A Meltdown and some Highlights:
warning: this is long....
So yesterday was my first major meltdown.
More like a volcanic reaction really. It centered around problems refilling my prescription for the pain meds. I’m not sure if anyone else has had this problem but it gets complicated when you try filling a narcotic based prescription across state lines. I’m in NJ my surgeon’s office and hospital is in NYC. The prescription has to be written in NYC then mailed to me and it all has to be timed when the bottle is almost empty. They’ve been FED EXing the prescription, my husband then fills it at a pharmacy that keeps it in stock, the one close to us does not, they order it in and it takes about 5 days. There was a miscommunication in the office as I tried to take care of this last week. The prescription didn’t arrive when it should have and I had to call the office again. I was afraid that I was going to run out before I was able to get the prescription. Why did I have to keep fighting this? I felt like a drug user trying to get my fix! I hate being on these pain meds to begin, with and now I have to fight to get them. I blew up over the phone and that’s when the volcano erupted!
I think it was everything, not just that. Last week I had a cleaning service come in and they did a subpar job, and they also managed to break my beloved ceramic frog! I made them come back. They missed vacuuming one room, didn’t clean the dishwasher, my countertop was not clean… Anyway, the Office Manager made sure the prescription got out, and I did receive them, FED EX, late yesterday. I also was told that the aspiration had not been scheduled. I ended up emailing my surgeon this morning so I’m now waiting to hear back.
Soon after that, I dropped a container of nuts all over the kitchen floor!
So many nuts and I was helpless to sweep and clean it up on my own. So the eruption continued! Every little thing then set me off. My husband was kind. He ran out to fill the prescription, we had a late, light dinner and two glasses of wine, not my small one glass I’ve been trying to stick with. We cleaned up, then I retired for the rest of the night up in bed.
So, there you go. I guess it was bound to happen.
Updates – So the Gababentin I began for the nerve pain has helped a little but not like I hoped. My pain level is still around an 8 in the mornings, some evenings it gets to an 8 as well. It’s a shame that I have a hard time relaxing in the evening with my husband in the family room. My body hurts, my legs bother me, I can’t get comfortable. So I end up in bed and that helps until I fall asleep. I take the pain meds and the Gababentin an hour before bed.
-I still get up a few times to go to the bathroom. Apparently, I’ve been snoring a lot. My husband is so good, he just puts up with it. I tell him to go to the other room but he never does.
-Mornings are the worst until I get the pain meds going and 2 Advils. Soon after, I take the Gababentin. For the rest of the day, I function OK – maybe the pain levels at a 5/6. I feel best when I accomplish some goals.
Highlights:
We had some nice days and I was able to go out and sit on the deck enjoying the fresh, crisp air. It was heavenly! The sun was warm, the gentle breeze was invigorating, I could hear neighbors out and about, a few walking their dogs wearing only tee shirts or a light jacket. I was cuddled in my winter jacket and still felt a bit chilled. I could only guess that my body wasn’t used to being outdoors.
-I actually managed to get out to our mail box to retrieve the mail! This required me walking down the basement steps with crutches, then walking up our steep driveway to the mailbox. I managed the journey down the driveway with care. So proud of myself!
This weekend I hope to take another giant step. We are doing work on a rental property we bought. Started a lot before my operation. I thought I would be able to get back to it doing light work and had that lined up, but that didn’t happen. My husband has taken over the whole job. My daughter and husband helped a few weekends. But it’s been killing me not to help out. We are kind of ‘fixer uppers’. We have one condo, this is our second. The house we live in has been totally restored, very rarely do we use contractors unless a job is too big for us to handle. I sew, do crafty things, and restore stuff. I did a lot of fun things for my daughter’s wedding back in September, then we bought this condo, I didn’t think the operation would stop me as much as it has.
--I am now waiting to hear back from my surgeon.
As for the ceramic frog the cleaning people broke, they want to replace it rather than reimburse me for the cost. I didn’t handle this properly at the time, but the review I will write will not be a pleasant one.
This has been very cathartic folks! Feel better today!
Blessings to all,
Heal, Flourish and Thrive!
Debbie
United States
I took extra pain meds but all that did was upset my stomach a few hours later. I think I put out warnings to everyone who was signing me in for the procedure - be careful! The radiologist who first brought me in detected my discomfort and took every measure possible to make me comfortable. He was my friend from beginning to end! I was glad to have him standing by because it seemed the Dr. performing the procedure just wanted to complete the task without regard for patient comfort. We exchanged conversation about my infection but no matter how I tried to explain my story, he would rearrange the events so it made sense to him! 
I became annoyed with him and I could feel myself wanting to start an argument to get my story straight, and then saw the needle. I think the need for his steady hand was more important than getting my story straight so that ended that.:rolleyes:
