THR Deep Breath Reporting for Recovery Duty

[Hipster Girl]

So true about eating small meals throughout the day. It also keeps the blood sugar and metabolism steady and is great for controlling weight.
@Hip Hip Hooray! so glad your hips are feeling better!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Thanks @DeepBreath. I like to graze, too. The gung ho part of me want to try doing a half set of Bikram yoga, but I'm doing a lighter, easier class instead. It's not worth it to upset the hip tissue. Hope you are doing well...

 

[DeepBreath]

@Hip Hip Hooray! Oh man...those gung-ho days. I hear you. I put on my earbuds and start my exercise playlist and feel capable of walking for miles and doing much more than basic exercises. I know I'll pay for it though if I'm not careful. You are so right: balance.
I'm feeling good, thank you.

I saw this meme on Facebook today and thought, YES!

 

[Miss Muffet]

Hi @DeepBreath - how's the head now? The mention of dappled sunlight bringing on an aura definitely rings true, especially when driving past rows of trees in bright sunlight. I plonk on really good quality sunglasses as soon as the sun is out (it does happen sometimes in England).
And hormones are equally responsible - whoever invented them has a lot to answer for

 

[Hipster Girl]

ooh I LOVE that @DeepBreath! I have printed that out and put it on my refrigerator where I will see it every day!

 

[DeepBreath]

@Miss Muffet, the head's doing good, thank you. I felt a little 'draggy' for a couple of days after having the aura, but am back to normal now. I'm not sure if it was actually due to the aura incident or if it was my allergies, which had been kicking up the past week or so.
I was extremely glad that I didn't have another aura while driving through the dappled sunlight. I can see how it would have the possibility of bringing one on.
Amen about the hormones! They are sneaky devils!
I hope you're feeling good, friend!

@Hipster Girl, I'm glad you like it. I saw it and thought, "You need to look at that when you're in a ho-hum phase'. It's so true!


The Boy and I went out to brunch today and then did a big grocery shopping. I got a huge batch of kale. I'm thinking of making some kale chips. Does anybody have a favorite kale recipe they'd be willing to share?

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @DeepBreath, Glad to hear you went out to brunch with your son. It always feels good to get a big shop done.

I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. It's so helpful to remember all that we can do now compared to last year. Thanks for posting that photo. I was thinking about that as I rode my bike today. I had to stop riding it last year. I couldn't mount and dismount. Now it's easy.

Enjoy your kale!

 

[Hipster Girl]

@DeepBreath glad to hear you are feeling back to normal after the aura incident. So true about the hormones - it's amazing how much they can affect our well-being.

The brunch and grocery shopping with your son sounds fun. I remember when my son was younger how much we did together. I have already told him that for Mother's Day, get ready because I am claiming him for the whole day - his girlfriend will have to step aside for this one day

 

[DeepBreath]

@Hip Hip Hooray! I'm so glad you're enjoying riding your bike again. That is an activity I have always enjoyed, but haven't had a bike in years. Perhaps for my birthday this year I should treat myself to one.

@Hipster Girl, good for you for claiming your son for the whole day! He sounds like a sweetheart. How do you get along with his girlfriend? (Sorry for being nosy) I often wonder how I'll react when my son gets a steady girlfriend when he's an adult. I admit to being rather Momma Bear when it comes to him and will expect the very best for him.

The last two mornings when I've let my doggie girl out, there have been deer in the copse of trees in front of our house. I love that! They stop and stare at Gracie and Gracie stares at them. Then she goes about her business as do the deer. It's so cute.

 

[Hipster Girl]

@DeepBreath I bet that's adorable with Gracie and the deer

Oh I'm a total Momma Bear too so I can totally relate to that. I actually really like my son's girlfriend. She's got her head on straight. She's very responsible and mature for her age and challenges him to be the best he can be. In my experience, I think it's true that boys don't mature as quickly as girls. My son hasn't been the most responsible and it cost him a full-ride college scholarship and it's just taken him awhile to mature I think. He has me on the one hand and her on the other, and between the both of us, we keep him on the right track. She seems really good for him.

They say that boys tend to grow up to marry someone like their mother. In your case, if that happens, your son will find a truly amazing young lady!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @DeepBreath, The deer sound beautiful. They take my breath away...I love their presence. I think it would be great if you got a bike for yourself for your birthday. It's such a thrilling feeling to ride pain free. Before this surgery, I thought that I would never ride again. Now it's something that I do each morning.

