Sign Up Today!

skych · 09-17-2008, 02:56 PM

OK
Please bare with me while I try to explain.

When I left the Hospital after surgery I was prescribed the percocet and told to use the morphine I had at home that was prescribed by my PM. I did so until it got time to ask for a refil. I did end up getting a refill as my surgeon did speak with the PM with the understanding that I would make an appointment 30 days out to se the PM. So I did make the appt for PM for Oct 1st. NO ONE told me at the surgeons office would only do 1 refill and that was it in the 30 days. He did prescribe enough morphine for the 30 days and I did my part and made my appt. for PM for the 1st of October. My Mom picked up the refill prescription for percocet and Morphine because at the time the refills were first needed I did not need the valium. This was the first week after surgery ... you all might remember all that.

I thought that the Surgeon and the PM had this all figured out only to find out everything is a huge mess.

Yesterday when in the post op visit I was asked if I needed a refill in any meds. I said yes the valium. They told me to get with the pharmasy to get that refilled. I said ok, but I am totally out and I take any where from 2 -4
5 mg valiums a day for the spasms and tensing up my shoulders do. They said just do it throught the Pharmacy, an as soon as we get the fax we will refill it. I said ok but I am already out! I said that I would also not have enough of the percocet to last until my PM appointment on October 14th, and that I would be out in about a week and still need another weeks worth to get me to the PM's appt. The PA told me that I could call and then get the script and pick it up.

The gal at the surgeons office called me back today to discuss the valium because I had called the Pharmacy this morning and they had not recieved the fax back from the doc. The pharmacy faxed the order to the surgeons office at 10 am yesterday. I had called as I left the parking lot of the surgeons office to try and stay on top of it.
When the gal called back we discussed the valium and thenI brought it to her attention again that I would only have 6 1/2 days worth of percocet to last and be out before the original PM appt that was shceduled for the 1st of OCT which was 30 days out. She told me then that the surgeon only agreed to refil the scripts 1 time betwenn the phone conversation with the PM and the time I would see him which was to be the 14th. The girl said you need to call the PM and get in there sooner.

So I call to chage the appointment and find out they have not even recieved my discharge papers from the surgeons office. They double booked me in on the 22nd but still I am out of valium now totally since this morning and in 6 days I will be out of percocet.

So to trip things up even more the second script of percocet was written by the PA who has left the practice right after my surgery and ......he did not write it for 30 days out.

Also if the surgeons office does not fax the discharge papers over to the PM I will not be able to be seen.

WHY DO they DO this.

OK they just called and they promised to get it worked out, but I am still now out of the valium......

Am I going to go into a detox from the vlium???

I have not taken any since this morning and I can not tell you exactly if they will for sure allow the ok for another refill.

I am scared to death!
When I went through a monitored detox or taper if you will....my PM tapered me off of the Methadone I had been on for my arm injury. It lasted over 6 weeks and a trip to the ER because I could not keep food or medicine down.

It was so awful and I did not even abuse my meds!!!

Why is this stuff so hard for someone to take responsibility for?

I do my part as a patient to take my meds as prescribed! I monitor my pain and keep track on paper. I keep trac on paper when I take medication what kind it is and how much!
I feel totally helpless. It is just not fair that this has to get all confusing and that a patient has to have total fear and anxiety over being thrown into an UNECESSARY withdrawl. My pain is now out the roof and my spasms are awful. It is just not fair.
If it beocmes an issue that the Old PA at the surgeons office wrote the one script it is not my fault that they did not communicate.

OK I have vented it all out now and the next and only thing that I personally can do is pray and trust that things will work out.

What can I do about the no valium issue?? I could not imagine throwing up violently or having some sort of seizure from abruptly stopping the valium. I just cant believe that the docs would let that happen.

