A little update
Oct. 22nd, 2010 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greatbearI guess I've been lax at updating things here. I can only sit for so long at the controls here at The Orbiting Headquarters of Mayhem, and going mobile with the nuclear football little lappy is no fun. Anyhoo:
I have dispensed with the walker, I can move about the house normally (albeit slowly) and I can go up and down the stairs with no trouble. Walking for any sort of distance, however, I still need the cane, just in case. Standing no longer produces the slow fire of pain down my buttocks and around my legs, which is excellent. This means the operation was a success in opening up the spinal canal and eliminating the spinal stenosis condition. This gets a major woot. However, there are some complications, most of which have been slowly improving. The pain I feel at the incision/site is getting more bearable, but sitting for any length of time eventually becomes extremely uncomfortable. The necessary pain killers make me feel loopy and drugged, which is to be expected. However, they do their job, and as a side benefit, I have The. Most. Intense. Dreams. Ever. Seriously. Lucasfilm should be able to come up with visuals even close to what I sometimes produce in my sleep. The best so far have been a combination of steampunk and gritty turn-of-the-century steelmill and factory imagery complete with deafening sound, strange characters and all sorts of action. The kicker is the entire scene which played out like an enormous steel town at full production was taking place inside of my body as it was healing from the surgery. Impossible to describe, but how I wish dreams had reruns. X-D
The worst so far involves my legs. From the knees down and ending most intensely at my feet, I have pretty severe numbness. I was told that because of the way my spinal cord was constrained in the bony sections of the vertebrae and one ruptured disc had dug into the spinal cord, there was nerve damage that will take quite a while to regenerate, and that things may not return to completely normal levels. This is upsetting, but I'm willing to let time take its course. Very little has changed since the operation as far as this goes. Patience, patience.
I'm also slowly disappearing. On the scale this morning, I weighed a mere 213 pounds. I don't mind the weight loss while I recover, but I know that over time, a lot of what I lost was muscle mass, especially in my legs. Pants that used to fit snug in the thighs and calves flap around on me like a scarecrow outfit. Once I am (hopefully) back to normal (whatever that is!), I can resume things that kept me beefy over the years.
Lastly, but very important: Thanks bunches to all who sent cards, messages, texts and phone calls while I've been out of commission. You guys 'n' gals are the bestest. So many kind thoughts from unexpected places made taking the entire lack of contact from the expected sources much easier to handle. It's therapy of the most awesome kind.
Tomorrow Jeff and I are going to attempt to celebrate our tenth anniversary together. Time sure flies when we're having fun. Or surgery. ;)
I have dispensed with the walker, I can move about the house normally (albeit slowly) and I can go up and down the stairs with no trouble. Walking for any sort of distance, however, I still need the cane, just in case. Standing no longer produces the slow fire of pain down my buttocks and around my legs, which is excellent. This means the operation was a success in opening up the spinal canal and eliminating the spinal stenosis condition. This gets a major woot. However, there are some complications, most of which have been slowly improving. The pain I feel at the incision/site is getting more bearable, but sitting for any length of time eventually becomes extremely uncomfortable. The necessary pain killers make me feel loopy and drugged, which is to be expected. However, they do their job, and as a side benefit, I have The. Most. Intense. Dreams. Ever. Seriously. Lucasfilm should be able to come up with visuals even close to what I sometimes produce in my sleep. The best so far have been a combination of steampunk and gritty turn-of-the-century steelmill and factory imagery complete with deafening sound, strange characters and all sorts of action. The kicker is the entire scene which played out like an enormous steel town at full production was taking place inside of my body as it was healing from the surgery. Impossible to describe, but how I wish dreams had reruns. X-D
The worst so far involves my legs. From the knees down and ending most intensely at my feet, I have pretty severe numbness. I was told that because of the way my spinal cord was constrained in the bony sections of the vertebrae and one ruptured disc had dug into the spinal cord, there was nerve damage that will take quite a while to regenerate, and that things may not return to completely normal levels. This is upsetting, but I'm willing to let time take its course. Very little has changed since the operation as far as this goes. Patience, patience.
I'm also slowly disappearing. On the scale this morning, I weighed a mere 213 pounds. I don't mind the weight loss while I recover, but I know that over time, a lot of what I lost was muscle mass, especially in my legs. Pants that used to fit snug in the thighs and calves flap around on me like a scarecrow outfit. Once I am (hopefully) back to normal (whatever that is!), I can resume things that kept me beefy over the years.
Lastly, but very important: Thanks bunches to all who sent cards, messages, texts and phone calls while I've been out of commission. You guys 'n' gals are the bestest. So many kind thoughts from unexpected places made taking the entire lack of contact from the expected sources much easier to handle. It's therapy of the most awesome kind.
Tomorrow Jeff and I are going to attempt to celebrate our tenth anniversary together. Time sure flies when we're having fun. Or surgery. ;)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 04:24 am (UTC)I'm glad to hear you are improving, slowly, but surely and that's all we CAN hope for right now
Just don't over do and all that and continue the recovery process as it goes about it's thing.
Hugs to you my friend.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 04:25 am (UTC)Huge hugs to you both.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 04:33 am (UTC)Congratulations to both Jeff and you on the 10 year anniversary!
Dance away but no NakedBearCriscoTwister™ until you heal, OK? Promise!
213#... what size shirt is that down to? [At one time I'd consult the BMB profile ;-) ]
Happy tenth anniversary!
Date: 2010-10-23 04:41 am (UTC)I'm certain you will gain back mobility and some weight as you recover.. and hopefully, all the feeling in your legs & feet.
It was great talking with you earlier tonight.
*ULTRA-HUGS*!
Tags: get, well, soon!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 05:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 06:20 am (UTC)I'm really happy to hear you are on the way to a future with much less back pain and nerve irritation and much more comfort and normal range of motion.
That is great news!!!!
And lots of congratulatory good wishes to you guys on your anniversary. Mazel tov!!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 07:33 am (UTC)Seems like you're making great progress, and I hope you continue to improve.
Wild as your dream sounds, visualizing yourself healing can help a lot, particularly with the stuff inside your head. Steampunk FTW!
Hope you two enjoy a romantic anniversary!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 08:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 10:17 am (UTC)*BIG HUGS*
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 10:49 am (UTC)I envy the dreams.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 01:07 pm (UTC)I'd like to be down to 213 lbs. I started my diet last Sunday and have had no major violations:)
Finally, Happy, Happy Anniversary! I take heart from seeing a couple together and solid after a decade! HUGS!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 01:12 pm (UTC)Congrats on 10!
Hugs.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 01:24 pm (UTC)I'm glad things are better -- I hope when the numbness and other bad gets you down, you remember the "better"! *HUGS*
Happy anniversary, handsome!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 02:46 pm (UTC)You'll be able to lift heavy things soon enough. I wouldn't worry too much about that.
As for the big One-Oh… Congrats!! Just don't get too rough… yet ;-)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 03:02 pm (UTC)Happy Anniversary!
Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary, Phil.
Date: 2010-10-23 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 05:10 pm (UTC)Wishing you a better class of fire in your buttocks in the new future. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 09:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 09:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-25 03:24 pm (UTC)Glad to hear that things are improving health-wise. Yeah it takes time, and patience, but it will improve. Sending good karma your way.
- Dan
no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 07:52 pm (UTC)Glad to hear that you are improving - please be patient - I know it isn't easy - but it will be worth it.