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Home from the hospital...SIX DAYS!


cindi o'h

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BOY! In this day, you just don't hear about extended stays anymore. You would think I was sick or something...Nope. Just bored! Next time, for sure, someone please talk me into grabbing the laptop...no matter what! I missed you all terribly!

Things went well. Doc did what he said he would do. Everything went well. He says there is a plugged duct and that is why I keep getting the fluid build up. I read the commonest cause of a chylothorax is a neoplasm, but that hasn't been identified with me, so I don't know what the answer is.

Doctor put me on a conservative therapy. We will try this and hope it resolves eventually. No fat diet. NO FAT diet. Yikes! I love gravy and butter and milk and ice cream with tears. Oh well. Then they added a special oil that our bodies treat as a carbohydrate instead of a fat. It has a shorter chain molecule build than a transfat. So, it is supposed to clear the fat from the lung. Did you know that we send about 4 liters of chlyle through our lungs everyday??? I didn't.

Anyway. I haven't slept since I was discharged yesterday. I slept all the time I was in there and now I cannot. I was on pain pills and they sent me home with some. I just took some (I am slow to catch on) so I should be out again soon.

I have a big hole in my side. Two actually. Creepy. I looked at them in the mirror. They are big holes. Wounds. They are deep. When the P.A. removed the sutures, she said that they will heal in a couple of days. As it is, they have been draining fluid and I have been mopping up the spills. Finally, around 4am I got into the car and went to the store to figure this home maintenance wound management out for myself. I got some flat disposable under garments. I wrapped one around the wound and some of that new coban wrap. I put an old tee shirt around the "dressing" and wrapped the coban around the tee shirt. So far, it works great. I have so much damaged tender tissue just from tape. Very sore, from all the dressings and changes.

I see the doc every week until this is completely resolved. He wants to do weekly Xrays. I had daily Xrays (1) while I was hospitalized. I hate to be such a whimp about XRays, but, I have had my lifetime limit. I am going to ask for another method of checking this (ultrasound?) if possible.

I am pleased with the ACTION! that has been taken. I was sorely neglected to say the least in my former experiences. I am much too patient. When it clicks, it just clicks. I keep thinking that I have learned the ins and outs of being a patient and then realize that I need to feel and act out my empowerment. I was not my best advocate. Please remind me if you notice that I am falling behind. I will try to do the same for you!

Thanks for the prayers. The well wishes. The funny stuff. I love it all. I am glad that you guys all care about me. I was pretty narc'd up when Haylee and Pamela called...but what a thrill anyway!

I got a card and roses from a sweetheart of a pal. She brought funny pictures of her buff grandgirls in their pink tutus! And a card with a picture of a dog.. Sit. Stay. And inside. Heal! (cute!)

I gave the nurses (and all) mac nuts from Miche'le. They loved them. In turn, they sent me home with some of big bottle of the MCT oil they conned off the dietician. I sure didn't expect that! Plus, dressings, and medicine and special back rubs. They treated me like a princess. They were a great group of caring professionals. Will have to stop back with another pound for good measure.

I think that is all I have to report. Now, I have to get busy and see who is new! Who can I torment? Got some news to catch up on, I am sure.

love, Cindi o'h!

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Great to see you back and in fine fettle, Miss Cindi! You have been missed....LOTS.

Now hie your butt down to the Pub, open up and start slicing some limes, will ya? You got a bunch of parched people here waitin' on one of your famous Margaritas!! :wink:

Seriously......glad to have you back and hope the ( :shock: ) holes in your side heal up real soon. Watch them carefully....and make sure you RUN to the docs if you see any signs of infection...you hear?

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Cindi,

About wound therapy - I had deep punctures from my drainage tubes when I had the original lung surgery. They were weepy and icky and I hated to look at 'em. Mark did good at applying betadiene and then a bandage on them, but they weren't healing. The betadiene killed off all "growth cells" including the new skin cells.

I went to my PCP because they weren't healing. She informed me they weren't infected, either, but needed to heal from the inside out. I needed to have "air time" for them to heal - they couldn't always be bandaged and to stop using the betadiene. They started closing up soon after that, but it sure felt odd to let the wound be WIDE open, ya know?

Good luck with that sleeping and healing thing!

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Glad for the update, Cindi, BUT....what the heck are you doing driving yourself around at 4:00 in the morning :roll: ???? Why am I NOT surprised at you? Now you listen up!!!! Use some COMMON sense or I will just have to come out there and slap you silly :wink::wink::wink: !!!!!!

I am so happy to see you back posting, Cindi :D . It does my heart good! Hope you get back to a routine and to sleeping. If not, you and Addie can play cyber cards or something all night long :?:shock::o !

Love,

Kasey

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Cindi,

I'm glad your procedure went well and you're back home. I think Snowflake is right about those chest tube holes, they need air to heal. Mine wept for a long time. I know it was two months and I was still getting drainage, but they do heal eventually, and probably, the more air they get, the faster they heal. I had to be dressed and at work, so mine were covered more than I wanted them to be.

Cindy

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I'm so glad you're home! You have no idea what a bummer it's been drinking at home rather than joining you at the pub! Take care of yourself and get lots of rest. Make sure you take really great care of your "pouring" arm! Gotta have a well rested arm to pur great drinks!

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You're HOME!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!

I'm so glad your found a doctor to take action and get to the bottom of things (not YOUR bottom, hopefully! :wink: )

Sounds like the nurses liked you a lot. How did you fool them? :lol: JUST KIDDING!!

Hope your body will return to a normal sleep schedule fast. That's what happened for me after a 36 hour period of being exhausted but unable to fall asleep (after being knocked out for 10 days or so.)

(((Cindi)))

So glad to have you back. They didn't hurt your sense of humor! Serpentine, girlfriend!

Leslie

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Cindi,

You're home!!!!! :D:lol::D Wow, it sounds like you were at a spa or something... Did you say back rubs???? On my 6 day hospital stay, I was lucky to get my water pitcher refilled!

No seriously, I am so glad the docs found out what was producing that fluid, to be honest I didn't understand alot of what you were talking about, but I'm glad THEY know what they are talking about!!! :wink:

I agree with the others here about your wounds, they will heal alot faster with some "air drying"!

Here's to fast healing and quick recovery "clink" "clink"!!

TAnn

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Cindi

Finally you got out and home, so glad all

went well and that you are on the mend.

Glad all went well and that you got good

care.

To let your holes heal, just put a sterile

sponge compress on and wear retelast

to hold it if you need to get dress to

open the Pub.

Size 6 should fit you.

After all it is like round elastic fishing net

and that you will relete to.

Love

J.C.

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Happy homecoming :D

Glad things went well, you'll have to be patient about the drainage holes healing. It took mine quite a bit longer to heal than the surgery scars. It is also deeper and much more tender than the surgery scars and your sounds much bigger. I imagine it hurts like heck, too.

Please open the pub but be very careful with those wounds, you want them to heal as soon as possible.

Kathy [/i]

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Cindi,

Now you are home and the bar will be open soon. That is the main thing of course. Then there is you....you got to get yourself healed up quickly. The air idea is right. I wore old tee shirts and put those absobent pads at my back to "catch" the draining. I just changed shirts and pads alot. Healed right up.

We sure did miss you while you were at the spa. How on earth did you manage a back rub? I was lucky if they asked me how I was feeling. Mostly they just came in and poked and proded me until I felt like I would never get any sleep. You must have really made some friends while you were there. It doesn't surprise me at all. Anyone would be an idiot not to like you.

Now that I have flattered you as much as I can stomach...is the bar open yet?

Nina

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