If it were up to me, a man would have to disclose the type of patient he is (read: IMpatient!) before marriage. NOT that I would trade my guy in for anyone, but really? He's SO bored during this recovery period that I'm being slowly driven insane. The only thing getting me through this is knowing this is my purgatory: I'm going straight up to heaven when it's my turn!!!
Here's his typical day:
1. Get up after I shower, around 6:15am.
2. Complain that even with Advil PM or ZZZQuil, he didn't sleep through the night.
3. Forget entirely that he hasn't slept past 5am in YEARS! Even without his surgery...
4. Go downstairs and have a bowl of cereal while listening to one of the Harry Potter audio books.
5. Kiss his loving wife goodbye and wish her a good day at work.
6. Pace around the house as many time as he can while waiting for the PT person to pick him up for therapy.
7. To keep from being bored, he vacuums.
8. Every day.
9. We don't have a pet or a child. Every day?!?!?
10. Call his loving wife at work when he gets home from PT so she knows he's home safe and sound.
11. Eat a bowl of ramen noodles for lunch.
12. Disregard all the good FOOD in the refrigerator and choose ramen noodles.
13. On a good day, answer the phone and if he's lucky it's his sister or his friend and not a telemarketer.
14. Go on the computer and search Craigslist for free stuff, watch YouTube videos about repairing snowblowers or carburetors or search Google for "work at home opportunities."
15. On a bad day, sign up for "more info" and generate loads of spam emails into our home email address.
16. Walk the 1+ miles to the train station even when it's frigid outside to meet his loving wife at the train station.
17. Stand outside the car and wait for her in the cold even though he has a key on his key chain.
18. Kiss her hello when she gets off the train.
19. Remove clothes from the dryer and start dinner.
20. Insist on heating up dinner because he can. He's not an invalid.
21. Complain that he's been bored all day and doesn't his loving wife have anything for him to do?
22. Complain that all his loving wife's suggestions aren't what he wants to do.
23. Watch some TV at night, then drink his Sleepytime Tea and take his ZZZQuil and sleep.
24. Repeat.
25. His loving wife will deny this post if any of you mention it to him.
About Me
- Krys72599
- I'm happy, married, and looking forward to sharing my world with you! If you're interested, that is!
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Friday, March 22, 2013
Friday, March 08, 2013
Surgery Update
Jack had his shoulder surgery Monday. We got home at about 6:30pm. I started him on the pain pills right away, based on all the warnings from friends, family, acquaintances and the doctor that the pain would be bad.
They called the next day and brought him in for physical therapy on Tuesday. Which was fine. Because the nerve block had not warn off yet.
But it did, later that evening, and it was bad. He's a strong man, but this brought him to his knees. At 2:30am he finally asked me to call the emergency number and the covering doctor told me to double his pain medication and add 4 Advil every 8 hours as an anti-inflammatory. Since Jack made a big deal with the doctor that he didn't want Vicodin, so he was given Nucynta, which is usually used for patients with a sensitivity to Vicodin. Once the double pills kicked in, it was like someone took a hundred pounds off him...
We changed the dressings yesterday and again today. 5 incisions, 10 stitches, total. 1 big bruise. Yesterday he wanted to take a shower, so we covered the incision site, he took his sling off - and was shocked to find that he couldn't hold the weight of his arm up on his own! I got my old sling out and he wore it in the shower. You always feel so much better once you shower... He said today's therapy session was a bit more intense, that his shoulder is moving better than they expected. Not well, mind you, but it's moving which is a good thing.
And then there's the snow. It snowed, about a good 5 inches. Light and fluffy, thank goodness, because I had to clean off the car and shovel around it so we could get to the gym. Danny, our neighbor, shoveled our sidewalk, a path up our driveway and our steps early this morning. When I went out to clean off the car and the path to the car so Jack could get out there safely, he came out yelling for me to get back in the house, that he'd take care of it, he told me he would... I explained he could happily do the rest, that I was just getting Jack out the door to go to therapy. Then he said I should have called him and he'd have cleaned off my car...
It's nice to see people help Jack once in a while; he's always the one doing for others, it's ingrained in him.
Tonight I'm going to suggest we play a game, watch a movie, do something together that is interactive and will hopefully keep his attention - he's so bored and depressed. And being laid up is so hard for him. T came over yesterday for a couple of hours and he got so tired but he didn't want to tell T to leave... So then he felt tired and cranky...
I'm working from home today. It's so inconvenient to not be able to ALT TAB between windows; my database opens on a separate desktop so I can't use that shortcut. I can ALT TAB to the database from my desktop, but once in there, I have to minimize the windows to get back out to my laptop desktop. AND, to make it worse, the ENTER button in the numbers panel doesn't work - I have to use the ENTER button in the alpha panel. Everything is ISBN driven so it's a pain to have to remember to go to the alpha keyboard to enter any field entry. If I don't I'm erroring out all the time.
I'm going back to work Monday, but I'm going to talk with my manager about working from home a day or two a week for a few weeks - I know it's going to be a fight at my end, with Jack, but he's not one to entertain himself with TV or a book, like me. He needs to be DOING and right now there's no DOING...
Will post more soon...
They called the next day and brought him in for physical therapy on Tuesday. Which was fine. Because the nerve block had not warn off yet.
But it did, later that evening, and it was bad. He's a strong man, but this brought him to his knees. At 2:30am he finally asked me to call the emergency number and the covering doctor told me to double his pain medication and add 4 Advil every 8 hours as an anti-inflammatory. Since Jack made a big deal with the doctor that he didn't want Vicodin, so he was given Nucynta, which is usually used for patients with a sensitivity to Vicodin. Once the double pills kicked in, it was like someone took a hundred pounds off him...
We changed the dressings yesterday and again today. 5 incisions, 10 stitches, total. 1 big bruise. Yesterday he wanted to take a shower, so we covered the incision site, he took his sling off - and was shocked to find that he couldn't hold the weight of his arm up on his own! I got my old sling out and he wore it in the shower. You always feel so much better once you shower... He said today's therapy session was a bit more intense, that his shoulder is moving better than they expected. Not well, mind you, but it's moving which is a good thing.
And then there's the snow. It snowed, about a good 5 inches. Light and fluffy, thank goodness, because I had to clean off the car and shovel around it so we could get to the gym. Danny, our neighbor, shoveled our sidewalk, a path up our driveway and our steps early this morning. When I went out to clean off the car and the path to the car so Jack could get out there safely, he came out yelling for me to get back in the house, that he'd take care of it, he told me he would... I explained he could happily do the rest, that I was just getting Jack out the door to go to therapy. Then he said I should have called him and he'd have cleaned off my car...
It's nice to see people help Jack once in a while; he's always the one doing for others, it's ingrained in him.
Tonight I'm going to suggest we play a game, watch a movie, do something together that is interactive and will hopefully keep his attention - he's so bored and depressed. And being laid up is so hard for him. T came over yesterday for a couple of hours and he got so tired but he didn't want to tell T to leave... So then he felt tired and cranky...
I'm working from home today. It's so inconvenient to not be able to ALT TAB between windows; my database opens on a separate desktop so I can't use that shortcut. I can ALT TAB to the database from my desktop, but once in there, I have to minimize the windows to get back out to my laptop desktop. AND, to make it worse, the ENTER button in the numbers panel doesn't work - I have to use the ENTER button in the alpha panel. Everything is ISBN driven so it's a pain to have to remember to go to the alpha keyboard to enter any field entry. If I don't I'm erroring out all the time.
I'm going back to work Monday, but I'm going to talk with my manager about working from home a day or two a week for a few weeks - I know it's going to be a fight at my end, with Jack, but he's not one to entertain himself with TV or a book, like me. He needs to be DOING and right now there's no DOING...
