This past week I saw Dr. D, she said my leg and mouth looked great - YEA! My heart did a happy dance.
As for my leg, it's still sore. It's frustrating too, I'm having trouble keeping myself comfortable. On top of that, my leg is leaving me homebound and as much I like being home and relaxing, I wouldn't mind getting some fresh air and seeing other human beings.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Surgery #5 Complete
Last week I went in for surgery #5, another bone graft. Dr. D did this surgery and took bone from my right tibia.
From all accounts the surgery went well. Dr. D told my father (not a man to be trusted with details) that the work that Dr. S had previously done had made her job easier and that the surgery had gone well. I am hopeful. I haven't been in too much pain with this surgery, which is nice.
Here are my post-op war stories -
I wake up in recovery and I have a nurse who is an idiot and doesn't even know it. She goes to take my warmer away, except I'm still cold. When I warmed up she took away the warmer but left me under a stifling number of blankets, including the plastic one that connects with the warmer. Then I get a neighbor who "can't breathe" apparently he had a chest tube and it hurt to breathe, but he was actually breathing. For anyone who has come out of surgery - you don't really care, you just want them to shut up. Of course there was some mix up with the PSA so it took a little longer then necessary to get working and shut him up. Finally the nurse comes to check on me and I asked what I had to do to get away from the guy, she laughed. I wasn't actually trying to make a joke...
3 hours goes by and I'm still in recovery. The nurse assures me she's working on my release to post-op ambulatory, but times goes by slowly (I was in front of a clock, it goes very slowly) and now I'm starting to develop pain. I tell the nurse this. I know that if I get medication that I have to stay here for a while, my thinking was that if I'm going to be stuck here another hour, give me drugs, if I'm ready to go then send me on my way. She says that as long as my pain is below a 2 I should just wait. Who the heck said anything about the pain scale? I decided I should take my chances and get away from her before she killed me.
In post-op ambulatory the nurses were much better, I even had a student nurse who was a complete sweetheart. They even gave me drugs! Then I finally got to leave and go to my parents house.
Recovery has been ok, my leg is not as sore as I expected, but I do find it's often hard to get comfortable, particularly at night when I'm trying to sleep (emphasis on the trying). But otherwise I'm progressing ok.
From all accounts the surgery went well. Dr. D told my father (not a man to be trusted with details) that the work that Dr. S had previously done had made her job easier and that the surgery had gone well. I am hopeful. I haven't been in too much pain with this surgery, which is nice.
Here are my post-op war stories -
I wake up in recovery and I have a nurse who is an idiot and doesn't even know it. She goes to take my warmer away, except I'm still cold. When I warmed up she took away the warmer but left me under a stifling number of blankets, including the plastic one that connects with the warmer. Then I get a neighbor who "can't breathe" apparently he had a chest tube and it hurt to breathe, but he was actually breathing. For anyone who has come out of surgery - you don't really care, you just want them to shut up. Of course there was some mix up with the PSA so it took a little longer then necessary to get working and shut him up. Finally the nurse comes to check on me and I asked what I had to do to get away from the guy, she laughed. I wasn't actually trying to make a joke...
3 hours goes by and I'm still in recovery. The nurse assures me she's working on my release to post-op ambulatory, but times goes by slowly (I was in front of a clock, it goes very slowly) and now I'm starting to develop pain. I tell the nurse this. I know that if I get medication that I have to stay here for a while, my thinking was that if I'm going to be stuck here another hour, give me drugs, if I'm ready to go then send me on my way. She says that as long as my pain is below a 2 I should just wait. Who the heck said anything about the pain scale? I decided I should take my chances and get away from her before she killed me.
In post-op ambulatory the nurses were much better, I even had a student nurse who was a complete sweetheart. They even gave me drugs! Then I finally got to leave and go to my parents house.
Recovery has been ok, my leg is not as sore as I expected, but I do find it's often hard to get comfortable, particularly at night when I'm trying to sleep (emphasis on the trying). But otherwise I'm progressing ok.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Good News
Last week I saw Dr. D, she said my tissue looks great and I am set for surgery on March 8.
I also met with one of the other surgeons in the office who agreed my tissue looked great. I think he's the one who take the bone for the bone grafts. We discussed where he would be taking my bone from - likely the tibia of my right leg, not my hip as Dr. D had initially said.
I also met with one of the other surgeons in the office who agreed my tissue looked great. I think he's the one who take the bone for the bone grafts. We discussed where he would be taking my bone from - likely the tibia of my right leg, not my hip as Dr. D had initially said.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
It's out, at least part of it is out
Dr. D took out the external part of the extraction device. The process went smoothly, or so I'm told. I was under anesthesia. It was so good that I slept through my appointment with Dr. F too. I barely remember all the jabbing and poking that goes with getting a new wire put in. Dr. D did tell me that the bone seemed to be growing and developing nicely from the look of the X-Ray.