 

[DeepBreath]

@Hipster Girl, aww, thank you for the kind words. Exact same goes for you! I'm glad you like your son's girlfriend. She does sound wonderful. I completely agree with the 'boys mature more slowly than girls' theory. By this age with my daughter, she was working part time as a volunteer at the local SPCA because she knew she wanted to eventually work with animals in some capacity and she wanted to get some practical training in. I honestly don't think my son has an inkling what he'd like to do when he grows up (aside from being in the NBA - errr, probably not going to happen, son )
Gosh though, looking back I didn't have a clue in my 20's. I just kind of floated around.

@Hip Hip Hooray! the deer are breathtaking. I love how we live in a suburban area but there's enough wooded land where you can enjoy sights like deer, squirrels, and a variety of birds. We have a male and female cardinal who nest in the trees right in front of our house. I love catching that brilliant flash of red. I've noticed hawks circling around as well. I know I probably sound goofy because when I see the deer so close I talk to them. They look at me with their ears perked, likely thinking, "What???"
I agree about the bike. I'm really considering it!

I will be getting back into working with our family readiness group on post starting this week. Basically, it's a lot of meetings and brainstorming. I feel the urge to jump in and offer my help.
I'm also thinking it might be time to start tackling the garage.
Because of these things I'll probably not be on the forum as regularly, so if you don't see me as much - no worries. I will be checking in on my hippie friends though!
I hope you all have a terrific week!

 

[Hipster Girl]

Awww @DeepBreath, we will miss seeing you around here as much but excited for you that you are getting back to your volunteer work - it sounds very fulfilling and something you are very well suited for! And, after all, that is what this surgery is all about - to get us back to living our lives. Wishing you all the best in your exciting new endeavor!


Big Hugs, Friend!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @DeepBreath, Thanks for telling us. That's great. I need to clean my shed, too. I should probably do the same thing. I spend too much time on line.

I don't think it's weird at all that you talk to the deer. I do the same thing. They cock their heads and listen. Animals are so in tune...

 

[Readysetgo]

@DeepBreath - I loved your "year ago" meme!! I am really starting to feel that way with little things in my recovery now. I can grocery shop at a good clip instead of crawling through the aisles. I can pick up my daughter at school without limping across the parking lot in pain, groaning about the door being so far away.

Have you and Gracie seen the deer again? We have deer, too, but only occasionally so it is always a special treat to see their graceful bodies in our yard!

Don't worry about not being on BS as much. It's hard to do when other things in life start knocking at your door. Congrats on going back to your very valuable volunteer work. If you feel the "urge to jump in", then it certainly sounds like the right time to go back to it! I hope the meetings and brainstorming go really well. I'm starting work on May 17th so I am already feeling the pressure to get organized for that. Plus I am trying to get the summer stuff for the family set up now so I'm not scrambling at the last minute with camp, vacation and work schedules.

And good luck with the garage, too! It'll be a lot of work I'm sure, but will be so rewarding when it's done! I have done a ton of purging with our house since I started my THR's. It's nice not to have to think "What IS in the back of that drawer anyway??" My daughter is growing like a weed so I've had to donate a bunch of things that don't fit her anymore. I went through my clothes and donated things that aren't "me" anymore. I went through all our paper files and threw out tons of unnecessary papers. My husband likes to get rid of things, too , so he got inspired and threw out a bunch of his work catalogs and paperwork and organized the shed.

Hope you're having a good day and all the new activities are going great!

 

[Cynthia777]

@DeepBreath
I'm so sorry I'm not getting most of my alerts and my mind hasn't fully recovered from my recent THR. I know I wrote you on FB about the aura migraine, but I just want to mention (after having read your more detailed description here) that your experience sounds almost exactly like my aura migraines. I don't get them often, but I've had them for several years now (probably 20 or so years). Mine start with a zig-zaggity line in my peripheral vision (affecting one or both eyes) and it seems as though the lines become more pronounced and start moving to the center of my vision. Then they slowly subside after about 15 minutes. Afterwards I feel like I've run a marathon (so exhausted) and I feel a mild pressure in my head (it never progresses to a full blown headache). I also feel mildly nauseated afterwards. Mine seem to be triggered when I've over exerted my eyes by reading too much or reading very small print too long. My doctor told me to always take a couple of Tylenol at the first sign of the aura, to help avoid the after headache that can occur. Hopefully yours is a one time event.
I'm happy you are getting on with life, but saddened that I won't see you as much. You've been a wonderful friend and a great inspiration! xoxoxoxo's!!!!!

