I felt even better yesterday than the day before, so good in fact that when G came over to walk the dogs I went with her. I can walk, just am not so steady on my feet that I want to walk alone in case I should fall. And certainly can't bend over quite far enough to pick up the poop....
Taking a walk, eating a bagel and lox and visiting with a friend were clearly the highlights of the day. I took the morning and afternoon naps as usual and managed to reduce my pain meds again. Ran three loads of laundry also (not a highlight but still an achievement). By 7 PM I was aching and so took more meds in order to relax and fall asleep later. I have to figure out the timing better so that I take something at 10 PM and get into bed, instead of waking up at 3 AM needing more meds.
Today's dog walker had to cancel unexpectedly so the pooches will have to manage on their own in the back yard until Rik gets home from school. For Bob this won't be a problem but Pumpkin might have issues.
Hoping to continue to improve and wean myself off pain meds half a tablet at a time.
February 05, 2010
February 03, 2010
Hospital recap
It's day two of recovery and I spent much of it on the sofa napping. C came over to walk the dogs and L made us both lunch, but I did have both morning and afternoon snoozes.
Some highlights of my hospital stay:
In the surgery prep and waiting area there was a new touch. Instead of warm blankets, the gurneys are covered with a Bair Hugger. It looks like a down comforter made of channeled "paper" with a hose in the middle. Warm air blows into the "blanket" and the heat keeps the patient toasty, so you put energy into healing instead of into shivering. Rik and I laughed out loud when we saw it, but I LOVED it!
Rik went home to feed and walk the dogs, then came back to the hospital around 5 PM.
The anesthesiologist tried hard to access my port but was unsuccessful. He then tried to start a line in my arm -- twice -- with no success. At this point he said he wanted to give me ether to relax me and then he would start an IV in my hand. (I had warned him that my veins were crappy.) The ether worked great. I immediately relaxed and the next thing I know I was in recovery.
By the time I got upstairs to a room it was past 6 PM. Dr. F had already spoken with Rik, who then called my mom, his mom, my sister and several close friends. He sat with me until about 9:00, by which time he was asleep in a chair and I was drowsing on the bed, so he went home.
I needed assistance to get into the bathroom the first couple of times, and then I was good on my own. But I was on the toilet every hour all night long! My pain appeared well controlled; I just had to pee all the time. The good part about being a patient at Swedish is the 24-hour meal plan. I called down for a snack at 4 AM and enjoyed vanilla yogurt with Cheerios and a decaf mocha, then went back to sleep until the next time I had to pee.
The next morning they removed the IV line and I was able to take a shower. I had a second breakfast of mashed potatoes, turkey sausage, a whole wheat roll and some fresh fruit. (I saved the espresso shake as a snack before discharge.)
When Dr. F came in on her rounds, she agreed all was good. When I told her about my having to pee every hour, she checked the rate on the IV pole and it was properly set. The nurse then chimed in that they had just lowered the rate from 50 to 25. "50!" said Dr. F. "I ordered 25!" No wonder I was in the toilet all night long. I had been getting twice the recommended fluid amount.
The morning ended with an unexpectedly pleasant surprise when the room telephone rang. It was the anesthesiologist, Dr. Max Lucero. He was calling to make sure that the port site was okay, and that I had managed well with the IV in my hand.
I gotta say, I have had a number of surgical procedures over the years, and in my experience the anesthesiologist comes in a few minutes before the surgery starts, introduces himself (it's always been a him), starts a line, and I never see him again. That Dr. Lucero called to make sure I was okay is a testimony to his being a caring, concerned medical professional and to Swedish Medical Center, who hired him. Kudos to Dr. L! He can put me to sleep any time.
Some highlights of my hospital stay:
In the surgery prep and waiting area there was a new touch. Instead of warm blankets, the gurneys are covered with a Bair Hugger. It looks like a down comforter made of channeled "paper" with a hose in the middle. Warm air blows into the "blanket" and the heat keeps the patient toasty, so you put energy into healing instead of into shivering. Rik and I laughed out loud when we saw it, but I LOVED it!Rik went home to feed and walk the dogs, then came back to the hospital around 5 PM.