Will post more soon...
Friday, March 01, 2013
Why????
We were doing so well!
We were working with CompServices on his workman's comp claim and THEY.WERE.WONDERFUL.
And he came home yesterday with a notice the Board is switching to some other workman's comp company and what do we do now with a claim started with CompServices and the surgery is MONDAY and he's going to get prescriptions and should we use the old card and I'm NOT waiting to fill them until we get a new card from the new company because the doctor already warned us he'd be in more pain than before the surgery and what if these new companies aren't as easy to work with?
Yea, I planned to keep going but even I ran out of breath reading it.
I HOPE, HOPE, HOPE existing claims stay with the covering agency.
Please keep whatever you can cross, crossed.
We were working with CompServices on his workman's comp claim and THEY.WERE.WONDERFUL.
And he came home yesterday with a notice the Board is switching to some other workman's comp company and what do we do now with a claim started with CompServices and the surgery is MONDAY and he's going to get prescriptions and should we use the old card and I'm NOT waiting to fill them until we get a new card from the new company because the doctor already warned us he'd be in more pain than before the surgery and what if these new companies aren't as easy to work with?
Yea, I planned to keep going but even I ran out of breath reading it.
I HOPE, HOPE, HOPE existing claims stay with the covering agency.
Please keep whatever you can cross, crossed.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Surgery Is Scheduled
So on March 4, J will have his shoulder surgery. It's confirmed: 2 torn tendons and a rotator cuff tear. The doctor promised he'd try to get J back to pre-work-injury health but that if he'd come when he first hurt his shoulder (and I quote: "15 or 20 years ago"), he could have gotten the shoulder back the way it was in J's 20s!!! J said he doesn't remember hurting that shoulder, but the doctor said there was quite a bit of atrophied muscle so it's obvious he did, and then powered through it, ignoring the injury and the pain. That was the first time we met the doctor and he pegged J but good!!!
I was so afraid that since it was a workman's comp event we'd be sent to the doctors from hell, that we'd be sucked into the black hole of red tape and paperwork that would never be resolved because we all know government workers just take home a paycheck and don't care about their work... (FYI: That was a JOKE, people! Although I admit to fear that working with the comp people would be problematic at best. We've all had insurance fiascos, I'm sure...)
But, OMG, the people we had to work with at the comp office, along with the doctor's office staff, were absolutely phenomenal! They responded to voice messages, they got things done, the comp people even had to get the doctor's surgical center approved as a venue so they could pay for the surgery, and they did it all! We're dealing with CompServices, Inc. They handle workman's comp claims in NJ and in PA. I guess the government has farmed the work out to third party handlers and they have been wonderful.
The doctor told J that if we didn't like him now, because of his recommendation for surgery, we'd probably really hate him post-surgery. The pain he's going through now is apparently nothing compared to the suffering after the operation. He said if J is in the 40% of his patients who don't feel immediate relief, and there's a chance of that since there's so much damage in the joint, we'd be calling him demanding another MRI "because there's no way that [he] fixed the shoulder because [J] is in worse shape than before the surgery..." He told us up front he's going to refuse another MRI, IF of course the surgery goes the way he feels it will, because it might take two months to see/feel any improvement. Ouch.
Then the bad news. And yes, SURGERY was NOT the bad news. The BAD news was that J could be out of work, according to the surgeon, 9-12 weeks. Completely unacceptable to my husband. The doctor agreed that if his recovery and PT went well, that he'd consider 6-9 weeks, with a return to light duty. You know, where you TEACH the kids to do a jumping jack, but you don't do it yourself. Yeah, like that will ever happen... But he made a point of telling J that doing the PT was good, that doing a little more at home, as advised by the therapist AND the doctor, was okay, too, but that OVERdoing it was NOT. We had to explain that to my thick-headed husband a couple of times... (Just kidding, J - love you!)
