Post-Operative Day #3(POD3)
Any medical situation can feel debilitating to one who doesn't know the jargon. So, I try to pay attention to everything: what is said, read, dictated, or otherwise done to me or about me. From the first imaging appointments, I've requested copies of all reports, imaging discs, etc. and it's all organized in a binder (yeah yeah, some of you know me well enough to know how organized I try to be).
Nevertheless, "POD3" was the new one I learned and felt every bit of day 3 after going to see my surgeon to have the drain removed (thank God!). Those things have to be one of the most annoying, irritating post-operative part of it all. Hanging from your wound, stitched to skin usually like mine was and then attached to a bulb syringe basically, that had to be drained since being in the hospital at least twice a day. Then my surgeon wanted a drain report each morning which he used to determine if it could come out. Apparently mine had slowed enough that it could. So, Friday afternoon, we made the trip back to his office, which happened to be at the same hospital as the surgery conveniently.
DAMN! Damn, did that sting when he pulled the drain out! No warning, he just grabbed it and pulled. But almost immediately (after the stinging subsided) I felt like I could relax, sit up just a little taller and breathe just a little deeper. He did a once over on me and I shared my symptoms the past couple days and that I'd been having some tingling/numbness throughout my face, arms and legs. And currently, was feeling it in my face. He ran a Chvostek test by tapping on my face near the facial nerve and I was having some slight response, not the typical grimace and wincing, but my lip was quivering and he was getting some response which indicated I may have low calcium. So, in his due diligence, he wanted to get my ionized calcium checked and PTH (Parathyroid Hormone) levels so he sent me to the ER next door so as to get a quicker blood test back and intervention if needed since a normal lab would take hours and days potentially. After registration and the typical ER welcome wagon, we were seen by the doctor and I had an IV and hospital gown on again before I knew it. Blood work came back rather quickly and showed levels weren't horribly low and that I could get a calcium drip or not. I opted for it just to be safe.
Emily and I sat, took some calls, chatted, reflected, played the new Harry Potter Augmented Reality game, and thankfully were over with the whole unexpected side trip within a couple hours.
Thankfully, there's been little pain, nothing more than what some Tylenol could handle. And despite my new daily morning hormone pill and extra calcium in the way of Tums, things are moving in the right direction it seems. The low-energy and fatigue is certainly wearing on me and I'm still waiting to have a comfortable bowel movement, but again, trying to keep things in perspective. Could be worse, could be better. Everything day by day.
Medical Takeaway: Ask Questions. Know what "it" means, whatever it is: the abbreviations, medications, diagnosis, terminology. Whatever it is, try to at least have a high level, gross understanding of the anatomy in question and what's associated with what's going on. I've shown it to save time and make me feel more confident. Plus it surprises the hell out of the medical staff when you come in using the correct naming of things :)
Peace,
Chris
#CancerSucks
Any medical situation can feel debilitating to one who doesn't know the jargon. So, I try to pay attention to everything: what is said, read, dictated, or otherwise done to me or about me. From the first imaging appointments, I've requested copies of all reports, imaging discs, etc. and it's all organized in a binder (yeah yeah, some of you know me well enough to know how organized I try to be).
Nevertheless, "POD3" was the new one I learned and felt every bit of day 3 after going to see my surgeon to have the drain removed (thank God!). Those things have to be one of the most annoying, irritating post-operative part of it all. Hanging from your wound, stitched to skin usually like mine was and then attached to a bulb syringe basically, that had to be drained since being in the hospital at least twice a day. Then my surgeon wanted a drain report each morning which he used to determine if it could come out. Apparently mine had slowed enough that it could. So, Friday afternoon, we made the trip back to his office, which happened to be at the same hospital as the surgery conveniently.
DAMN! Damn, did that sting when he pulled the drain out! No warning, he just grabbed it and pulled. But almost immediately (after the stinging subsided) I felt like I could relax, sit up just a little taller and breathe just a little deeper. He did a once over on me and I shared my symptoms the past couple days and that I'd been having some tingling/numbness throughout my face, arms and legs. And currently, was feeling it in my face. He ran a Chvostek test by tapping on my face near the facial nerve and I was having some slight response, not the typical grimace and wincing, but my lip was quivering and he was getting some response which indicated I may have low calcium. So, in his due diligence, he wanted to get my ionized calcium checked and PTH (Parathyroid Hormone) levels so he sent me to the ER next door so as to get a quicker blood test back and intervention if needed since a normal lab would take hours and days potentially. After registration and the typical ER welcome wagon, we were seen by the doctor and I had an IV and hospital gown on again before I knew it. Blood work came back rather quickly and showed levels weren't horribly low and that I could get a calcium drip or not. I opted for it just to be safe.Emily and I sat, took some calls, chatted, reflected, played the new Harry Potter Augmented Reality game, and thankfully were over with the whole unexpected side trip within a couple hours.
Thankfully, there's been little pain, nothing more than what some Tylenol could handle. And despite my new daily morning hormone pill and extra calcium in the way of Tums, things are moving in the right direction it seems. The low-energy and fatigue is certainly wearing on me and I'm still waiting to have a comfortable bowel movement, but again, trying to keep things in perspective. Could be worse, could be better. Everything day by day.
Medical Takeaway: Ask Questions. Know what "it" means, whatever it is: the abbreviations, medications, diagnosis, terminology. Whatever it is, try to at least have a high level, gross understanding of the anatomy in question and what's associated with what's going on. I've shown it to save time and make me feel more confident. Plus it surprises the hell out of the medical staff when you come in using the correct naming of things :)
Peace,
Chris
#CancerSucks