Surgery scheduled in two weeks

[Nesphito]

I knew you would ;-)


yeah, I think two things are at work there:

• inflammation making the drum tighter
• your brain isn't used to the new stuff yet (like when someone in another room turns on a TV and eventually you tune out to it)

just wondering do you hear it as a click or do you more 'feel it' as a thump. To test this, stick your fingers in your ears and see if it goes away or is perhaps even more prominent.

Best Wishes

Thanks for the reply! When I cover my ears I still hear it. Not really any louder.

 

[pellicle]

Thanks for the reply! When I cover my ears I still hear it. Not really any louder.

so basically what you are hearing is being conducted through your body (not transmitted through the air to your ears as say, a clock on a wall).

I hear mine equally (slightly better actually) with acoustic safety ear plugs. However out on the motorbike (as I get going) I can't hear it anymore ...

 

[3mm]

I survived!

Wonderful news!

 

[SD Surfer]

Woo Hooooo!! Good deal... Now that you've got the "Survive" part done, soon you can work on the "Thrive" part.

Glad everything went well.

 

[slipkid]

Congrats on joining the bionic club!!

You are now worth $6 million bucks, like this guy (& the rest of us):

Did Oscar Goldman come visit you in the hospital yet?

 

[Beach77]

Welcome to the other side! Great news about your aneurysm! Now on to recovery!

 

[pellicle]

View attachment 889994

that reminded me to check
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrah_Fawcett#Relationships

quite a sad story really

 

[slipkid]

that reminded me to check
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrah_Fawcett#Relationships

quite a sad story really

Her ending is sad for sure. But she burned very brightly for years and was once one of the most popular TV/film "stars" in the world. Count me as one of the millions that had her red swimsuit poster hanging up (in my dorm room in college). Wasn't that even hanging up on a wall in the background in a popular movie back in the day? I'm thinking maybe Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind??

 

[pellicle]

Count me as one of the millions that had her red swimsuit poster hanging up (in my dorm room in college).

Chicko Roll posters were all the rage for me back then
https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/chiko-roll-by-nyadonggust/104163737.LVTDI

 

[Nesphito]

Just got home! Was feeling a bit lightheaded earlier and my PA and Nurse had a disagreement if I should go home or not. Nurse thought I should stay one more day which I don’t necessarily disagree, but I know for sure I wasn’t getting the nutrients I needed at the hospital. Their vegan menu was lacking. Low calories and protein. So that could be part of it.

Did anyone else get lightheaded for awhile? I notice my lips go pale when I stand, but I did also complete step 5 or my rounds which is the point they say I can go back.

 

[pellicle]

Just got home!

Glad things are stepping along nicely

 

[Standardvelocity]

Yes, I got light headed for a while and during the afternoons was very tired and lazy. My blood pressure was on the low side, I am on two different blood press meds and was taking both in the AM, they told me to take one in the AM and the other in PM it seemed to help a lot.

 

[Nesphito]

I’ve been recovering pretty fast! Walked around a mile total (probably slightly less) the other day. Not sure how much I should be going easy. So I eased up on the cardio since then.

Not really using pain meds anymore! Hate not being able to use my arms much and getting out of bed is a pain in the ***. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I should do that? I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of my bed at home once I’m back.

 

[pellicle]

Not sure how much I should be going easy. So I eased up on the cardio since then.

walking (not running) for as long as you like is all good ... at least that was the instructions I got from my surgeon (and followed them).

I asked about hills and he said "as much as you like"

I typically did 15,000 steps a day including (quite) some in soft sand on the beach but then I live near the ocean. I didn't do any swimming or surfing for a few months

 

[Chuck C]

I’ve been recovering pretty fast! Walked around a mile total (probably slightly less) the other day. Not sure how much I should be going easy. So I eased up on the cardio since then.

Not really using pain meds anymore! Hate not being able to use my arms much and getting out of bed is a pain in the ***. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I should do that? I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of my bed at home once I’m back.

Thanks for the update.