The anesthesiologist tried hard to access my port but was unsuccessful. He then tried to start a line in my arm -- twice -- with no success. At this point he said he wanted to give me ether to relax me and then he would start an IV in my hand. (I had warned him that my veins were crappy.) The ether worked great. I immediately relaxed and the next thing I know I was in recovery.
By the time I got upstairs to a room it was past 6 PM. Dr. F had already spoken with Rik, who then called my mom, his mom, my sister and several close friends. He sat with me until about 9:00, by which time he was asleep in a chair and I was drowsing on the bed, so he went home.
I needed assistance to get into the bathroom the first couple of times, and then I was good on my own. But I was on the toilet every hour all night long! My pain appeared well controlled; I just had to pee all the time. The good part about being a patient at Swedish is the 24-hour meal plan. I called down for a snack at 4 AM and enjoyed vanilla yogurt with Cheerios and a decaf mocha, then went back to sleep until the next time I had to pee.
The next morning they removed the IV line and I was able to take a shower. I had a second breakfast of mashed potatoes, turkey sausage, a whole wheat roll and some fresh fruit. (I saved the espresso shake as a snack before discharge.)
When Dr. F came in on her rounds, she agreed all was good. When I told her about my having to pee every hour, she checked the rate on the IV pole and it was properly set. The nurse then chimed in that they had just lowered the rate from 50 to 25. "50!" said Dr. F. "I ordered 25!" No wonder I was in the toilet all night long. I had been getting twice the recommended fluid amount.
The morning ended with an unexpectedly pleasant surprise when the room telephone rang. It was the anesthesiologist, Dr. Max Lucero. He was calling to make sure that the port site was okay, and that I had managed well with the IV in my hand.
I gotta say, I have had a number of surgical procedures over the years, and in my experience the anesthesiologist comes in a few minutes before the surgery starts, introduces himself (it's always been a him), starts a line, and I never see him again. That Dr. Lucero called to make sure I was okay is a testimony to his being a caring, concerned medical professional and to Swedish Medical Center, who hired him. Kudos to Dr. L! He can put me to sleep any time.
February 02, 2010
Home again
Just came in, greeted the excited dogs and have unpacked from my one night hospital stay. This is a quick note to say that the surgery went well and I feel fine. The pain has been easily controlled with oral pain meds, but I slept only a bit at a time due to overly ambitious hydration and so was up to pee every hour on the hour all night long.
I plan to take a big nap now and will post more details later. It feels good to be home!
I plan to take a big nap now and will post more details later. It feels good to be home!
February 01, 2010
Going in for surgery
I have been a little stressed about the surgery. Over the weekend Rik and I snapped at each other. He still doesn't feel well from the sinus infection and I was evidently more stressed than I realized.
However, I slept reasonably well last night and got up before the crack of dawn to make and eat breakfast so that I didn't have to fast for as long. A one-egg omelet with sauteed mushrooms, toast and two big glasses of water should stop my tummy from growling too much later on. Imagine if I had gone without eating or drinking from dinner the night before to dinner time today? It would feel like Yom Kippur.
Maybe that's why they make you fast before surgery -- to recreate the feeling of atonement? Nah, it's some medical reason. Still, it gives one cause to think.
However, I slept reasonably well last night and got up before the crack of dawn to make and eat breakfast so that I didn't have to fast for as long. A one-egg omelet with sauteed mushrooms, toast and two big glasses of water should stop my tummy from growling too much later on. Imagine if I had gone without eating or drinking from dinner the night before to dinner time today? It would feel like Yom Kippur.
Maybe that's why they make you fast before surgery -- to recreate the feeling of atonement? Nah, it's some medical reason. Still, it gives one cause to think.
