Post-op week #1

Was back at the hospital to see my surgeon and my favourite nurses yesterday! It was really nice to be back with people who knew me and knew how to care for me. Trish did my dressing, and the plaster nurse, Glenn came to help with dressing choices too. We are still looking for a dressing that is very non-adherent but also has a very fine mesh so as to disallow any overgrowth of unwanted tissues. They are going to speak to tissue viability over the weekend and on Monday and I'm back there on Tuesday to see what they say and see whether they have any new ideas.

Still no news on the plastic surgeon though. I think I may have found the right person online but I obviously don't want to go and book anything because I could be as wrong as I could be right. My orthopaedic surgeon was supposed to text me last night about booking the appointment (as he'd forgotten the guy's name) but that never happened. Since he wants me to see this plastic surgeon next week, I hope he texts or calls me over the weekend so that I can book in to see the plastic surgeon and then my orthopaedic surgeon as he goes away next Saturday.

The wound has remained relatively similar but is filling up very quickly with the unwanted tissues - granulation tissue and proteins as well as fluids. I have continuously been sick since my surgery and I really have no idea why. It's proving difficult for me to keep my weight up because I've lost my appetite and am vomiting on top of that.

I have been on a huge shopping 'trip' this week, off the internet and am still waiting for my things to arrive. My parents have bought me two pairs of Ugg boots, a purse from Ted Baker and plenty of clothes and so I am super excited to get my parcels next week!

I am so desperate to see this plastic surgeon, especially with my orthopaedic surgeon going away at the end of next week. Hopefully when my orthopaedic surgeon writes the referral letter, he remembers to let me know the name of the guy so I can book my appointment. Otherwise I'll be back seeing my orthopaedic surgeon next week to demand his name! On second thoughts, I need to get a new prescription for my anaesthetics anyway...

Strange day today

People can be so deceiving and foolish. Because I am relatively young, people think that it's acceptable to play up on me and scare me, taking advantage of the fact that I feel bad easily. Today, I experienced a really terribly set-up case of emotional blackmail and am unfortunately just sat here grinning at my laptop rather than feeling the emotions that I was set up to feel. Immediately, I saw obvious flaws in what was being said and once I figured things out, I just gave up altogether and my doubts all became my beliefs (or disbeliefs!). I'm just at a loss, but it's not a bad one - just feeling slightly smug right here, right now. Obviously the smugness is tinged with anger, but nonetheless I'm not complaining.

Today, I seem to have taken a couple of steps backwards, health-wise. I have an infection, and if it doesn't keep itself contained, the infection will spread to the bone and I don't know what nastiness will ensue if that happens. I am back at the hospital tomorrow to see my surgeon and have my dressings redone by the nice nurses at my usual hospital. I have had more nausea and sickness than yesterday, but not nearly as much as I had a few days ago. I have stopped taking the codeine and am now on just ibuprofen and using Bupivacaine HCl for the pain on the wound at dressing changes.

No news as of yet about the plastic surgeon but hopefully I will be able to book my appointment tomorrow after my visit to the hospital, if not on Monday. There is a possibility of more surgery in the near future if my wounds don't start behaving and if the proteins and overgranulation don't recede. At current, they seem to be getting ever bigger and the cavity is filling up quickly. In my last surgery, my wound was debrided right down to tendon and bone which is the primary reason why infection at this stage would be bad news. Despite being far from ideal though, the granulation tissue is at least creating space between the bone and the infection, or at least that's what I think.

Anyway, despite the slight deterioration in the state of me, I've had a wonderful day! Hope you have too!