Please help

Aver00 · 09-17-2008, 03:38 PM

Oh Chrissy, this is awful - if you have to go to the Emergency Room then you just go - I am so sick of this kind of thing - Bless your heart, I am praying for you huggs Aver

ms_west · 09-17-2008, 03:57 PM

Honey, I would go into your surgeons office and sit there tomorrow until this is straightened out. I would want a copy of the papers you need for the pm doctor and get these meds straightened out. This is ridiculous. You did everything you were supposed to ensure your pm went smoothly after surgery.

If you have a problem tonight go to the ER and tell them the story.

As a pm patient, this is why it is so important in my mind to keep extra meds on hand -- one just never knows when there is going to be a problem with a refill.

(((Hugs))) and prayers are being lifted up for you. I am so sorry you are going thru this.

skych · 09-17-2008, 08:09 PM

hey Aver and Pepper,

i went digging all around in the purses I used while out with my Mom post-op and in my beading materials box in hopes I might find a valium. I found one in my bead box from the scriptfrom the PM before surgery. I also have some Robaxin that is precribed to me from my PM. It was not until about the last 2 months before surgery that I started on the valium.

So at least after I typed the original post I did go lay down for an hour. I nedded to get up and make my dinner and be awake as some of the old furniture in my Moms room is to be replaced with some better furniture from her home in the next few weeks. She wanted the bed and dresser and a chair out of there and I had a young woman in my 12 step group that moved into her first apartment that made arrangements with me to come by and pick it all up along with some extra stuff I threw in like bedding and pillows and some kitchen items.

I really had planned to try and get some extra rest today, but that was a no go.

Pepper, I really would love to be right there when my surgeon speaks to my PM doc, but to try and find someone to take me there and pick me up would not be easy as most of my friends ae at work and or have cars I just could not handle riding in,

After taking the 1 valium I found and laying down for an hour I was able to settel down and get the pain back down and the spasm to subside, but everyday I have the spasms.
They have just been well managed by taking the valium and my pain meds on a regular schedule. The Valium I use as an as needed basis because it says 1 every 4 hours or as needed.

Do you think if (hypetheticay speaking) if my surgeon and PM dont get it figured out in the next two days, that I will go into some sort of a withdrawl because i have been taking the valium now for 3 months almost. And, since surgery the amount I was prescribed was raised so the need to take it more often was there. So before surgery I was on 1 5 mg valium a day and since after surgery i was taking 1 every 4 -5 hours right after getting home from the hospital. And I now take about 1 or 2 and sometimes up to 4 a day. Pretty regular at the least 2 a day.
I am just afraid if one or the other doc does not come forth and prescribe it for the next week I will go into some sort of DT's.

This is just a total unnecessary added stress I do not need.

I hope and pray they get it fugured out.

It really is so irritating to be a patiente or to hear of a person who goes through this. I do so much to be responsibel with any addictive medications. I document and try to communicate with the docs and still everything gets all messed up.

I really believed that they understood everything about my histiry. I discussed it with the PA(the one who is now gone and so I have no idea if the new one was informed of all this.) not to mention speaking to the anesthesiologist and the surgery cent and the surgeons staff. Even the pharmacy wa sinformed about the fact that I was having surgery and for some time the meds would come from my surgeon and then eventually back to the PM.

What the heck more could I have done.
Please escuse the typing I am having a har time getting comfy so I actually better go for now.
I will check in first thing tomorrow and let you all know anything if there is some news...also I want to check in with some of the new threads.

Gotta go to bed and get on my wedge pillow!
Chrissy

sammyo1 · 09-18-2008, 03:34 AM

Chrissy, I am so sorry, if you remember, I went through kind of the same with my surgeon so I feel so bad for you. You have been given some great advice.
I cant believe that a surgeon or staff would be so neglegent, & that is what it is neglegence. I hope it works out for you honey. I would do as Aver suggests in the mean time, if need be go into ER, I am sure your doctors will get a phone call then. I would let you surgeon know after everything you have been through you did not need this, this type of problem should not be an issue if everyone does their job.
I will be thinking of you, God bless, Sammy

skych · 09-18-2008, 06:39 AM

Thanks Aver, Pepper, Sammy and confused!

Confused I did not take anything you said in a bad way so no worries!