January 29, 2010
Pre-op talk with anesthesiologist
After talking with the nurse for the pre-op conversation, I asked her about the likelihood of the anesthesiologist using my brand-new power port for the surgery. She gave me the number to the anesthesiologists' staff room, where I was connected to Dr. Jonathan Maron.
Dr. Maron was great. He listened carefully to my question, gave me a complete answer, and all on the fly. I have no idea what he was doing at the moment I called, but he had no way to expect a call from a patient he hadn't met.
He told me that they absolutely could use my port for anesthesia. But if they found during the procedure that I needed fluids more quickly than the port could provide, they would then start a line. Of course, I hope that won't be necessary. I am a hard stick on the best of days and when fully hydrated. Given that I can't drink or eat after 7 AM, my veins will no doubt have shriveled up. And given that there was trouble starting an IV line for the insertion of my power port in late December, who knows what kind of condition my veins will be in?
At least I learned that there are limits to the speed with which a port can bring in fluid.
Dr. M also answered my questions about how best to prep my lymphedemic arm for surgery. We agreed that I should bandage instead of wearing my sleeve and glove. I like this not only because I can leave my arm wrapped for longer periods of time (and can sleep all night this way if needed). It would completely freak me out to find, for instance, that they had to cut the very expensive sleeve for any reason. In a situation like that, who cares about the cheaper fleece and padding?
Dr. Maron was great. He listened carefully to my question, gave me a complete answer, and all on the fly. I have no idea what he was doing at the moment I called, but he had no way to expect a call from a patient he hadn't met.
He told me that they absolutely could use my port for anesthesia. But if they found during the procedure that I needed fluids more quickly than the port could provide, they would then start a line. Of course, I hope that won't be necessary. I am a hard stick on the best of days and when fully hydrated. Given that I can't drink or eat after 7 AM, my veins will no doubt have shriveled up. And given that there was trouble starting an IV line for the insertion of my power port in late December, who knows what kind of condition my veins will be in?
At least I learned that there are limits to the speed with which a port can bring in fluid.
Dr. M also answered my questions about how best to prep my lymphedemic arm for surgery. We agreed that I should bandage instead of wearing my sleeve and glove. I like this not only because I can leave my arm wrapped for longer periods of time (and can sleep all night this way if needed). It would completely freak me out to find, for instance, that they had to cut the very expensive sleeve for any reason. In a situation like that, who cares about the cheaper fleece and padding?
Pre-op phone call
I really don't remember going through all this pre-op stuff in advance of scheduled surgery the last time I had a procedure. yesterday I had booked 30 minutes to take a phone call from a nurse. She wanted to review my entire medical history as known at Swedish, which goes back to 1988, before I moved to Seattle. (I imported medical records from my time in Washington DC.)
The nurse also reviewed my current meds, did a screening for domestic violence ("Are you safe where you are now?"), asked if I take any recreational drugs, and generally kept me talking for almost an hour.
The funny part was that even with all the information this nurse had available, much of it was wrong. Wrong date for a procedure. Wrong procedure, right date. Same procedure entered three separate times but listed differently each time. I realize some of this was due to the merger between Swedish and Providence hospitals, but really! Why wasn't the confusion cleared up the last time I had surgery, in 2005?
The nurse also reviewed my current meds, did a screening for domestic violence ("Are you safe where you are now?"), asked if I take any recreational drugs, and generally kept me talking for almost an hour.
The funny part was that even with all the information this nurse had available, much of it was wrong. Wrong date for a procedure. Wrong procedure, right date. Same procedure entered three separate times but listed differently each time. I realize some of this was due to the merger between Swedish and Providence hospitals, but really! Why wasn't the confusion cleared up the last time I had surgery, in 2005?
January 27, 2010
Pre-op appointment
I met with the GYN for a pre-op conversation today. There's been some hoohah. It was tough to get an appointment within Rik's travel plans but they were able to fit me in. I learned yesterday that they needed to draw blood for labs and had just had my port accessed for zometa on Monday. If they had told me when scheduling, it could all have been done in advance. Yesterday's mail contained the hospital's pre-op instruction sheet. Thankfully it arrived in advance of today's visit with the doc so I could review and ask the appropriate questions.
