Anyway, to the business of catching up with things – where do I start? I think I’ll work from the top down just to be interesting so here we go.
My popping neck / top of spine is still gently popping – it doesn’t hurt at all and I believe it to be a continual realigning of my neck as it spent so many years tipped to one side just so that I could look at the horizon in a straight line. In fact, when I left hospital I was still putting it on one side just ‘cos that was what I was used to, even though it made the horizon all squiffy! I couldn’t seem to find a happy medium either – I’d realise that I was tilting it, so I’d tilt it the other way and then it would still be wrong. The world didn’t half look wierd for a bit! You will be pleased to know that I now ‘have my head on straight’ which is a big improvement!
Still working down, my scar is really nicely healed. The pink is starting to fade out of it already (I know, I’ve been surprised too!) – the only thing wrong with it is a little wide bit under my arm – but it’s nicely hidden by the bra strap so that’s OK too! The chest drain scar – despite the infection - is also starting to fade. Some of the feeling is coming back around the scar but the nerves lost in my thigh are still doing nothing – it’s very odd scratching your leg when you can’t feel it! (Very philosophical stuff comes to mind here – you can see yourself scratching but have no idea if your leg is really there or if you’re in bed asleep and dreaming your leg isn’t there – or something or other.....
)!Pain from around the scar area is OK but where they took my ribs out still gets pretty sore – I call it ‘the phantom rib’ as I have heard stories about people keeping feeling in their missing bits of anatomy after amputation etc. Never mind the phantom rib, sometimes its more like the phantom raspberry blower in that the pain will sneak up on me and stab me one before running away!. (You just don’t want to be in a car and go over a big dip, I can tell you!) The preggo belly is gone (hurrah!) but I still have some swelling around my side. I was told that this was fluid and could take months to go – looks like they’re right. If I do too much it grows which is no fun at all….unless you’re some kind of a sadist of course…
Anyway, back pain is now mostly limited to the bottom of my back (as long as I don’t do too many stupid things) and that bit of my pain is just the same as before surgery which is a bummer. I was really hoping for a magic wand to put everything right in one go, but it looks like sprinklings of fairy dust didn’t quite hit that bit. Still, on the bright side I am in much less pain from muscle spasms than before surgery (touch wood etc) and I’m very happy to settle for the great improvement in pain that I seem to have got. On the subject of pain, I am still on some pills – the nerve pain pills are still at full strength (sigh!) but I am down to 3 or 4 a day of the others. Its fine – after all, I’m still only at 4 months so I think I’m about where my surgeon expected me to be.
Speaking of improvements, check this out for a picture!
It's almost unbelievable isn't it????!!!!!*1As to yet more improvements, my walking is getting better all the time. I’m still walking with two sticks outside (safety first) but can get around with one (or none sometimes) in the house. I actually think in many ways my walking is way better than it was before surgery – then I used to lurch from side to side and now I feel like I am positively gliding around – you could almost put a book on my head as I do so (well, almost!). I think it’s really incredible! I am using the wheelchair for long trips outside (or where there would be a lot of standing) and I am going to be sensible over my future use of it. It has been an incredibly enabling tool for me recently and has allowed me to do things that I haven’t been able to do for many years.
I can now do loads of things around the house from getting dressed without my helping hand (although there is still a large amount of fishing for feet off the edge of the bed) to doing a large amount of the cooking (which my physio reckons is really good for me since I can grab hold of the kitchen worktop if I start to fall over!) My physio is really pleased with my progress so I think all in all everything is going well. I do still have all my restrictions in place (no swimming lifting bending driving etc etc) and the no driving is starting to pall a bit now. What am I saying – it sucks!!!! I can’t wait to get behind the wheel again (see, I knew I’d miss it!) – especially since one of the real downsides is that hubby has to give up most of a day every weekend just running me around or running errands for me – I bet he can’t wait for me to be able to drive either.
Hubby is still being great and doing all the household stuff – some of the fairies have come back to help out in some small way but he’s doing the lion’s share still. So – thanks hubby!!!Well, think that’s about it for an update – there’ll be more after the 22nd June when I next see my surgeon and find out what his next evil plans are for me……..
*1 Yes - I really was standing as straight as I could for both the photos!!
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