I'm going to take the day of surgery off, and the day after as well, and I'm planning to work from home the rest of that week. J thinks that's overkill and I should go back to work the day after the operation. (Don't know why he didn't tell me to go in after the surgery...) I'm leaving it all up in the air for now, but have told my manager my plans and he's okay with them.
We've been warned by many that laying down will be impossible for him so we're borrowing recliners from our niece. We were going to get them tomorrow, but we're waiting until next week now, because she's sick (and her husband is, too) and we can't take a chance that he picks up something. It's bad enough he spends 7-1/2 hours a day with KIDS and their germs...
Keep your fingers crossed for the surgery and formy his recovery. Thanks!!!
I was so afraid that since it was a workman's comp event we'd be sent to the doctors from hell, that we'd be sucked into the black hole of red tape and paperwork that would never be resolved because we all know government workers just take home a paycheck and don't care about their work... (FYI: That was a JOKE, people! Although I admit to fear that working with the comp people would be problematic at best. We've all had insurance fiascos, I'm sure...)
But, OMG, the people we had to work with at the comp office, along with the doctor's office staff, were absolutely phenomenal! They responded to voice messages, they got things done, the comp people even had to get the doctor's surgical center approved as a venue so they could pay for the surgery, and they did it all! We're dealing with CompServices, Inc. They handle workman's comp claims in NJ and in PA. I guess the government has farmed the work out to third party handlers and they have been wonderful.
The doctor told J that if we didn't like him now, because of his recommendation for surgery, we'd probably really hate him post-surgery. The pain he's going through now is apparently nothing compared to the suffering after the operation. He said if J is in the 40% of his patients who don't feel immediate relief, and there's a chance of that since there's so much damage in the joint, we'd be calling him demanding another MRI "because there's no way that [he] fixed the shoulder because [J] is in worse shape than before the surgery..." He told us up front he's going to refuse another MRI, IF of course the surgery goes the way he feels it will, because it might take two months to see/feel any improvement. Ouch.
Then the bad news. And yes, SURGERY was NOT the bad news. The BAD news was that J could be out of work, according to the surgeon, 9-12 weeks. Completely unacceptable to my husband. The doctor agreed that if his recovery and PT went well, that he'd consider 6-9 weeks, with a return to light duty. You know, where you TEACH the kids to do a jumping jack, but you don't do it yourself. Yeah, like that will ever happen... But he made a point of telling J that doing the PT was good, that doing a little more at home, as advised by the therapist AND the doctor, was okay, too, but that OVERdoing it was NOT. We had to explain that to my thick-headed husband a couple of times... (Just kidding, J - love you!)
I'm going to take the day of surgery off, and the day after as well, and I'm planning to work from home the rest of that week. J thinks that's overkill and I should go back to work the day after the operation. (Don't know why he didn't tell me to go in after the surgery...) I'm leaving it all up in the air for now, but have told my manager my plans and he's okay with them.
We've been warned by many that laying down will be impossible for him so we're borrowing recliners from our niece. We were going to get them tomorrow, but we're waiting until next week now, because she's sick (and her husband is, too) and we can't take a chance that he picks up something. It's bad enough he spends 7-1/2 hours a day with KIDS and their germs...
Keep your fingers crossed for the surgery and for
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
More Health News
I realize that as I get older, I am getting more and more impatient and I don't tolerate fools very well. I never did, but it's worse now.
I went for my MRI on Thursday 01/03. We went back to work on 01/02 which means, after two weeks of vacation, I had to take a day off to go to the doctor. I suppose I could have waited longer, for a more convenient appointment that wouldn't force me to go during work hours, but my knee was hurting, and hurting badly.
The doctor took X-rays (well, his technician did). Then he recommended an MRI (the doctor, not the technician!).
Silly me, I assumed (yes, I know all about assuming!) that once he got the MRI results and the radiologist's report, he'd call me with results. Well, today is 01/15 and I haven't heard a thing so I called the office. "Oh, you have to make an appointment and come in and he'll go over the results with you."