 

[DeepBreath]

@Cynthia777, thank you for sharing your migraine aura experience. It is unsettling, isn't it? I honestly do think that eye strain could possibly have contributed to mine, as well as the intense flashing lights of the movie.
Luckily, so far so good as far as recurrence goes. I'm going to see an optometrist at the end of the month just to double check my eyes. My vision is just so much better with my new glasses. Hopefully that will help with any eye strain issue. Also, I'm not online nearly as much as I was a couple of weeks back.

Well, I went to my appointment with my allergist today. I told my husband in a half joking manner on the way there that what the doc would probably say is, "Eh, it didn't kill you...so it's all good".
The doctor didn't say those exact words, but that honestly was the gist. He didn't really have any clue as to what it could be. I had written down a detailed account of my experience with the issue so he could read it. I find that a better way to go as I can really think about what I want a doctor to know rather than just trying to keep it all in my head. He glanced at my notes, but didn't really read them. He was very nice and he was the on-call doc for the day. During my appointment he had to excuse himself because another patient had passed out in another treatment room.
He put in a referral for me to see a dermatologist to see if anything clicked with them. He said if that doesn't bring about any answers then he'll try giving me the drugs I was given post op, one at a time, to see if another reaction occurs. I know that's pretty typical with allergy testing, but I'm not terribly anxious to experience the reaction again. I'm going to go back to the hospital next week, (hubby is going to have a radiofrequency ablation on his spine and it will take a bit while he undergoes that) so I am going to go to the Anesthesia department and request a list of meds given to me by them during my surgeries. That med list is on a whole different system than my post op med list and for some reason seems very hard to obtain. I guess I'm going to have to go 'Squeaky Wheel' on them.
So, no answers, but still searching.
The great news is that we had to park quite a ways away from the entrance to the hospital and then walk all over the hospital and I felt great while doing that.
I'm doing about 15 minutes on the treadmill, basic PT exercises, and several Pilates exercises 6 days per week and so far am tolerating it well.
I hope all my buddies are doing great. You all are in my prayers as you travel your journeys.

 

[Cynthia777]

You're doing very well @DeepBreath! So good to hear! Finding your allergy via trying each drug again seems kind of scary. I don't blame you for dreading it. Hopefully the dermatologist will have a lightbulb go off in his head when you visit him. I always prefer older doctors, as they've seen so much more. You can't beat clinical experience. Let's just hope you won't ever need the same drugs again in your lifetime.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @DeepBreath, I'm glad you did so well with the walking. That's wonderful. Your exercise routine sounds perfect, too. It's great that you're able to do such a variety of movements. Like you, I've been doing the basic PT stuff nearly every day. It's so effective. Congratulations on the Pilates. I know how much you love it.

I hope you find the answers you are seeking regarding the medications. I was very fortunate that my surgeon was so concerned with that before my surgery. He asked me at my first appt. about allergies, and studied my reactions and face carefully. I got the feeling that problems with the meds are very common.

I hope you are enjoying your time and home. What are you cooking these days?

 

[Hipster Girl]

Hi @DeepBreath so glad to read your update but that's a shame the doctor didn't really read your notes and had to leave the room to go tend to another patient. It is frustrating to take such detailed notes and then not feel like you have the doctor's full attention.

I don't blame you for dreading being given the drugs one at a time to see which one causes the reaction. I wouldn't be looking forward to that either. But I think they do that in a controlled setting right there in the doctor's office, don't they? So if you have a reaction, they can tend to it then and there? I have never been to an allergist before but I think I remember someone telling me that was how it worked.

I'm glad your vision is better with your new glasses. It makes sense that the eye strain might have contributed to the aura issue.
Aaargh about the medication records - why do they have to make everything so complicated

I am so excited that your walk to the hospital and in the hospital agreed with you. Sounds like you have a very sensible PT program that you have come up with that is working well for you. Great news!