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Monday, June 30, 2014

I'm so ready to move on!

I wish I could say that this recovery continued as smoothly as it began, but the last week has been borderline awful. I'm so ready to move on from this phase of recovery!

It kind of went like this:
Draining wound => Fever, chills, short illness => Bactrim DS prescription => Terrible oral ulcers, mostly under the tongue, a Bactrim side effect => Guyon's Canal Syndrome

Guyon's Canal Syndrome is basically a pinched ulnar nerve, thanks to pressure on the palms while on crutches. It's not the end of the world, but my pinky fingers are numb and my palms ache. It makes using crutches tough. Now I'm working with crutches I can't use, and I can barely speak thanks to mouth sores. Not exactly a picnic.

Oh, and finally my hip started complaining a little. I'm probably putting a little pressure on it because I'm struggling with the crutches, and it aches and pinches. I was worried that I'm feeling a pinch right where I felt pain before the surgery, but I think that's normal - after all, that's where the work was done! A really nice member of Varsity Sports, my running group, emailed me about her surgery last year. I've never met her before (we're a large group and I only run with them for Monday track) but she saw my post to the group about surgery and reached out to me. I asked her about the pain and she said she felt the same thing, and it takes a long time to return to normal. She's 9 months out and still in PT, although she's finally back to running, so that is a sobering lesson to me to not expect too much, too soon.

This weekend I had to go to a nephew's birthday party at that hell-hole, Chuck E Cheese's, and the theme was Transformers. I impressed by being the only grown up in a Transformer costume:
I transform into a wheelchair, I suppose.

Speaking of costumes, dressing with the brace has been a bit of a challenge. One look I like is a tight undershirt or camisole that stays put under the brace, then a boxy crop top over it. It sort of minimizes the brace. You can't really tell in this picture...which is the point. I just look a little lumpy.
Those are wedges, but yes, I have definitely worn heels while on crutches! 

I still feel like a blob in an awkward brace, but at least I'm a coordinated slob in a trendy crop top.

11 comments:

  1. Hang in there!!! It pains me to see you like this, but patience is going to be your biggest virtue. You will get through this!!

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  2. Ugh, you poor thing!!!!!! Hang tough!

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    1. Trying. Almost ended up in the ER with the Bactrim.

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  3. I think you look really cute. You're doing a good job minimizing the brace and being fashionable. I could learn from you"!

    I'm sorry recovery is getting worse. Maybe that easier beginning was a little of a curse bc it probably led you to expect things to be smoother. Hopefully this difficult stage is over SOON.

    I feel you on the ulnar nerve thing. That's a side effect of long bike rides, too. After my first Dirty Kanza my pinky and ring finger were so numb that I couldn't hold a knife to cut my meat, and typing was an adventure. Adding some padding to my handlebars helped somewhat. I wonder if you could beef up the padding for your hands on your crutches? That and slightly varying hand position. Anyway, good luck!

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    1. Good idea if I wasn't getting off them this week I'd buy pads for the crutches. As it is, I will try modifying my grip somewhat.

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  4. I think you have managed to look cute in crutches, but I also had people say the same thing to me when I was in the boot and I wanted to punch them because I felt so frumpy. I hope that the worst is behind you and that you really start to heal!

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  5. If only you could lie around for your recovery and be waited on by Nubian slaves wearing loin cloths. It's such a buzz-kill to have to go to work incapacitated.

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    1. It is. Yesterday was a nightmare. I couldn't enunciate well, so phone conversations were horrid, and I'm still crutching around.

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  6. My grandson had his bday party at Charles' place this year ... uhhhh living breathing nightmarish bacteria. Might as well lick a public restroom floor ... same difference as eating there. What transformer were you? Pharmatron?

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    1. I make it a point to never eat inside that building and avoid contact with any surface.

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