You all are so right! NO on is taking the responsibility!

And...the biggest reason I have made such a huge ruckus(sp) over all this is I know that if a person abruptly stops taking a benzo it has the potential to cause seizures. Now I understand I am on a small amount, but like Confused said ...you just can not predict how an individual persons body will react.

I do have other muscle relaxers here from before I started taking the valium that are prescribed by my PM so I am tking those as presecrbed unti this is addressed.

I am not sure what time that affice starts to take calls in the morning, but I will be on the phone first thing.
Thus far I have tried to ask a few people to give me a ride there first thing in the morning and had no luck. Mom has gone home already so I am on my own.
To take a taxi there could possibly cost $30 dollars, so as a total last resort I will use that option because right now I have no money other then what my Mom put in my bank to use for my bills. I have a check from my attorney, but that is to pay off my credit card and is still not enough to cover that entire bill.

The Doctor was in surgery yesterday so I know he will be in this morning! I am first going to ask to speak directly to him.

The thing that gets me most is that apparently my Surgeon and my PM did discuss my meds., but the staff did not inform me that the dr. and the PM agreed that the Doc would only do on refil in that 30 days untill my PM appointment.
The confusing thing is that the OLD PA was the one who wrote the script for the Percocets and he is gone and did not write enough for 30 days. As for the valium I was not out when the PM and Doc had talked on the phone and made whatever agreement they had made.
I totally thought that valium was one of the drugs that had to be a hand written script and picked up by the patient. Had I know it was not that type of class of medication I would have called in for the refill long before the meds were out.
Now the New PA is for sure no were near as good as the old one. The Old PA was right on it with everything. I know he left the practice somewhat abruptly due to a his father being very illl in another state, but this new PA could have had the doc write the new script right on the spot considering I said 4 times that I was out.

I know the PM and the Surgeon did speak to eachother becuase my PM trusts me with a script of Morphine silfate for a quantity for one month. Now I know that not many Orthos would write a script for that med for that time fram at that dosage ...if you follow me on that one. So it is not like my PM does not trust me.

Write now this morning I woke up with a sore throat...I dod not know if it is from sleeping with my mouth open or if it is now becasue I have become run-down.

Pepper,
I was readig what Cinfused wrote to you in your post about the Thyroid and your fatigue. I have a thyroid problem--Hoshimoto's and sometimes my levels are to high and sometimes to Low and thus far I have not needed any meds because my Thyroid usually will go to normal levels on its own, but confused made some great points about how the fatigue my be playing a role in your life.
For example, I could relate when she talked about how your body has become so used to very minimal or no activity and now all of a sudden your up and moving around and on your feet way more then you have been in a long time. I tell you I feel sooooo fatigued. No I did kinda wonder if my thyroid was playing a part in the fatigue, 1) because anesthesia could possibly mess with my thyroid levels: 2.) my hair has really been coming out when I wash it and that usually is a sign of my thyroid levels being Low I thinkcan't remember 3.) the fatigue. I have a thyroid appt in November.

Anyway I too have been walking ....A LOT...I know in my update I said I was doing well, but now every day I wake up feeling more and more tired. I think I need to do shorter walks. Today I may not do any even though doc said do sit around, I feel my body is crying out for a rest..

Not oonly do I have the pain from the neck and surgery, but also all the added soreness from moving muscles that are not used to moveing around. SO today maybe a short walk one time and then of course I willmove about in the house and not lay down all day long. Surgeo just said do not lay around all day.

So I will be back on here to let you know how things are going with this med situation.
First thing I will do i s get on the horn as soon as they take calls and speak with the doc or the one gal I am working with.

As for any weird feeling the only thing I fee is like I might have a cold coming on ...could be a reaction from no valium or could just be a real cold. Can valium discontinuation make ou feel cold or flu-like??

Confused- I am not sure if you know this or not, but I am a recovering addict and alcoholic. Now my drug of choice is methamphetamines or speed. I work a strong recovery program, but some docs I have worked with get really freaky about the med thing and sometimes I have a difficult time trying to speak my mind and word things so as not to seem as though I am "drug Seeking" for a purpose other then for my health reasons. I know that my PM totally trusts me, but I don't know what the ortho thinks...I know he does not like to prescribe the Morphine I take and only did so becasue I raised a stink about it before and after the surgery and that is how the surgeon and the PM finally talked....which in my himble opinion should have been done upon my request PRIOR to my surgery.

Anyway we all have that feeling of guilt that goes along with asking about meds etc. and it all stems from the fact that pain meds, muscle relaxer and even anti-anxiety meds are all meds that some folks abuse and is a huge contributor why docs need to be cautious. But in my case that should not even apply as I have never one time broken my contact in ANY way what-so-ever.

Chrissy

skych · 09-18-2008, 11:50 AM

I can not believe my surgeons office

THEY DENIED THE SCRIPT FOR THE VALIUM!!

OK it was getting to be kind late so I called the pharcay to talk with the pharmacist becaue I am feeling sickly and nausiated.

I asked her some questions about the amounts of valium I have been on over the last few months and then post op. The I asked her if the way I felt could be from the abrupt stopping of the Valium.
I explained a little about the mix up and how no one (surgeon or PM) was tking charge.
SHe said right away I am calling your surgeons office and then your PMs office.

She the pharmacist got it all worked out and my PM will now be faxing over the script of valim to the pharmacy. Enough to last til I see him on Monday the 22nd.

I am absolutely PO'd at my surgeons office for not communicating the proper information to me. I find them totally at fault for all of this and I am going to tell them had they just communicated the RIGHT INFORMATION
NONE of this would have happened.

Thanks GOD my PM and the pharmacist know I am not a darn drug seeker!

I seriously am not feeling good, I am stressed and hurting and nausiated. I retched up the percocet or some of it anyway about 20 min after taking it. Thats when I called the pharmacy

How can doctors get away with that!

This is such a good practice and it is very odd to me that this proffesional of a practice to do something like this.

Now I just have to wait for the pharmacy to call me back and let me to come get the script.
I gotta go because i need to try and find someone to take me to get it or to pick it up. Someone to be on standby or I will have to count out 30 bucks in change to take a taxi there and back.

This is just not fair

skych · 09-18-2008, 12:14 PM

Steve,
We must have been posting at the same time.

Here is the deal. I was all over everyone and then after surgery the agreement I was told that took place between the surgeons office and my PM's office was that I needed to make an appointment for the PM for 30 days out. Which I did make the appointment for the 1st of October.

Right after that they prescribed me the months worth of morphine and then somepercocet was prescribed by the PA (the Old one) My Mom and I looked at the script and realized it was not enough to lsat for 30 days. But being that we were to see the doc-Surgeon before then we would discuss it then. And the Valium I never had had a reful on becaue it was the origanal from the hopy stay.
The problem was that the surgeons office NEVER communicated to me that I would not recieve any other refills before the PM 30 day out visit. Very poor comminucatuon. Had I know that I would never have waited to address any of these things at my post op appt. I am in no way upset with you at all Steve...no worries there. I Am however upset that I was not given the correct information by the surgeons office.
THEY were and are in the wrong and as a result I pay the price.
The only script they prescribed 30 days worth of was the Morphine Sulfate which is the one they made the stupid stink about the whole entire time.

It is all water under the bridge now, but I am the one that had to fix it!!!

Your right I am the one that has/had to fix it.

I can tell you right now that I am soooo Grateful that my pharmacy and my Pain Management doctor trust me and know I am not full of it.

I just goes to show me..like you said...that even if we are told it is taken care of there is never anyt way to know for sure.

So now I am suck here waiting feeling pretty crappy until the scritp is ready.

