to be fine. Hopefully six months from now this will all be a distant memory....And yes, progress is going to happen in miniscule steps right now. 10 feet without the walker is progress. It's a lot more than it seems right now.
One day at a time, for real. Not just as a saying.
Roo, nerve damage is a funny thing. The human body has miraculous powers to heal itself. Even doctors have no answer when they see miraculous healing happen.
I once severely damaged the nerves going to my left thumb, by putting the draw-string from a heavy bag around my arm, at the elbow. When I went to drop the bag, the string "twanged" the nerve. Doctor said it wouldn't regenerate. Chiropractor did many adjustments, said the nerve was severed. I could not feel anything with that thumb for over a year. Burned myself with hot water, picked myself with pins while sewing, you name it. Then after 18 months, I got pins and needles, then burning in that area. The sensations came back really fast after that, and I now have full feeling.
My husband, a dentist, once numbed up a patient. And the numbness never wore off after the procedure. She had a completely numb lower lip for 2 years. Then, while performing a root canal on her, she suddenly started crying. Just bawling. Tears rolling down into her ears. My husband stopped, horrified he had done something wrong. And she said no, that ALL the feeling had suddenly come back. All of it. After two years. There are apparently cases in the journals of this happening, but it's rare.
So the human body can heal itself, even after you've been told it cannot ever happen. I've seen it myself. Don't think otherwise. You will regain use of your hand. It's just been damaged, and your body is working a miracle. Be patient.
And whine all you want. We will all be here to listen, with great sympathy.
I once severely damaged the nerves going to my left thumb, by putting the draw-string from a heavy bag around my arm, at the elbow. When I went to drop the bag, the string "twanged" the nerve. Doctor said it wouldn't regenerate. Chiropractor did many adjustments, said the nerve was severed. I could not feel anything with that thumb for over a year. Burned myself with hot water, picked myself with pins while sewing, you name it. Then after 18 months, I got pins and needles, then burning in that area. The sensations came back really fast after that, and I now have full feeling.
My husband, a dentist, once numbed up a patient. And the numbness never wore off after the procedure. She had a completely numb lower lip for 2 years. Then, while performing a root canal on her, she suddenly started crying. Just bawling. Tears rolling down into her ears. My husband stopped, horrified he had done something wrong. And she said no, that ALL the feeling had suddenly come back. All of it. After two years. There are apparently cases in the journals of this happening, but it's rare.
So the human body can heal itself, even after you've been told it cannot ever happen. I've seen it myself. Don't think otherwise. You will regain use of your hand. It's just been damaged, and your body is working a miracle. Be patient.
And whine all you want. We will all be here to listen, with great sympathy.
Lilyofthevalley
Revived & Revitalized
I believe "normal" is different for all of us. Therefore, how long it takes to get there is individual. My pain and discomfort from the surgery lasted six to eight weeks. It was four months before I could eat more than a few bites at a time. I experienced bouts of intense weakness and fatigue for about six months. All that time I was healing, both from the surgery, and from my pre-surgery afflictions. My health was improving, my ability to stand and walk was getting stronger, my infections were healing and I was becoming healthier in every way.
In time I marveled at just how much more "normal" my life was becoming. No diabetes, no infections, no severe breathlessness with simple movements, and standing and walking without assistance. I was leaving behind the limitations of more than ten years. I was and still am developing a "normal" life and routines. Those first few weeks and even months were rough but now they are a memory. Please don't be discouraged. Just keep drinking, moving, eating right and healing. "Normal" will come in time.
That being said, as some know, I recently experienced a set back on my road to a healthy life. There were some very bad moments when the feelings of never being "past it" were overwhelming. I do understand how frustrating it can be to feel so bad that it seems like it will never end and one will never become strong, healthy, and "normal" again. For me, I once again am feeling better and stronger every day and the bad days are becoming memories again.
Please hang in there. We all are pulling for you...and you... and you....and each other.
In time I marveled at just how much more "normal" my life was becoming. No diabetes, no infections, no severe breathlessness with simple movements, and standing and walking without assistance. I was leaving behind the limitations of more than ten years. I was and still am developing a "normal" life and routines. Those first few weeks and even months were rough but now they are a memory. Please don't be discouraged. Just keep drinking, moving, eating right and healing. "Normal" will come in time.
That being said, as some know, I recently experienced a set back on my road to a healthy life. There were some very bad moments when the feelings of never being "past it" were overwhelming. I do understand how frustrating it can be to feel so bad that it seems like it will never end and one will never become strong, healthy, and "normal" again. For me, I once again am feeling better and stronger every day and the bad days are becoming memories again.
Please hang in there. We all are pulling for you...and you... and you....and each other.
DuodenalSwitchaRoo
Taking a long scenic route!
ugh. This isn't how it was supposed to go :/ The nurses say my wound will take weeks and weeks to heal, even with the wound vac. I'm going to end up dropping my uni modules as all I feel like doing is sleeping. I just feel angry and sad. How is it I had so many complications when I was very much healthier than when I had my sleeve?
I still don't regret it though as I would have been stuck in the same ole same ole.....but dammit, why does life seem to throw me all the curveballs?
I still haven't left the house. My wound doesn't hurt that bad but there is a section of belly hand that feels like it is being torn in 2 when I stand up or walk.
Mike goes back to work tomorrow....I don't even want to mention how hard the thought of that is, he is leaving the front door unlocked for the nurses, but I will have to wait until he gets home for a wash or a meal.
I feel helpless and hopeless....the only thing that keeps me going is the thought that this will not be life forever.
I still don't regret it though as I would have been stuck in the same ole same ole.....but dammit, why does life seem to throw me all the curveballs?
I still haven't left the house. My wound doesn't hurt that bad but there is a section of belly hand that feels like it is being torn in 2 when I stand up or walk.
Mike goes back to work tomorrow....I don't even want to mention how hard the thought of that is, he is leaving the front door unlocked for the nurses, but I will have to wait until he gets home for a wash or a meal.
I feel helpless and hopeless....the only thing that keeps me going is the thought that this will not be life forever.
DuodenalSwitchaRoo
Taking a long scenic route!
So I was/am at an impasse of sorts. I've got to get out of the pits before this turns from surgical depression to bipolar depression. I know this sounds stupid but every time I get up I feel searing pain in one side of my belly hang....and to get through it I repeat over and over in my head "I am brave". I know it sounds silly as anything, but I can't be afraid to move because I know it will hurt, I need to be brave and feel the pain as the more I feel it, the less it should hurt (right? lol)
I have decided to start dealing with today and today only. It is irrelevant that my op date was 1 month ago, it is also irrelevant how long my wound will take to heal. The only thing that is relevant to me is that I am getting enough liquids, protein and my vits. If I get through the day with those 3 things taken care of, then I am on the right track.
I will recover. Every day the nurses comment on how great my colouring is and how well my wound is coming along. This is a temporary situation and I need to stop being so sad about things I have no control over. Sometimes really shitty things happen to good people and there is no rhyme or reason, it just is.
Anyways, thought I would stop by and say hi, I'm trying to get back to my happy self
I have decided to start dealing with today and today only. It is irrelevant that my op date was 1 month ago, it is also irrelevant how long my wound will take to heal. The only thing that is relevant to me is that I am getting enough liquids, protein and my vits. If I get through the day with those 3 things taken care of, then I am on the right track.
I will recover. Every day the nurses comment on how great my colouring is and how well my wound is coming along. This is a temporary situation and I need to stop being so sad about things I have no control over. Sometimes really shitty things happen to good people and there is no rhyme or reason, it just is.
Anyways, thought I would stop by and say hi, I'm trying to get back to my happy self
