Cindylou's Surgery Went Well
 

Hey Everyone,

This is an update for Cindylou. Her surgery was ~1.5 hours and things went really well. :) She will be in the hospital between 2-4 days. She'll update everyone on her progress / surgical experience in a few days.

On her behalf, thanks to the community for all of your well wishes and prayers.

Yay! So glad to see this (right after I posted in the thread about the delay), and will be thinking about you CL, for a quick and relatively painless recovery.

Yay!
 

That's great news! Thanks for keeping us updated Justin!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Cindy!

I am so glad the surgery went well. Thank you Justin for keeping us updated.
Phylly

Praise God! That is great news that everything went wonderfully and she is in recovery. I can't wait to hear from CL on how her recovery is going. I hope she is enjoying the well deserved drugged rest she is getting! God Bless CL and take it easy, K

Excellent!
 

thanks for the update Dr.J~

Thank-you for the update Justin. I'm glad that things went well for her and hope to hear from her soon.

I hope you are doing okay?

Terry Newton

Thank-you all for the well wishes and prayers, good friends. Cindylou here. I just wanted to pop my head in briefly and say hi! Today is day 2 post-op, and i am still a bit weary. Will post with more energy tomorrow.

Cindylou

Congratulations! I'll keep you in my prayers for a continuing great recovery.

I am sure praying that this is successful for you. You've been through enough. Hang in there.

Terry Newton

C: You've been through the trials of Job - or worse. I hope that this is your last surgery ever and successful at that! W/Regards ~ Allan

Hi Everyone,

Sitting seems to be my biggest challenge to date. I knew this going into this surgery. Dr. Stark made me aware of this. So, up down, up down for me right now. I worked with the OT quite a big this morning, learning how to use the grabber again, the walker, etc. Still need the PT for learning how to use crutches again. Hopefully, she'll be by this afternoon. Dr. Stark asked me early this a.m., during rounds if I wanted to go home. I said yes, for sure, but not sure how realistic it is, since I am still on the PCA pump. We are cutting back on that, as we speak, to wean me off. The OT thinks I am doing really well, thus far. So that is encouraging. That's about if for now. I'm getting groggy again. Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and well wishes.

More later,

Cindylou

Cindylou,

A great big congrats. You're on the other side. The healing process is not an easy one but a big improvement over waiting in pain with each day a little easier.

Please take is slow. Don't push and you'll do fine.

What a relief for you, Dale

Cindylou,
Rest up and stay in the hospital as long as you can. You sound great but don't rush home if you are still on the PC. Wait and see how you do off of it first. I'm sure you will do well.
Phylly

CL- I am glad you are doing good. How are the pain levels? Not sure of the term pc pump (I am assuming that is the morphine pump?) I don't envy the crutches, been there done that, very hard to use crutches in a house (especially my house with 1 dog, 3 cats, 2 kids, lots of toys). Are you on crutches right away? Or the walker for awhile then crutches? Gotta tell you, I was at the medical supply place the other day and was envying the walker with a seat (pretty sad that is even on my want list). I'll be settling for the walker my step-dad used for hip replacement surgery. Can't wait to hear more from you.

Good luck getting off the pump, and learning how to use the crutches. I hope that you see noticeable improvement in your pain, right away.

Hopefully this will be the surgery that puts you back to feeling normal, and good again. So that you can enjoy that new baby, and enjoy life and being active.

Hi everyone,

I discharged from the hospital yesterday late afternoon. I've been mostly sleeping since I got home! I was given the ok for stairs after all, w/ my crutches. The P.T. must have told my doctor I mastered them so well, that I should be fine. I'm mostly using the walker for now, with slight toe touch on right side. So, here's what we decided to do: We keep the crutches right by the stairs. And we bought two walkers. So, I walk with one walker to the stairs, leave it there, and take the crutches that are waiting for me and use them to get down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs is the other walker waiting for me to use. So I leave the crutches there by stairs again, and use the other walker to get around. (because we knew in a week or two, my husband would be traveling again and would not be available to carry the walker behind me down the stairs.) So, this is all in theory. Because since I got home yesterday at 4-ish, I came upstairs and haven't left my bedroom! But I am about to try it out now. I believe I am only aware of surgical pain at this time. I'm not noticing the pre-surgical pain. So that is all good. My daughter-in-law is going to bring the baby over to see me sometime today. Can't wait. I can hardly believe she is 10 days old already. I need to hold her. My lips got so dry in the hospital that I am beginning to see the signs of cold sores on my lips. Lovely. That's it for now. Thank-you for all the prayers. They are so appreciated. And Kathy, I know your surgery is around the corner. Good luck! I'll be praying for you.

Cindylou

CindyLou,

I am so happy to hear that your surgery went well and that you are home. I am curious where you had pain pre surgery (back of thigh, low back, or just buttocks?). Thanks

Cold Sores
 

So glad to hear that you are on the mend. Regarding cold sores....I used to get them quite often, and a homeopathic doctor gave me some drops that take them away in less than a day...it is amazing! If you have access to someone like that, it would really be worth the effort to get this....I don't know the name of the liquid, but any H. doctor should know what it is.