At my follow up visit with Dr. D she told me everything was healing well. She did, without saying it, give me the impression that March 8th for my surgery might be too soon. She say she would let me know when she sees me this Friday. Fingers crossed.
At my follow up visit with Dr. D she told me everything was healing well. She did, without saying it, give me the impression that March 8th for my surgery might be too soon. She say she would let me know when she sees me this Friday. Fingers crossed.
Monday, December 19, 2011
A clipping
Appologies for my lack of posts. I've been to see Dr. F and Dr. D, but it was right before and after taking a vacation and then with the chaos. But here I am.
When I saw Dr. F I complained that my teeth were moving (and they hurt a lot) - he told me that was good. It seems my teeth were moving into place, imagine that. The pain has subsided and I'm able to eat again!
Dr. D was a more interesting visit. On January 20th she is going to clip out the distraction device. Small in the office procedure. She is going to leave the part of the device that is under the gums, under the gums.
Then in late February, early March she is going to do another bone graft in the area that was not covered by the distraction. At that time she will remove the part of the device that is under the gums. She said she would probably take bone from him hip - I can't wait.
When she had initially mentioned doing the bone graft I had thought it would be a smaller procedure, but when you start talking about taking from my hip I know it's not a small procedure.
When I saw Dr. F I complained that my teeth were moving (and they hurt a lot) - he told me that was good. It seems my teeth were moving into place, imagine that. The pain has subsided and I'm able to eat again!
Dr. D was a more interesting visit. On January 20th she is going to clip out the distraction device. Small in the office procedure. She is going to leave the part of the device that is under the gums, under the gums.
Then in late February, early March she is going to do another bone graft in the area that was not covered by the distraction. At that time she will remove the part of the device that is under the gums. She said she would probably take bone from him hip - I can't wait.
When she had initially mentioned doing the bone graft I had thought it would be a smaller procedure, but when you start talking about taking from my hip I know it's not a small procedure.
Monday, October 24, 2011
I turned in my screw driver
Today I turned in my screwdriver, meaning I'm done moving my distractor! It's always nice to hit a milestone. They didn't end up moving the distractor as much as I thought they would, but it's pretty darn close and now I have so much more bone.
I don't have to see Dr. D for another 3 weeks and Dr. F for 6 weeks. I nice break since I've been seeing them once or twice a week since the surgery. Dr. D said she'll do another x-ray in 8 weeks to check my progress. Until then, I feel like Madam Pomfrey in Harry Potter and trying to grow some bone - it's tough work!
I don't have to see Dr. D for another 3 weeks and Dr. F for 6 weeks. I nice break since I've been seeing them once or twice a week since the surgery. Dr. D said she'll do another x-ray in 8 weeks to check my progress. Until then, I feel like Madam Pomfrey in Harry Potter and trying to grow some bone - it's tough work!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Bones...
On my last trip to Dr. D she said that the teeth are moving fine and that although the gap in my gums has not cleared up, she said that wouldn't happen until I stop moving the teeth/bone.
Another one of the doctors from the practice was also in the room, he showed me 2 x-rays of my mouth, one from that day the other from a week ago - you could see the difference in where the teeth were.
While the two doctors were talking Dr. D mentioned that she was only going to move my teeth 2 teeth lengths, leaving the gap for the 3rd tooth. The other doctor commented that the way the bone was positioned she probably couldn't go much further anyway. The bone that is moving is more tapered at the gum line, so up in the gums it should meet up with the other bone first, never giving the bone at the bottom a chance to meet next to the other tooth. I hope that made sense.
Then she said I would need a bone graft in that gap. Ick! I'm not sure if only going the length of 2 teeth (instead of 3) is because of the bone or because of the adjustment to slowing down the movement. Either way, yuck, I don't want another bone graft.
One plus side is that I had a very small hole in the roof of my mouth and that seems to have been pushed closed with the movement of the bone and teeth, yea!
Another one of the doctors from the practice was also in the room, he showed me 2 x-rays of my mouth, one from that day the other from a week ago - you could see the difference in where the teeth were.
While the two doctors were talking Dr. D mentioned that she was only going to move my teeth 2 teeth lengths, leaving the gap for the 3rd tooth. The other doctor commented that the way the bone was positioned she probably couldn't go much further anyway. The bone that is moving is more tapered at the gum line, so up in the gums it should meet up with the other bone first, never giving the bone at the bottom a chance to meet next to the other tooth. I hope that made sense.
Then she said I would need a bone graft in that gap. Ick! I'm not sure if only going the length of 2 teeth (instead of 3) is because of the bone or because of the adjustment to slowing down the movement. Either way, yuck, I don't want another bone graft.
One plus side is that I had a very small hole in the roof of my mouth and that seems to have been pushed closed with the movement of the bone and teeth, yea!
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