We were instructed to arrive @ the ass crack of dawn Tuesday morning (which I'd like to note that Jana & I were 2 minutes early, yay us!!) and where ironically our designated parking spot was on the "Fayetteville" level. I decided right then that things were gonna be just fine...HAHA! Pre-op took about an hour & consisted of getting me hooked up to all the machines, the nurse fighting w/ my tiny roly poly veins so they could get an IV started to get the good stuff flowing and marking my shoulder up w/ a sharpie. (See pics below)
The surgery itself took about an hour and half. Dr. Toth performed a bicep tenodesis where they cut the bicep tendon, cleaned up the degrading mess and then reattached it with a dissolvable screw. It will then reattach on it's on and be like new in the weeks to come. I also ended up needing a bursectomy b/c when Dr. Toth went in she discovered a lovely mass of bursitis that needed some attention.
I am slung up in a contraption that is very unattractive & bulky and it already gets on my nerves. HAHA! I'm also hooked up to a polar care system (basically an igloo cooler w/ ice that runs ice cold water through hoses into a separate velcro contraption that I wear underneath my sling). It feels awesome but it very restricting!!!
The first day was the worst thus far as the nerve block wore off around dinner time and I was hit hard w/ massive pain. But once the pain was stabalized all was well again. I've only had to use the narcotic pain meds on Day 1 & part of Day 2. (Except I'm still taking 1 pain pill @ night b/c getting comfortable to sleep is still a bit challenging). During the day I am using Motrin in conjunction w/ the polar care and have been able to maintain a pretty decent level of comfort without being doped up which brings me much happiness. I'm also getting around really well w/ minimal problems. The biggest issue for me is reminding myself to go slowwww and not over-do-it. We all know how stubborn I am, but I'm proud to say I've done very well @ disciplining myself at taking it easy & taking my time. So save your lectures.....HAHA!
I am still very weak and even the littlest things tire me out pretty quickly, but each day I can tell a little bit of improvement & some gain back in strength so I'm looking forward to this getting easier as the days go on & being able to get out and about a bit since cabin fever is starting to set in. The most exciting thing to happen so far is that last night, despite it taking over an hour to do so, I was able to take a bath and change clothes on my own. It wasn't easy, but it sure felt good!
Tomorrow I start PT and they are also supposed to remove the bandages which I'm excited about. Overall, I'm doing very well & pleased with how I'm progressing. I will say that it's been interesting learning to do things one armed and it tests my patience @ times. I have spilled alot of shit in the past 3 days which has led to some frustrating moments (i.e. The night I spilled my pain meds not once, but TWICE and had to crawl around seeking out all the pills without my bad arm getting bumped. That was a classic moment.) Roxy Ruby has been so cute as she's already learned she has to wait for me to get down or up the stairs before she can follow me so there's no accidents of me getting tripped and falling down the stairs. She lies around w/ me all day and keeps me company and loves having her momma @ home during the day.
Lastly, a huge thank you to my dear friend Jana for taking such good care of me. And thanks to everyone who's offered to swing by and help out if and when I need ya. I have the greatest friends in the world!!!
Here's some pics of pre-op and post op. I hope to have some without the bandages after tomorrow!!!!
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