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moonspots
Happy Curmudgeon



Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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moonspots
Happy Curmudgeon
PostMon Jan 27, 2020 1:41 pm 
NWtrax wrote:
One little recovery tip, don't use your time laid up to catch up on Comedies.
Seriously funny! That is the funniest "pro tip" I've ever read! Especially if you've been there... lol.gif

"Out, OUT you demons of Stupidity"! - St Dogbert, patron Saint of Technology
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neek
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neek
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PostMon Jan 27, 2020 2:00 pm 
Yeah this is the first time being so depressed about the state of the world I can't laugh anymore has actually come in handy!

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DigitalJanitor
Dirt hippie



Joined: 20 May 2012
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DigitalJanitor
Dirt hippie
PostMon Jan 27, 2020 6:06 pm 
Sculpin wrote:
So, DJ...ever tried one with food in your stomach?
Oh yeah. Trust me, we all have. My sister has puked when something was pushed into an IV, so.... *shrug* We're defective.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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Joey
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Joined: 05 Jun 2005
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Joey
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PostMon Jan 27, 2020 8:25 pm 
Welcome to the club. Sounds like your operation went OK. Hernia on one side was many years ago. At that time they were fixed with .. wait for it ... a patch made from gortex. I sh## you not. I am walking around with some gortex on the inside. Hernia on the other side developed last spring. Cause was likely heavy yard labor stripping sod by hand with a flat bladed shovel (think pushing from your core). Downside was a several month wait before it could be fixed at Kaiser Bellevue (formerly Group Health). Surgeon shortage. It was finally fixed under general anesthesia with some kind of mesh. No problems. They recommended walking to help recovery. We live near the Redmond Watershed Preserve and while we often rode our horses there before they were all laid to rest, I never really walked those trails much. So I started going on short walks and quickly worked up to a 4.6 mile 'lollypop' walk I can do from our front door. Turns out I really enjoy it. No pack. No xxx thousand feet of gain. No rocky trails. I carry a grand total of (1) cell phone and (2) reading glasses in case I actually need to use #1. I put it in cruise control and motor right along as fast as I can pick 'em up and put 'em down. If you see a guy with a big straw hat say "Hi Joey".

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Bowregard
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PostFri Jan 31, 2020 11:40 am 
Glad to hear it all went well, neek. I hate the "dizzy" feeling that opiods give me so I typically go off those sooner than I should and switch over to alternating Tylenol/Advil. My daughter is a nurse and says studies show that that combination is much better than either by itself. My only post-op advice is to keep moving (within your surgeon's recommendations of course). I was told that movement limits the size of "adhesions" that form and cause pain when they pull apart.

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Bernardo
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Bernardo
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PostFri Jan 31, 2020 5:29 pm 
Glad it went well. Pharma companies are admitting they oversold opioids. Paying huge fines. Many died.

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Anne Elk
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Joined: 07 Sep 2018
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Anne Elk
BrontosaurusTheorist
PostSat Feb 01, 2020 12:39 am 
Just saw your update post, Neek. Good to know all went well. You mentioned vomiting after general anesthesia 25 years ago...same happened to me after day surgery in '94. 2nd general anesthesia was 5 years ago. They've come a long way with anesthesia drugs - no post-op nausea at all. Then I was given a couple opioid tabs right away to cut the pain and I was asleep 10 minutes after getting home, until the next morning. You mentioned being "disappointed to be woken from a somewhat euphoric state". That's how I felt the the morning after: woke gradually to the sound of a twittering finch outside my open window to the yard, not unlike the author's description in the intro to "The Power of Now", if you're familiar w/that book. I was still in the most peaceful state of mental quietude (maybe glad to be alive), only aware of the dawn light and that beautiful bird. wub.gif
Bowregard wrote:
My only post-op advice is to keep moving (within your surgeon's recommendations of course). I was told that movement limits the size of "adhesions" that form and cause pain when they pull apart.
I'd second that advice. You definitely don't want scar tissue forming up in a "shortened" position. Speedy recovery to you!

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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neek
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neek
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PostSat Feb 01, 2020 7:40 am 
Thanks for the additional stories. While I'm now a bit embarrassed to have drawn attention to myself, it's very comforting to have (virtual) company. Joey, I have relatives near the Preserve and will keep an eye out for you. I was told to walk as well and did 7 miles a few days ago but was pretty uncomfortable the next day. Doc was like omg not that much, fool. Hey, tell me to walk as much as possible, and what do you expect? They did admit that 6 weeks to full recovery is only true for limited definitions of "full"; athletic potential could be compromised for months. Well, that's why I did it in winter, if anyone's in the same boat (no surgeon shortage at Kaiser Capitol Hill fwiw). If you get sick and develop a cough immediately afterwards, however, I can imagine things becoming very unpleasant and possibly dangerous. Even 10 days later I can't really cough or laugh and thank goodness I haven't had to sneeze yet. So I'd say the whole thing is not to be taken too lightly. As with most health problems, prevention is probably the best medicine, so all you young people, listen up: keep your core in shape but lift properly, don't strain on the toilet, get persistent coughing taken care of, etc.

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Sculpin
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PostSat Feb 01, 2020 9:05 am 
Anne Elk wrote:
You mentioned vomiting after general anesthesia 25 years ago...same happened to me after day surgery in '94. 2nd general anesthesia was 5 years ago. They've come a long way with anesthesia drugs - no post-op nausea at all.
Per Wikipedia: "Propofol is used for induction and maintenance (in some cases) of general anesthesia, having largely replaced sodium thiopental." That is what changed from your first to your second surgery. This is the "Michael Jackson drug." His doctor prescribed it for daily use to help him sleep. No doubt the effective dose kept creeping up until he stopped breathing one night. But we don't have to worry about that with a team of specialists around us!

Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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day_hike_mike
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day_hike_mike
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PostSat Feb 01, 2020 11:03 am 
Quote:
get persistent coughing taken care of, etc.
^^ That right there is how I got my ventral hernia. Just a nasty cough I had for days that I kept working through. Eventually, I noticed a bulge that formed about 4 inches above my belly button. Crunchy when I pressed on it. When the cough went away it more or less got better, but has slowly gotten worse. Only once did it get bad enough to where I went to the ER. Spent a load of money and basically learned where and how hard, harder than I thought I should be pressing, to push tissue back in when it comes through. Pretty good at it now, but it's irritating. I remember the day I was hiking from Jack Lake up to the base of 3 Fingered Jack. It was acting up. Couldn't hike without pain and nausea. Turned around and laid a pad out on a picnic table at the trailhead. Laid there gently massaging it for almost two hours before the guts sucked back in or whatever they do. Wish I had my lesson before that day! Could have had it fixed in less than a minute. All that wasted time! And my stomach got sunburned as well. Need to get it taken care of but keep putting it off. I believe it's mostly fat tissue that comes through and I can just mash it back in. When some intestine comes through, that's when the pain, nausea, and sweats come. Sit down, work it, press just right, and pop it back in. That only happens a couple times/year. So yeah, if you're having a major coughing fit, calm that action down!

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