I was walking a lot in recovery, even a fair amount in ICU, but especially once I got to the step down unit. I did ask how much walking was too much and was told that there really wasn't an upper limit, just listen to my body and don't get my pulse too high. The more I walked, the better I felt, so I walked an awful lot. When I got home I would go out onto the meadow behind our home several times per day. I took on hills, but did not push hard on the hills. Being loaded up on metoprolol made it difficult to go up the hills very fast anyway.

As for getting out of bed, there was a technique that I was shown in the hospital. Using this method took a little time, but really helped. I'd share, but it's been a couple of years, so I'm hoping that someone who came out recently was shown the technique and can share. Also, in the hospital it involved using the adjustable bed feature to assist, raising up the upper body portion to partially help with achieving the upright position. I happened to have an adjustable Sleep Number bed at home, so I was able to use the same method as I was shown in the hospital.

You should feel a little better each day. Glad to hear that you're doing well enough to no longer need the pain meds.

Wishing you a continued successful recovery.

 

[SD Surfer]

I’ve been recovering pretty fast! Walked around a mile total (probably slightly less) the other day. Not sure how much I should be going easy. So I eased up on the cardio since then.

Not really using pain meds anymore! Hate not being able to use my arms much and getting out of bed is a pain in the ***. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I should do that? I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of my bed at home once I’m back.

Hug that heart pillow! We have an adjustable bed, so having the head end raised definitely helped with getting out of bed, and raised with pillows on both sides of me helped with sleeping (I'm normally a side sleeper but that was too painful for some time.)

Yeah, walk as much as you feel able.

I remember my first walk in ICU was only 40' with a nurse pushing the big recliner from my room behind me in case I got tired!

Then 80'... then in the step-down it was half a lap, then a lap around the nurse's station, then 2.

Got home and it was half a block, then around the block (1/2 mile) then a mile, then 2 with a hill, our bodies are pretty freaking amazing the way they can rebound.

 

[SD Surfer]

walking (not running) for as long as you like is all good ... at least that was the instructions I got from my surgeon (and followed them).

I asked about hills and he said "as much as you like"

I typically did 15,000 steps a day including (quite) some in soft sand on the beach but then I live near the ocean. I didn't do any swimming or surfing for a few months
View attachment 890045

Do NOT drop in on the locals!!

My first surf after surgery was March 10th, right at 3 1/2 months post op. Some Dolphins came by to welcome me back.

I rode the foamy, waves were small, mixed up and blown out, but my first wave stayed open and let me feel the glide for a few sections... It was glorious!

 

[slipkid]

....getting out of bed is a pain in the ***. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I should do that? I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of my bed at home once I’m back.

My first week or so I literally ROLLED out of bed. Had to kind of rock back & forth till my momentum had me going in the right direction with feet swinging over towards the floor.

I especially remember my first night home. I was in bed and needed to get up to go to the bathroom. My eldest sister had moved in for a few weeks to look after me when I got out of the hospital (which was a godsend, because I live alone). Anyways, she was in the next room sleeping, it was late. I yelled my head off to please come help me get up but I could not wake her up. So I rocked around and eventually was able to get up myself. Amazing the things we can do when we have no other choice....

 

[V__]

Hate not being able to use my arms much and getting out of bed is a pain in the ***. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I should do that?

As for getting out of bed, there was a technique that I was shown in the hospital. Using this method took a little time, but really helped. I'd share, but it's been a couple of years, so I'm hoping that someone who came out recently was shown the technique and can share.

There was a writeup I remember finding. Will try to check later today, when I'm at home. Somebody figured out how to use the arms without stressing the sternum (meaning less involvement of the chest muscles). I recall a feature of keeping the elbows tucked in at the torso at all times, and just turning the arms appropriately to control the direction. The force generated is small, but so is the stress on the chest.

 

[pellicle]

My first surf after surgery was March 10th, right at 3 1/2 months post op. Some Dolphins came by to welcome me back.

that's fantastic.

Just in case you're confused by pictures of where I live, I've moved from where I was living then (happens to also be where I was born and went to school)

times change, everything eventually changes.