I am so tensed up and of course the stress does nothing for me.
Now I just need to lay down with some ice chips and try my best to relax.
chrissy

skych · 09-18-2008, 02:13 PM

Thnaks Steve,

You are such a charm. It really was great that you happened to come on and we were able to post back and fort a bit and that did help to calm me down some.
I actually dozed off a bit until the phone just wrang and it was my PM's office calling to tell me they just faxed over the script. The pharmacy was at lunch but should be bac right about now ( 2 pm ) so If I do not hear from them by 2:30 I will call them and let them know it should be there. The pharmacisit said she would call me ASAP to let me kno it is done.

I was just talking to the assistant at the PM's office, who knew about the agreement the surgeons office made with my PM. They truly did make an agreement to take care of the meds for the 30 days and they totally did not UPhold their end of the deal.

I am extreemly disapointd with the surgeons offcie for putting me through this. It was totally UNCALLED for and dangerous!

After my last post I went and took a look around for the anti-nausia medicein I have and actually found it in my Moms room. She must have left it there so she did not have to go looking for it in the night right when I came home from surgery, There was a few and I did get some relief from the nausea. I just ate a dry piece of toast and took my regular scheduled Morphine.

It is a good thing I do not see the surgeon again for a few weeks because I am really upset about this deal. This doctor is even paid in FULL for the surgery and every single office visit I have had. I do not even owe him a darn dime.

Steve you are right...it should be that medical schools have some tyoe of training about pain and all the differnet aspects that can possibly come about from it.

We know they take some pharmacology so I know that any dac has got to know how dangerous it is to abruptly stop certain types of meds.

UNREAL

I am going to call the pharmacy now ... it is 2:10, but I need to find out if they will have it and if I can get a friend to gove me a ride or pick it up for me..so I will post so that you know when I have it in my hand and the worry of anything real bad will be past.

Very antsy right now
Chrissy

skych · 09-18-2008, 06:54 PM

Steve
I guess your right! Even though thay may take and or be tought some of the stuff we have discussed, implamenting the knowledge to what they do in their everyday job as a doctor is completely different.

You know it was actually the taper off of Methadone with the guidence and direction of my PM (same PM i have now) that brought me to find this board.

It was a very long grueling process for me to taper off of what I thought to be a very very low dose of Methadone. I anly took 25 or 30 mgs a day. Can't remember. But the taper had to be done as slow as we could and even then I had great difficulty. I an only imagine what a person who has abused a medication like that must go through. i was very lucky to not have abused my pain meds and have that feeling inside that if I took another pill I would feel better.

Thank God for that. I so dispise having to take these meds and that is like you mentioned how come part of me gets very concerned of misscommunications etc that may send me into unnecessary and very uncomfortable and this case the possability of dangerous complicates symptoms from the abrupt stopping of a particular mediation.

NO ONE should ever have to go through this unless there is a medical reason for the stoppage and it is in a medically equiped facility to handle things.

I do now have the medication!

Thank God for that pharmacist for taking some action on my behalf. It was not like I was asking for some huge amount of the medication ...just enough untill I see the PM on Monday. Whatever she(the pharmacist) did , got the surgeons office to fess up and say they were not going to prescribe any more of anything and then she made sure the surgeons office faxed the discharge paperwrk for pain management to the PM's office.
Finally around 4 pm I go the medication an took on tablet as prescribed and laid down for over and hour. I then was fine to have some dinner. Th Pm prescribed me only 8 tablests which is plenty enough for me to manage until Monday afternoon,

I think I may have repeated some of what I said...I am multi tasking with some TV show I am listening to..lol

Bed early for me tonight and then still a day of 1/2 the amount of walking i have been doing and s few naps.

Steve again thansk for helping to realize to NEVER put to much faith on peples word! What is said that will get done is just NOT always what WILL get done. From here on out I am going to make sure things are in writing and documented on paper so there is no confusion. Beyond doing that I do not know how the ehck else to sfe guard myself from this happening again. For starters I certainly hope this will be the last darn surgery for a while ar even the rest of my life.