Dr. F has a good bedside manner and lots of experience, so I plan to trust her with my life. I like how she looked at my tummy and said, "Oh, you have a tiny belly button. It'll be a bit bigger after this." And "I didn't hear a heart murmur. Let me listen again." She listens well. When I told her I was prone to infection, she was able to change her usual practice regarding antibiotics and bump up the dose for me.
I think I am as ready as can be. I bought the special pre-surgical scrub, Hibiclens. I have to take a shower the night before and the morning of the procedure (so I will be very clean). Because the surgery is scheduled for 3 PM, I can get up early that morning and eat some breakfast. Otherwise it would be a long fast from midnight until late afternoon. I am allowed to take pain and anti-anxiety meds with a sip of water if I am uncomfortable or stressed that day. I will be cleared to drive as soon as I feel well enough to do so.
It's hard to prepare for surgery but I think I have done my part. And my doc told me she appreciates a patient who takes charge!
Dr. F has a good bedside manner and lots of experience, so I plan to trust her with my life. I like how she looked at my tummy and said, "Oh, you have a tiny belly button. It'll be a bit bigger after this." And "I didn't hear a heart murmur. Let me listen again." She listens well. When I told her I was prone to infection, she was able to change her usual practice regarding antibiotics and bump up the dose for me.
I think I am as ready as can be. I bought the special pre-surgical scrub, Hibiclens. I have to take a shower the night before and the morning of the procedure (so I will be very clean). Because the surgery is scheduled for 3 PM, I can get up early that morning and eat some breakfast. Otherwise it would be a long fast from midnight until late afternoon. I am allowed to take pain and anti-anxiety meds with a sip of water if I am uncomfortable or stressed that day. I will be cleared to drive as soon as I feel well enough to do so.
It's hard to prepare for surgery but I think I have done my part. And my doc told me she appreciates a patient who takes charge!
January 22, 2010
Surgery scheduled
I just got the call from the surgery scheduler with a date for the hysterectomy - luckily, well before Rik is supposed to lead that student tour to northern Ireland. I'll stay overnight in the hospital and have been told to expect a quick recovery since this will be a laparoscopic procedure.
I am relieved to have a date and glad to have this settled sooner rather than later!
I am relieved to have a date and glad to have this settled sooner rather than later!
January 21, 2010
Hadassah medical personnel on the front lines of Haitian relief efforts
This press release from Hadassah came to my email in box today. I am so proud to be a life member of Hadassah!
(January 20) Israel was among the first responders to the crisis in Haiti last week, sending IDF rescue troops and medical personnel from Hadassah and other hospitals within days of the devastating earthquake. Because of Israel’s long experience with bombs and terror attacks, the army and medical community are expert at handling emergency rescue and medical crises.
Hadassah is proud that doctors and an OR nurse from Hadassah Medical Organization are among the personnel that, in short order, set up a tent hospital that includes surgical and medical departments, two operating rooms, an intensive care unit, an emergency room and a maternity ward. Translators accompanied the Israeli contingent to aid doctors. The hospital is set on a soccer field in Port-au-Prince.
After setting up the hospital equipment, the doctors worked the first 36 hours straight, operating on more than 70 patients and treating countless others for infection, first aid, broken bones and more.
Doctor Shir Dar, an OBGYN from Hadassah Ein Kerem, delivered the first baby born at the Israeli field hospital--a joyful sign of life amid so much death and destruction. The grateful mother said she will name her son Israel.
Also working at the field hospital from Hadassah are orthopedic surgeon and anesthesiologist Dr. Taras Shirov; Dr. Revital Hivert of the Department of Prosthodontics; and OR nurse Reuven Gelfond from Mt. Scopus.
When the hospital ran out of bone screws needed to treat fractured limbs, the resourceful Nurse Gelfond located a nearby factory and guided them to create the screws from simple nails.
