Received final instructions today. First must be in Cleveland by 6:45am on Monday, and being it's an hour drive up there..we'll leave about 5:30. I will yell "Hi Sylvie" when I get up at 4:45!
Surgery is to be over at 9:30am, so that's 2 and a half hours of tinkering in my wrist and hand. Should have about an hour in Recovery Room, then the OR nurse said I could likely go home, unless they had to go to a General Anesthesia. Hmmm.
so, that's it. Have almost everything in place, just want to redo the sheets tomorrow and put them right back on the bed. Might need help pulling the corners over the edges of the bottom sheet.
Loretta, i am with you al the way my love. It will be ok. You are 12 hours behind us aren't you so your 5.30am is my pm. I wil keep posting you my blogs as i know you will be reading them,will try to find funny things to amuse you through the pain of recovery. Do you have a phone number is so message me and i will give you a ring.
Thanks, Sylvi, you are such a sweetie. Actually, I think we are about 5 hours difference, you get the sunrise first so, if it's 5:30 here, it's already 10:30 , mid-morning there.
And you stay out of trouble!! I don't want to have to read of your suffering and I won't be able to type as much to give you love and hugs and encouraging words. Keep smiling..L.xxx
Ohh, and it'll still be dark at 5.45am, how miserable. But are you having all this under local anesthetic? If so, a big UGH and amazement at your bravery. But at least it should mean that you're home early and can tuck yourself up and rest. I'll think of you as I go to bed, as I think you're only about 5 hours time difference? Px
Yes, we are about 5 hours time difference, you get the sunrise first. Well...if it's 5 am here, it's 10 am there, so you would be in mid-morning, not going to bed???. Maybe. oh, whatever
Yes, it is a local anesthetic, done by putting a blood pressure cuff on the upper arm and pummping it up as high as they can, he said it would be the worst pain I feel. I remember from previous hand repairs. Then they shoot the anesthesia in, and somewhere along the way, they give me a relaxant drug, which I recall the last time I babbled on and on about everything , But don't remember what I said. I'll bet that team gets a kick out of what people babble about. Maybe it's that truth serum!! Good thing I'm not in the CIA! L.xxx
Loret, it's obvious that you are feeling 'maybe I dont want to do this' we all do before an op. but deep down you know it makes sense to go ahead with it. (My explanation for how you are feeling at the moment is "having a fit of the colly wobbles")
(Hope that's not considered rude in the USA)
I feel so rested when I come round after a general anasetic (sorry can't spell that) - not sure if it calms me down or if it's due to relief that it's over and done with'.
Once I fainted and when I came round from I felt so calm and rested. (Nothing stranger than folks as they say).
Consider this: if you dont have it done nothing will change and you will always wonder if it would have helped whereas if you do have it done you should feel the benefit from it iin a few weeks time.
Sure there will be bad days when you feel like crying 'cause you are struggling to do something but then things should gradually get better. (My worst tearful day is 3 days after a general anasetic and after that my moods gets better - well, as best as mine ever get!).
We need to find you a good old English saying to make you laugh when you can't manage to do something - will try to get my brain into gear and find you one.
My love and best wishes (and a great big hug) across the miles.
Thanks, Judi. I did consider all these facts of course, and I know I don't have much choice, so I'll get on with it.
One thing nagging me is that I may have this arm and hand in a hard cast for longer than I first thought. He did say i should be good to garden and dig in the dirt by May or June. If I can have a thumb and a couple fingers free, I will be fine. OR nurse said probably not for the first week. OKie dokie, I can manage that!
As you say a thumb and a finger or two and you will be fine.
Because of RA we find different ways to do things and often dont even realise we have.
In my case a recent example was when my husband and I were boxing up loads of 'stuff/junk' (books and etc.), my husband struggled with lifting boxes once they were filled, I on the other hand grabbed a few books at a time, walked them to where the empty box was and packed them that way. Ok I did more walking but it didn't break my back. My husband looked on bewildered and just for once, speechless.
Returning to the subject - If the hard cast is similar to those used over here to mend broken bones, have a long thin stick (knitting needle?) handy for when the arm gets itchy!
Bet you will be pottering in the garden long before May/June. (Maybe not digging too much but definitely pottering)
You take care Loret, we are all thinking of you and want to hear how you are getting on as soon as you can let us know.