Really? Then shouldn't you have told me on 01/03 that I should make a follow-up appointment with the doctor for a day after the MRI???? So, I say I'm off on Friday, do you have an appointment that day? Of course not, the first available is Thursday 01/24, a day I cannot take off from work or leave early because I'm going in late after my volunteer work. So the NEXT available date is Monday 01/28 at 3:30. So now I have to wait that much longer and leave work early again... I'm not a happy camper.
And here's some J news: I believe the diagnosis included something like this... "severe tear," "rotator cuff," "see an orthopedist," "possible surgery." Talk about a camper who is not very happy!!! We're waiting for the workman's comp people to call with the referral information and the doctor's name and if possible, I want him to go to Dr. M. in Montclair. They seem to be okay with us using our doctors as long as they're in network. The radiologist was; hopefully the ortho doctor will be, too. (Just for $hits and giggles, DD's fiance said his doctor told him with surgery on HIS rotator cuff, he could be out of work for 10 weeks!!!)
One of my customers mentioned that if we don't have a recliner, we should borrow or buy one because her friend who had similar surgery couldn't lay down post-surgery. We test drove some recliners at Bob's Discount Furniture yesterday, just for fun... We're married 13 years and haven't bought a single piece of furniture yet! A recliner? Perhaps two? Wow!!! That would be wild!!!
MUY IMPORTANTE: Is anyone else all of a sudden unable to upload photos from their computer into their blog posts? Apparently I can still upload from Picasa (isn't that over and done with?!?) but not from my My Pictures file... I don't know what the problem is... I'll try to do it from work tomorrow in case it's a laptop thing...
I went for my MRI on Thursday 01/03. We went back to work on 01/02 which means, after two weeks of vacation, I had to take a day off to go to the doctor. I suppose I could have waited longer, for a more convenient appointment that wouldn't force me to go during work hours, but my knee was hurting, and hurting badly.
The doctor took X-rays (well, his technician did). Then he recommended an MRI (the doctor, not the technician!).
Silly me, I assumed (yes, I know all about assuming!) that once he got the MRI results and the radiologist's report, he'd call me with results. Well, today is 01/15 and I haven't heard a thing so I called the office. "Oh, you have to make an appointment and come in and he'll go over the results with you."
Really? Then shouldn't you have told me on 01/03 that I should make a follow-up appointment with the doctor for a day after the MRI???? So, I say I'm off on Friday, do you have an appointment that day? Of course not, the first available is Thursday 01/24, a day I cannot take off from work or leave early because I'm going in late after my volunteer work. So the NEXT available date is Monday 01/28 at 3:30. So now I have to wait that much longer and leave work early again... I'm not a happy camper.
And here's some J news: I believe the diagnosis included something like this... "severe tear," "rotator cuff," "see an orthopedist," "possible surgery." Talk about a camper who is not very happy!!! We're waiting for the workman's comp people to call with the referral information and the doctor's name and if possible, I want him to go to Dr. M. in Montclair. They seem to be okay with us using our doctors as long as they're in network. The radiologist was; hopefully the ortho doctor will be, too. (Just for $hits and giggles, DD's fiance said his doctor told him with surgery on HIS rotator cuff, he could be out of work for 10 weeks!!!)
One of my customers mentioned that if we don't have a recliner, we should borrow or buy one because her friend who had similar surgery couldn't lay down post-surgery. We test drove some recliners at Bob's Discount Furniture yesterday, just for fun... We're married 13 years and haven't bought a single piece of furniture yet! A recliner? Perhaps two? Wow!!! That would be wild!!!
MUY IMPORTANTE: Is anyone else all of a sudden unable to upload photos from their computer into their blog posts? Apparently I can still upload from Picasa (isn't that over and done with?!?) but not from my My Pictures file... I don't know what the problem is... I'll try to do it from work tomorrow in case it's a laptop thing...
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