At Hadassah, healthcare is our heritage, and it is rewarding to know that every day we deliver the most advanced medical care in the Middle East. We have reached out often to relieve suffering around the world—from humanitarian rescue in Southeast Asia to the earthquake in Turkey, from AIDS care for children in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan to lifesaving pediatric heart surgery in China.
In Haiti we continue our work, building bridges to peace through medicine.
Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
50 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019
May her memory be a blessing
Baruch dayan emet, blessed is the true Judge.
We heard today that Rik's grandmother passed away early this morning. Marcelle Gignac Ingelrelst Smith was 97, a French Canadian from Montreal, and the last of 23 siblings.
Marcelle always had the most fabulous smile. Rik took this photo when she met her great-grandson Marcus for the first time.
I asked my mother-in-law to tell me more about the feisty, independent woman Rik called "Nanny."
Marcelle was born into a large French-Canadian family. From the ages of 5 - 14, she lived in a boarding home run by Catholic nuns and only made one visit to the family home when her mother died. She had a golden voice but her father would not permit her to perform. Consequently, she developed a strong spirit of independence and married at 22 to a man who would let her be herself.
Her beautiful voice led her to take singing lessons. She later performed in a radio soap opera. Marcelle picked up the string bass and performed in three symphonies in Montreal. She was one of the first women musicians to play Carnegie Hall with the Montreal Women's Symphony in 1947.
Nanny had a wonderful marriage to Richard Ingelrelst. They were active curlers, tennis players and bowlers. Their daughter, Carmen Josee, later named her own first born (Rik) after her father. Marcelle was widowed at the age of 49. She later moved to Florida where she worked for the Jordan Marsh department store as an epicure and sommeliere. In Florida she met and was married to Ray Smith for 20 years until his death in 1992.
Nanny started yoga in her 30s and continued her practice for 60 years. She took up china painting at age 73. She truly lived her life in the arts.
When I met Nanny she was 82 and Rik told me she was frail. She travelled alone by airplane from Florida to Seattle for our wedding, and got off the plane wearing a chic suit in pink (her favorite color) and high heels. Feisty would be a better word to describe Nanny!
Zichrona l'vracha, may her memory be a blessing.
We heard today that Rik's grandmother passed away early this morning. Marcelle Gignac Ingelrelst Smith was 97, a French Canadian from Montreal, and the last of 23 siblings.
Marcelle always had the most fabulous smile. Rik took this photo when she met her great-grandson Marcus for the first time.
I asked my mother-in-law to tell me more about the feisty, independent woman Rik called "Nanny."
Marcelle was born into a large French-Canadian family. From the ages of 5 - 14, she lived in a boarding home run by Catholic nuns and only made one visit to the family home when her mother died. She had a golden voice but her father would not permit her to perform. Consequently, she developed a strong spirit of independence and married at 22 to a man who would let her be herself.
Her beautiful voice led her to take singing lessons. She later performed in a radio soap opera. Marcelle picked up the string bass and performed in three symphonies in Montreal. She was one of the first women musicians to play Carnegie Hall with the Montreal Women's Symphony in 1947.
Nanny had a wonderful marriage to Richard Ingelrelst. They were active curlers, tennis players and bowlers. Their daughter, Carmen Josee, later named her own first born (Rik) after her father. Marcelle was widowed at the age of 49. She later moved to Florida where she worked for the Jordan Marsh department store as an epicure and sommeliere. In Florida she met and was married to Ray Smith for 20 years until his death in 1992.
Nanny started yoga in her 30s and continued her practice for 60 years. She took up china painting at age 73. She truly lived her life in the arts.
When I met Nanny she was 82 and Rik told me she was frail. She travelled alone by airplane from Florida to Seattle for our wedding, and got off the plane wearing a chic suit in pink (her favorite color) and high heels. Feisty would be a better word to describe Nanny!
Zichrona l'vracha, may her memory be a blessing.
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