I can do some more investigating for you if you like.

All the best.

Cindy Lou,
I am so glad to hear your surgery went well and that you are at home now recovering. That is terriffic news. You have been through so much. It is not time to heal and get back into life once more. Snuggle that baby once for me.
Best wishes,
Linda

I know the culture in yogurt helps prevent canker sores, a herpes virus, the same virus but on the inside of the mouth. I wonder if it's just as good for cold sores. You also might try sweet acidolphilus milk.

I'm not sure but I think a cold sore is catching, so if you are indeed getting a cold sore, be careful about kissing that new grandbaby. Super bummer:(

Yes, they are contagious so no kissing the baby for me. Katie, I don't know how I could get my hands on what you are talking about since I'm pretty much stuck at home right now. But if you know the name of it, that would at least be a start. Thanks. The kids brought Tully over for about an hour, and then Seth had to go to work. It was just what the doctor ordered, being able to hold her. She is just precious. I feel better already. :) Can't wait to see her again. :D Time for more rest.

My pain was across low back. Could not stand for more than 1-2 minutes. I pray this is my reliever of pain for good!

Hang in there CindyLou. Time is the healer of all. :D

Terry Newton

That is great that you are doing so well! That is so sweet to think of me, when you are just days out of surgery. I'm now on the 36 hour countdown, hopefully I will stay busy and not think about it, until it's time. How were the stairs? That is my fear after surgery... I know your surgery was different, so no comparison; but I already hate those da*n stairs as it is. Can't wait to compare post surgery pain, discomfort and recovery stories with you! God Bless, Kathy

prescriptions
 

Penciclovir and Acyclovir are prescription meds for this.

prescriptions
 

Penciclovir and Acyclovir are prescription meds for this.

OTC I've heard of Lemon Balm and Peppermint Oil being helpful (probably more for symptoms than treatment).

Unfortunately my homeopathic doctor is out of the country for a few more weeks, but when she gets back, I'll ask her what it is, and maybe even get some for you for future use. A small bottle is almost a lifetime supply ;)

I have had the Acyclovir and it did work almost as well.

Send me a message to remind me if you don't hear any more from me about it...dang meds sort of mess with my memory!

My boyfriend gets cold sores, he take L-lysine (available at vitamin stores, Target, Walmart, grocery stores).

re L-lysine
 

I have also heard that works. I have some at home as I've had to put it in my cats food for the drainage in their eyes...

My hub uses Acyclovir ~

Thanks everyone. I found a prescription of Valtrex in my medicine cabinet which is especially for cold sores, and it was prescribed a little while back by my dermatologist. So I took 2, then 2 more last night at bedtime, and the sores appear to already be crusted over. A good sign. Now, they just need to heal up, which can still take a little while. I just took a shower, and unfortunately, got my bandage wet, but I can't reach it. :( Thank goodness my best friend lives across the street. I will see if she is home to change it. We are so lucky to have each other. It is 65 here in Minneapolis today, and a sure sign that spring is on the way! We have really had a rough winter, so everyone here is eager for it to begin. :) These are the slow, tough days of healing, but, oh, so necessary. Happy, almost Spring, everyone!

Cindylou

1 week post-op
 

Well, I am 1 week post-op, and all is moving along slowly, but surely. My only outings have been to the clinic to get my INR levels checked the past two days. I'm a little cabin feverish. But that is to be expected. I still feel like my only pain is coming from my surgical site, which has me holding my breathe with anticipation. I've cut back the vicodin from 2 to 1 every 4 hours, and that seems ok. The only tricky part is trying to make sure I am not putting any pressure on my right side when I walk with the walker. I'm sure there is some, I just don't want to screw anything up. That's about it. I'll keep everyone abreast as I move along.

Cindylou

CindyLou:

The decrease in medication is a good sign. :D

Hang in there.

Terry Newton

Cindylou,

Already cutting back on your meds :D. This is a good sign. Remember, this is a slow process and cabin fever is a part of it. Take comfort, it is temporary.

Best wishes for pain free days, Dale

Everything sounds positive so far. Take it slow, and be careful about putting weight on that side. I have my fingers crossed for you (figuratively, not literally, because my hands hurt too much :rolleyes:).

2 week post-op update
 

Hi Everyone, I got an excellent prognosis today at my 2 week post-op from my right SI joint fusion. I still have 4 more weeks on the crutches, but the doctor said "a little bit of cheating is ok." I see him again in 6 weeks, and at 12 weeks I'll have another cat scan to check on the prognosis of the fusion. It is typically healed/fused by 12 weeks. Overall, my back pain is all but gone, minus some surgical pain. Unfortunately, I am guessing, perhaps due to all the sitting I have done, my neck is killing me. I have a heat wrap on it right now, but it is REALLY bad. I feel nauseous. It got worse after I left the doctor's office and got home. It feels like my head weighs a million pounds. Could this be sinus making my neck so stiff and feeling so nauseous? I'm kinda scared. My husband just left for New York for the week and I don't know what to do. Can anyone give me some immediate advice to try and calm things down? No tingling or anything, just nauseating pain. I'm gonna lay down. Could anything else be causing this?

Cindylou