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These are some friends of ours at our Company Event before my surgery. Had picture done so I can look at them for positive reinforcement.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Knowing Now
Knowing now that this is something that is going to take at least a good year to resolve. My case nurse Beth called to follow up on me. She is from Reeds Group that watches for my Short Term disability. We discussed that I had no house nurse come to visit. Guess it's something else that my insurance won't pay for. I advised her of my progress & next doctors appointment. We discussed my pain situation and she adv if it continues to call my Doctor. I guess I will if it doesn't seem to get better. As Beth said, "It's only been 3 weeks since surgery & 2 weeks since I've been home." So I will continue to try to deal with my pain as best as I can.
These are some friends of ours at our Company Event before my surgery. Had picture done so I can look at them for positive reinforcement.
These are some friends of ours at our Company Event before my surgery. Had picture done so I can look at them for positive reinforcement.
What To Know
What I know now I am glad they, being Doctors & Nurses, didn't tell me before I had this surgery. I would not have had this surgery. Having my ribs fused is so VERY painful as well as where the tube was. The front one that went into me went right across where the fusion was. Breathing, coughing and sneezing is so hard for me to do & brings me to tears. Every time!
Getting stronger is my goal. Taking only Ibuprofen as needed when I absolutely can not take the pain no longer. My scar & lump on my back is getting better daily. Which I am glad cause if I had to deal with that as well as this front pain I probably wouldn't be able to take it!
What I like is warm, sunny weather to get outside to walk. Here Vic took me out to our garden to harvest our Herbs under my supervision. I can't bend down to do so.
We bagged up peppermint, rosemary, chives & dill to dry in these paper bags that I have hanging from our vegetable basket in our kitchen. I did post on my facebook as well. https://www.facebook.com/TiannaRose
It felt good to sit outside in the sun to get it's healing effect which is the best for me. Even though I tire very easy & can only walk very few steps, they do make me feel good after I do them. I do need to be pushed for I am scared to get moving. Once I do, I do feel good.
Sleeping is getting better & I am slowly learning to sleep on my left side. All staples came out the Friday after I came home & steri strips are staying in place. I am finally able to take deep breaths & I have learn to cough to ease my ribs. Sneezing, still can't do!
Last weekend, before all this rain, Katie & Vic cut down our corn stalks that had dried in our garden & made me our Fall display in front of our house. When Vic brought me out I had to get my picture with it. I Love what all they did to cheer me up. I am depressed quite a lot just dealing with this pain off & on. What has kept me busy at time is my new Nook that my family all went in to get me. They know I love to read. Our next door neighbor Susan came to visit (so far only visitors are my neighbors) & she gave me a get well card and a Barnes & Noble gift card. Want to guess what I did next. Added books to my Nook!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor/#logo
Now I thought of a cool Ideal since she was so sweet to do this and since she comes over a lot to check on me. She also plays with Dazie too.
I made this small bud vase of a fall arrangement. I love sunflowers so much & thought she would see it & think of me. That is what I do every time I pick up my Nook. So I read, crochet my new grand baby blanket, watch TV (not much on), & make jewelry for family for Christmas. Slow & in bits but it is therapy to keep my mind off of my pain. So now I have updated to everyone. Will keep updating till I get back to work.
From our front butterfly garden. Asters.
Getting stronger is my goal. Taking only Ibuprofen as needed when I absolutely can not take the pain no longer. My scar & lump on my back is getting better daily. Which I am glad cause if I had to deal with that as well as this front pain I probably wouldn't be able to take it!
What I like is warm, sunny weather to get outside to walk. Here Vic took me out to our garden to harvest our Herbs under my supervision. I can't bend down to do so.
We bagged up peppermint, rosemary, chives & dill to dry in these paper bags that I have hanging from our vegetable basket in our kitchen. I did post on my facebook as well. https://www.facebook.com/TiannaRose
It felt good to sit outside in the sun to get it's healing effect which is the best for me. Even though I tire very easy & can only walk very few steps, they do make me feel good after I do them. I do need to be pushed for I am scared to get moving. Once I do, I do feel good.
Sleeping is getting better & I am slowly learning to sleep on my left side. All staples came out the Friday after I came home & steri strips are staying in place. I am finally able to take deep breaths & I have learn to cough to ease my ribs. Sneezing, still can't do!
Last weekend, before all this rain, Katie & Vic cut down our corn stalks that had dried in our garden & made me our Fall display in front of our house. When Vic brought me out I had to get my picture with it. I Love what all they did to cheer me up. I am depressed quite a lot just dealing with this pain off & on. What has kept me busy at time is my new Nook that my family all went in to get me. They know I love to read. Our next door neighbor Susan came to visit (so far only visitors are my neighbors) & she gave me a get well card and a Barnes & Noble gift card. Want to guess what I did next. Added books to my Nook!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor/#logo
Now I thought of a cool Ideal since she was so sweet to do this and since she comes over a lot to check on me. She also plays with Dazie too.
