No Rest for the Weary

A lot has happened over the last week between moving and recovering.  Friday I had the port inserted into my chest. The surgery wasn't bad at all. I honestly don't remember most of it. He told me what he was about to do right at the beginning and then the next thing I remember was him saying, "She is done. Just have to clean it up a little bit." During the week the surgeons told me "This is just a minor surgery", "You might feel sore or have some discomfort", "You can go back to regular activities in 24 hours". Umm...not quite. I woke up and was fine while the drugs were still in effect, but once they wore off I definitely felt it. My nurse got me a lortab, but even with that I was having a hard time sitting up to eat. So Friday I just laid in the bed unable to do much. As long as I didn't move it wasn't too bad. The worst part of the whole thing was when I was coughing. Right after the surgery when everything started breaking up...that was the worst. I really wanted to go home on Friday because I wanted to help Jason pack up the last room, but that was not a possibility. He was a little mad that I got the surgery the day before we were planning on moving, but the surgeons told me I would be fine and I really wanted to get it done this admission. If I had waited I would of had to get another picc line my next admission and then get it done. As inconvenient as it was, I think I made the right decision.

Saturday I was still sore and needed more meds, but I was feeling better so I was discharged to go home on IV meds. I could move around and do things on my own as long as I had some pain killers. Mom and gram were over helping me unpack boxes and the three of us got a lot done. We got all the stuff in the kitchen and both bathrooms put away. Unpacked everything Jay had in the closets and then some. I was able to help, but gram and mom wouldn't let me reach above my head. I was pretty sore for about three days. After that it was just a slight discomfort where I didn't need medicine anymore. Today I still feel it, but it is not painful for the most part. Only sometimes I will feel a twinge if I move a certain way. I was told it could take up to six weeks for me to not even notice it. I already don't feel some parts of it unless I touch it. The worst part of it is where the catheter goes over my collar bone. My doctor told me that bone is the most sensitive tissue and will take the longest to adapt to something foreign.

Right now I am still on antibiotics with my picc. I had to finish my two week course of antibiotics and the doctors wanted the port to heal before accessing it. I was suppose to be finished Thursday, but my PFT's only went up to 32 so we are giving it another week. An increase of five is normally good, but my baseline is normally in the high thirties low forties so we are hoping for more improvement. I have an appointment scheduled for PFT's and picc removal on Thursday. Happy that this will be my last picc line. :)

Over the week I also got a letter from Columbia. I have appointments in NYC for a Neurology Consultation, Cardiopulmonary stress test, psych evaluation and a six minute walk test. I am scheduled to meet the nutritionist, the financial coordinator, the surgeons, and more pulmonologists. Right now all of this is scheduled for three different days, August 25th, Sept 19th and October 4th. I am going to try and at least get the Neurology consult in August switched to one of the other days. We will have to see about that though. I was also sent scripts for the tests that I can get done in Buffalo. The scripts include an Upper Gastrointestinal series, CT scan of the chest without contract, Quantitative V/Q scan, EKG, CXR PA/ LAT, complete set of PFT's with lung volumes, DEXA scan, right heart catheterization and an echocardiogram. I am not sure what all of these entail, let alone what some of these are, but as I get them done I will talk about them. So it is looking like I am going to be pretty busy for a little while. Between getting settled in our new place and all the appointments I have my work cut out for me. I also have to go to my primary for an annual and to get a chicken pox vaccine. I received one when I was real young, but Columbia sent me a letter saying my blood was negative for the antibodies so I have to get it again. So tomorrow I am going to make some calls and set up appointments for these tests. I will let you all know how each of them goes.