Aw, thanks, Judi, I will be thinking of all of you tomorrow too. I will attempt to use one hand to let you all know I made it, sometime tomorrow night. That's the plan anyways
You are right, I'll be out in the garden soon, and if needed, I could dig with my left hand..I should have already started some flower seeds, but was afraid they might not get watered enough when they need it. Think I will now just plant them to a container. It's Baby's Breath, a little tiny white flower, would drape over the edge of a hanging basket very nicely.
'Tis the season for plans and intentions isn't it? L.xxx
You call it 'baby's breath' we call it 'gypsophila'. You can grow it .... I have never managed it! (Just one of those plants for me unfortunately). They also call it baby's breath in Australia - next door neighbours son married an Australian girl and that's where I first heard it called baby's breath. (My late Mum referred to a plant called 'gyp' and for years I really didn't know to which plant she was referring).
Your hanging basket will look lovely. Also I think vases full of baby's breath needs no other flowers in it - I also like a vase full of feverfew (small white daisy like flowers) and nothing else, it give's the same delicate effect (you probably have a different name for feverfew as well).
Our back garden had to be dug up 2 summers ago because our neighbours drains broke (their drain runs along the back of our garden) and I lost most of nearly everything I had planted over the past 30 odd years. It was a shame but in the end we decided to re-do the complete back garden which we did last summer. We replaced grass with gravel and flower beds with tubs which we will be planting up soon I hope. My husband also has health problems so as little grass mowing as possible is now the order of the day.
Thinking of you xxxx
Judi
Yep I think it's only 5 hours time difference as well - possibly 6? At any rate all will be fine and the recovery is much quicker if you have it under local of course. And it means you can watch your lovely surgeon at work but you don't have to watch what is going on on your wrist because you'll be lying down I imagine?
My son had his owl tattoo yesterday and sent me a pic - it's bizarre! It's huge and takes up most of his upper arm - fits in perfectly and the drum sticks wrap around his bicep. I'm torn between complete admiration because he conceded it was pure agony (and yes he knows it's self-inflicted of course!) but also slight horror too because I don't like tattoos at all. I can't believe how well the tattooist has interpreted my drawing though it's weird.
Sorry to diversify - hope you have a good weekend and don't overdo it on the hospital corners (bed linen corners if this is UK speak) you hear?! It will work wonders I'm sure. Tilda xx
in reply to
A little bit a problem with the fitted bottom sheet..it has elastic around the corners, so it fits wonderfuly flat and tight, but pulling that last corner over the mattress can be a challange.
I like to do "hospital corners" on the top sheet.
You can be very proud that the tattoo artist duplicated your owl. I didn't picture it being that big, I thought maybe a little owl up on his shoulder would be OK, cute, because his Mum designed it.
Hello Loret its an early start, you are all organised and by the time you get there you will be glad to get it over and done with. All the best will be thinking about you.
Good luck Loret, as Judi says it's a relief when you wake up in recovery, natural to be anxious.
Will be thinking of you and can't wait to hear how it goes, my wrist will need some thing done eventually, have had so many steroid injections they can't be a solution in long term.
Such good luck for tomorrow. You're so brave,its bad enough having injections in your wrist! You seem very organised so I'm sure you'll manage very well. Thoughts and prayers coming your way. Take care . Tricia xxxxx
good luck for your op and wishing you a speedy recovery. love the pussy cat i had one very similar but with short hair when i was a kid. she was really butch and stalked round the garden like a bull dog
Thanks Bridget knows she is queen of the domain here, she never goes outside, but in the Spring or Summer, she seems to know when there is a tom cat outside, and runs from one window to the next to follow him ! But she's been fixed, so I wouldn't think she would know a tom cat from a girlfriend!
I so know how you feel!! I was complaining about a 3 to 4 weeks recovery period after my impending wrist surgery as it's going to be really difficult to manage the kids one handed wrong handed (they're only 3 and 6yrs) and of course I was worried about having so much time off work until my surgeon pointed out that I could either let him go in now, clean it out and see what's going on with my extensor tendon and plan around that eventuality or I could wait for the tendon to rupture have emergency surgery and then a six MONTH recovery period!! When he put it like that it was a pretty easy decision to make!
Hope all goes well for you - will be thinking of you. xx
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Keep smiling..L.xxx
I don't know what to do! 
How do you get your head around the fact you have RA?
Rheumy today - tests tests tests!
Waking Headaches Part 2
back in hospital again!