I made this small bud vase of a fall arrangement. I love sunflowers so much & thought she would see it & think of me. That is what I do every time I pick up my Nook. So I read, crochet my new grand baby blanket, watch TV (not much on), & make jewelry for family for Christmas. Slow & in bits but it is therapy to keep my mind off of my pain. So now I have updated to everyone. Will keep updating till I get back to work.
From our front butterfly garden. Asters.
Next To Know
Now in ICU I was told that the mass was removed but I got to keep my lower lung. Only lost 1 rib & lymphoid. That made me happy for Doctor told me that it was not cancer. I was in surgery for 6 hours instead of three. (Vic told me this later). Had to wait for Biopsy to make sure mass was not cancer. Mass grew another cm during my waiting & seeing all Doctors. The mass was sent to Madison for it had all my Doctors mystified. Once I woke up My Mom & sister came to see me & then My Dad & brother. Then they headed home once they heard the good news & saw me. They came from IL, south of Joliet.
What came next was a whole new thing. Waking up in ICU with tubes hanging from me was a bit scary . The Great Nurses at my hospital was great in explaining all to me. Loosing a rib & having 2 ribs fused together was unreal but what scared me most was the two tube from my side for drainage & something about air. Wasn't to sure at that time. Back one was removed with great pain in 24 hours. Front one wasn't removed till morning of day before I went home. So I had to learn to breath, cough; which they have you doing a lot of that to clear your lungs and sneeze. All hurt to do. But later that night did sit up in a chair. It felt good after I got there and settled. was able to get some ice chips down. All medication from surgery always makes me very ill. So next was keeping liquids down. Next few days I was able to conquer that.
Well after making good on all of that what came next was something I didn't expect. Due to such great pain in pulling out my first hose they gave me pain medication as well as an IV one to get second tube out. That I didn't feel it, thank goodness. I went right to sleep afterwards & woke up about midnight. My Male nurse, glad to see them more in the field, put me in my chair to get settled & see how I did with tube out. I got so nauseous that I had a severe vomiting issue that I almost past out. That is why I was glad my nurse stayed with me so I didn't take anything back. What all was concern with was my stitching & where the tube came out to make sure all stayed put. My sticking in my back is from my left arm pit to my spine. I had so many staples in my back as well as a hump.My drainage did drain a lot but they said it was alright. well now I had a whole new level of pain. After that 100 times worse pain I refused anymore pain medication. My night nurse let my day nurse know my wishes & she came in & tried to bully me into taken some. Well she got to meet me bad side. She & I got into a yelling match over it.
Now my Doctor came in & said well if she doesn't want pain medication & tubes are out I get to go home. Home I went after 4 hours waiting for them to release me. Wonder why they do that?
So I went home with no pain medication. Ride home was a relief from what I went through vomiting.
More to come.
What came next was a whole new thing. Waking up in ICU with tubes hanging from me was a bit scary . The Great Nurses at my hospital was great in explaining all to me. Loosing a rib & having 2 ribs fused together was unreal but what scared me most was the two tube from my side for drainage & something about air. Wasn't to sure at that time. Back one was removed with great pain in 24 hours. Front one wasn't removed till morning of day before I went home. So I had to learn to breath, cough; which they have you doing a lot of that to clear your lungs and sneeze. All hurt to do. But later that night did sit up in a chair. It felt good after I got there and settled. was able to get some ice chips down. All medication from surgery always makes me very ill. So next was keeping liquids down. Next few days I was able to conquer that.
Well after making good on all of that what came next was something I didn't expect. Due to such great pain in pulling out my first hose they gave me pain medication as well as an IV one to get second tube out. That I didn't feel it, thank goodness. I went right to sleep afterwards & woke up about midnight. My Male nurse, glad to see them more in the field, put me in my chair to get settled & see how I did with tube out. I got so nauseous that I had a severe vomiting issue that I almost past out. That is why I was glad my nurse stayed with me so I didn't take anything back. What all was concern with was my stitching & where the tube came out to make sure all stayed put. My sticking in my back is from my left arm pit to my spine. I had so many staples in my back as well as a hump.My drainage did drain a lot but they said it was alright. well now I had a whole new level of pain. After that 100 times worse pain I refused anymore pain medication. My night nurse let my day nurse know my wishes & she came in & tried to bully me into taken some. Well she got to meet me bad side. She & I got into a yelling match over it.
Now my Doctor came in & said well if she doesn't want pain medication & tubes are out I get to go home. Home I went after 4 hours waiting for them to release me. Wonder why they do that?
So I went home with no pain medication. Ride home was a relief from what I went through vomiting.
More to come.
First to Know
July 19, My husband Victor, rushed me into emergency thinking I was having a heart attack. My heart testing all came back fine. Doctors did a CT scan & found a 4 cm mass on my lower left portion of my lung.
Next Morning we came back for a biopsy but was not able to verify. My Doctor, Dr. Alba, wanted to do a CT scan with contract to test for cancer. Now our insurance said no & wanted me to see a Pulmonary Dr to see if there was something he could do. He then ordered a CT scan with contract. Now this sound all fine but it wasn't. I had to wait in between for Dr's to be available. No one moved fast on this except for my Dr & Insurance stopped him.
First, I met the Oncologist Doctor who is very calm to us. Advised once everything is final he will be my doctor for my cancer treatment once we discuss what treatment is needed. We had to wait about a week and a half for us to get in. Therefore, if I do need treatment I do like this doctor.
All this time I am wondering what are we going to do if this is cancer? Which all testing are showing that it is. How was my family going to handle all of this? What all is Vic going to be able to do? Most of all is how are we going to pay for this all? I cried so much & my heart is breaking that I started to think maybe I don't want to treat this & just let it take my life to save them all of this. I just didn't know what I wanted to do.
So now I finally get in to see Pulmonary Dr who sent me to a surgeon Doctor. Again had to wait 3 weeks to get in.
Now we finally see Our Surgeon, Dr Needle, who is very straightforward in my diagnosis & treatment. So we set the date for September 7, 2011. Need to be at hospital at 8 am with surgery at 10 am.
Now my nerves are about shot. 2 more weeks to wait. Now I have been on highs & lows all this time. I call my parents almost daily & my sister call frequently to keep me laughing a lot. They are all coming to be with Vic & me. On the Morning of Sept 7th we get company at 7 am. Not only did my parent come, Jim & Shirley, My sister Brought our Brother Jimmy From Florida as well. I so Lost it! He held me so tight & even though he is the younger brother he was my anchor! I now knew if anything would happen, Jimmy would take care of it for me per my request. Everyone sure got me on that one! :D
Now I am getting prepped, Everyone gets to come give me their Love & Mama & Sis prayed over me. Vic stayed with me to the hallway to surgery, kissed me hard & told me he, "He Loved Me!" He said everything would be okay. I so hopped he was right.
I was in hospital for a week in ICU. Came home September 13th, I think. No one ever told me how fused ribs was going to hurt the worse! I try everyday to keep going. It is Very hard! Vic has been my Strength, Love & encouragement. I Love him so very much.
More to come later.
Next Morning we came back for a biopsy but was not able to verify. My Doctor, Dr. Alba, wanted to do a CT scan with contract to test for cancer. Now our insurance said no & wanted me to see a Pulmonary Dr to see if there was something he could do. He then ordered a CT scan with contract. Now this sound all fine but it wasn't. I had to wait in between for Dr's to be available. No one moved fast on this except for my Dr & Insurance stopped him.
First, I met the Oncologist Doctor who is very calm to us. Advised once everything is final he will be my doctor for my cancer treatment once we discuss what treatment is needed. We had to wait about a week and a half for us to get in. Therefore, if I do need treatment I do like this doctor.
All this time I am wondering what are we going to do if this is cancer? Which all testing are showing that it is. How was my family going to handle all of this? What all is Vic going to be able to do? Most of all is how are we going to pay for this all? I cried so much & my heart is breaking that I started to think maybe I don't want to treat this & just let it take my life to save them all of this. I just didn't know what I wanted to do.
So now I finally get in to see Pulmonary Dr who sent me to a surgeon Doctor. Again had to wait 3 weeks to get in.
Now we finally see Our Surgeon, Dr Needle, who is very straightforward in my diagnosis & treatment. So we set the date for September 7, 2011. Need to be at hospital at 8 am with surgery at 10 am.
Now my nerves are about shot. 2 more weeks to wait. Now I have been on highs & lows all this time. I call my parents almost daily & my sister call frequently to keep me laughing a lot. They are all coming to be with Vic & me. On the Morning of Sept 7th we get company at 7 am. Not only did my parent come, Jim & Shirley, My sister Brought our Brother Jimmy From Florida as well. I so Lost it! He held me so tight & even though he is the younger brother he was my anchor! I now knew if anything would happen, Jimmy would take care of it for me per my request. Everyone sure got me on that one! :D
Now I am getting prepped, Everyone gets to come give me their Love & Mama & Sis prayed over me. Vic stayed with me to the hallway to surgery, kissed me hard & told me he, "He Loved Me!" He said everything would be okay. I so hopped he was right.
I was in hospital for a week in ICU. Came home September 13th, I think. No one ever told me how fused ribs was going to hurt the worse! I try everyday to keep going. It is Very hard! Vic has been my Strength, Love & encouragement. I Love him so very much.
More to come later.
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