Chrissy
PS,
I think I should say thanks to confused and everyone else who did try to warn me this was lurking backstage and waiting to happen.

skych · 09-19-2008, 07:04 AM

Confused,
Yes long post, but worth every word. Everthing did work out and I am glad that you suggested I just leave it all alone now and not say one word to the surgeons office. In fact I hope they do not bring it up either, because I really just do not know what to say.

I had a friend pick up the script for me and I immediatly tok on tab as it says n the sript and laid down and slept a while. Before the script arrived I search and searche dthe house to find a script of anti-nausea meds I have on hand. I finally found it in my Moms room becasue I was having eating and nausea problems when I came home from surgery so I at least be fore the Valium arrived got a bit of relief from the nausea.

Unfortunately I have the soar throat again today and I am just generally feeling fatigued!

I think that my body is really screaming for rest so despite the fact I am supposed to walk I am going to listen to my body today and give it some much needed rest. I did wake in the night and I felt pretty cruddy so I took my temp and it was lower than normal. 96.6. I honestly think that all the walking and moving around I have done since my surery, while being good for me to some extent, has also just exhausted all my energy and energy stores.

I may have a little bug going on so I can take an extra vitamin c for a few days to help boost the immune system.
When I woke this morning I also ahd a lot of that burning pain inbetween the shoulder blades....mostly left sided. I do remember sleeping some on my side lst night so that may be part of why I have that pain. I now do not really thinkg that pain stems from my neck. The spasms are being contoled .. i did wake with neck twitching/spasm, but I tooka 1/2 of valium for that and fee better.

Confused another thing you said was very importatn to me. Being that I do have the past history of drug abuse and alcoholism, I do feel that many docs are very leary about giving meds to me. I also believe what both you and Steve say in how I approach these issues with my docs may not quite proactive enough due to how I feel in the fact that I do not want to be percieved as a drug seeker.

Right now I have a good solid and clean record with my medications. I have never one time asked for early refills or broken my PM contract. There has been some issues where I was not in PM and docs were leary and I had to basically beg to be sent back to the PM becasue after all this time with him he does trust me.

Actually I am very prooud of myself for never abusing my medications. Part of being in a 12 step program is being accountable and my job as a patient of any kind, cancer patient, chronic paind patient etc, is to be accountable and know and understand what is happening with my treatments wether it be medications or procedures or surgery.

I am also **REMOVED**, which gives me to much knowledge of how my body works! LOL dont know if this is good thing or bad thing..lol
I do feel in-tune with my body and today it says, "please don't push me I am tired and need rest"
I am sure that in order for a good fusion to take place there is a balance that needs to be figured out with the walking and the resting! Still working on that one. I don't think walking outdoors is a good Idea if I have a soar throat. So I guess if I am up to it I can walk around the kitchen and living room for 5-7 min intervals. Only of I am up to it.

Thanks for all your words of kindness, and your experiences on this topic!

Chrissy

Confused089 · 09-19-2008, 09:57 AM

Chrissy, glad the post was helpful. I think I repeated a lot of what Steve said with some concrete examples from my past experience. I wouldn't worry too much about your surgeon bringing up the valium issue. If he does, you could just say you are glad everything got sorted out. I would be *so* tempted to say , "particularly since I could have had a seizure or DTs from stopping the valium abruptly." If I thought that the doctor might listen to me, take me seriously, and do things differently in the future, it would be worth it to annoy him a bit. But, I have tried this *so* many times, and doctors don't "hear" me. It is really frustrating sometimes. I wish doctors believed that patients had something to offer beside their symptoms, but a lay person's knowledge is so often dismissed, especially when it comes to controlled substances. Usually the best you can do is say something about how *your* body responds or responded since most doctors seem to know that different patients have different responses to medications. I seriously doubt that your surgeon knows that valium has to be tapered and that he put you at risk of a seizure and/or DTs. I don't think he would do this on purpose. I also doubt that telling him will have much of an effect given my previous experiences.

I think many of us would do just about anything to get off these medications because it makes us so vulnerable the decisions doctors make. Our lives can be turned upside down by one decision - this almost happened to me a couple days ago, and I had to fight really hard to prevent this. I should have talked about my concerns here before I let them loose on my doctor a few weeks ago. I know some board members would have cautioned me about expressing my concerns and anxiety, and would have suggested better ways of handling the situation. At least one board member whose advice and support was really helpful to me in the past hasn't been around lately. I wish she would come back. :-( A lot of the advice I gave you comes from what I've learned from being on these boards - I have gotten great advice from other members here, and it has helped me to reflect on my past experiences in the medical system and what I could have done differently. I don't think I could have given you the same advice three months ago. I am still learning, and still make mistakes, but I understand my mistakes better now. I think all of us want to help others avoid bad experiences we've had in the past as well as mistakes we have made. No need to reinvent the wheel :-)

I am really glad everything worked out for you in this situation and it's great that you have a good relationship with your PM and your pharmacist. It's so important to put together a good medical team (including the pharmacy) when you have a chronic condition.

Happy you are feeling better if not great. Chicken noodle soup along with that vitamin C! What level is your pain at these days? Your PM visit is Monday, right?

I've got to get busy and get things done - I've lost so much time over the last few months. Now that I'm finally feeling a bit better (except for yesterday), it's time to get moving!

I hope you will get the rest you need today!

ms_west · 09-20-2008, 06:02 AM

Chrissy, you are doing the right thing by listening to your body. I think that is the key in healing from these surgeries. Emotionally, I would think you were spent with all the med problems so know that is resolved - THANK YOU JESUS - you can kick back and relax.

Take care of yourself and we are all pulling for you and praying that this surgery is the answer to your prayers and soon you will be out there living a normal life like you so deserve.

Blessings!

skych · 09-20-2008, 06:41 AM

Thanks Pepper and Confussed,

I am glad that got sorted out! Yesterday I was very good to myself.
I walked only 1/2 mile in the morning and afterward I puttered around the house and did a little homework/reading then took a big long 2 hour nap. When I got up from the nap I went for another walk (1/2mile) and then came in and washed a few dishes had a little nibble of something and went and took a shower...on my shower still of course. Then I decided not to walk in the afternoon after dider. I felt to tired to do so after I prepared my dinner and cleaned it up.

I am still feeling like I need more rest so today my plan is to replace my 1/2 mile walk with a 12 step meeting, then maybe a little lunch and read some more home work. Then Naptime again. Maybe a walk after that if my body agrees.

As for my pain leves.

Well after surgery the pain between my shoulder blades went away completely and now over the last week or so has slowly returned to almost the same intensity it was befor surgery. I am getting spasms but not the same kind that I had before surgery. What happens is I get the old "hot poker" type pain on the left and right side just below the shoulder line about an inch or so down. and then I will have the shrugging/spasms. Also some smaller neck spasms but not like the old ones either. so that is what I mostly take the valium for,
I have not had anything higher then an 8 on the pain scale since home from surgery other then when I went to class. That brought me to a 9 by the time I went home and then when I was out of the valium I had a 9. Mostly the pain hovers around a 6 then I get the spikes of higher levels from activity.

The big Test will be when the collar come off and I start to move the neck around!!

Right now I have the hard collar on 24-7 and I have little movement going on. When I shower the collar is off and when I dry my hair the collar is off and I do my best to not turn or move my head much. The doc told me a little was ok but not much. So when the collar comes off and some time passes with the PT and I have been out moving the head around I will better be able to tell how things are.

Since the surgery I have had NO arm Heaviness or weakness!!!!!! Yeah!!! So I know ther is some difference in that aspect. Only time will teel what will be!

I just need to mind my body's signals on slowing down and over doing.
I have cut the distances in half in my walking. I was doing a mile 2-3 times a day and that is just NOT right. So now I have cut it down to a total of only 1- 1 1/2 miles a day cut up into 2-3 session at 1/2 mile intervals instead of the 1 mile intervals 2-3 times a day.
I realized I am not superwoman and my body is just NOT ready for that!

Chrissy

Sign Up Today!

Join Our Newsletter

Whoops,

Thank You