Hey everyone I hope that you’re all warrioring out.
So I’ve got my Eagles Syndrome surgery (bilateral styloidectomy) on November 3rd with Dr. Hackman and now I’ve been diagnosed with Arthritis in my thumb (if you recall my previous posts regarding my trigger thumb it turns out its arthritis and I now also have an appointment for that to schedule surgery).
Our closing date on our house is TOMORROW!! eek and then I will be having surgery and hopefully get rid of all this pain (or at least most of it).
I’m feeling nervous and anxious all at the same time. They started me on Lyrica for the nerve pain and it does seem to be helping some! Anyone else ever use it for nerve pain?
Any meal prep ideas for while in recovery? My issue is that my boyfriend will be working at his new job and can’t come take care of me except after work (After 5pm) so I’ve gotta start prepping for the surgery tomorrow!
One more question, anyone else have to get a Covid Test before surgery and if so did you get the Walgreen’s test?
Wow, you have alot on! I hope that the house move goes okay…
Good that the Lyrica is helping, it’s one of the common ones to be prescribed for nerve pain. I take Amitriptyline which helps me- anti- convulsants like Lyrica & antidepressants like Amitriptyline help with nerve pain in low doses.
Chewing & opening your mouth wide can be tricky after surgery, so plan soft foods & smoothies, whatever you like! I had lots of yoghurts, made smoothies with banana, pineapple juice, spinach juice & yoghurt which was lovely, soups etc. Isaiah blended up normal meals, others might have suggestions!
Have you read the surgery shopping list on here? One of our members has compiled it, so have a look for that, there’s ideas for pillows etc.
I hope that all goes well for you, having both sides done at once can be a tough recovery, but quite a few members have had bilateral surgery with Dr Hackman & have done very well! There’s advice on their posts about swelling & pain relief which might be worth looking for if you’ve not already seen those.
Best wishes, will pray for you
Good luck on your move and your surgery!! My coworker had her trigger thumb fixed surgically snd it was a local anesthetic thing so hopefully won’t be too big a deal for you.
I was prepared with soft foods but didn’t really need them and I could chew just fine, taking small bites; so I’d have some options on hand. However I only had one side done! So two sides may be a different story. Cold drinks like gatorade, slushees, Italian ice, popsicles, jello and smoothies felt good on my throat which was kind of sore after the intubation and for a few days from the actual surgery I think. I bought a lot of jello and yogurt and I really enjoyed it partially because nothing really sounded good. Chobani makes a protein yogurt drink with 25 mg of protein that is tasty and filling. I also had boxed Mac and cheese which was easy to eat for me (minimal chewing) and I was going to have my partner make a sweet potato casserole in case I couldn’t chew. I ended up being fine and I ate chicken nuggets and French fries the night after my surgery lol. It’s just what sounded good. That was my biggest hurdle was some nausea from the pain meds/maybe anesthesia… hard for me to figure out what I wanted or what sounded good. I’d just have several options on deck in case!
I found a cup with a straw to be the easiest way to drink things because tilting my head back kinda hurt, so disposable or reusable straws helped. I used it as an excuse to buy myself an insulated tumbler cup from Yeti and it was worth it!
I also used DoorDash to order food from restaurants and I got some groceries delivered by Amazon, so if you have delivery options like that locally I’d be prepared and have the apps downloaded. They were really convenient when my partner was gone.
Meal prep - make and freeze smoothies in popsicle form, premake pudding and soup then pack in single serve containers. Make sure you have drink options too, especially if you get sick of water like me.
For the covid test, it was scheduled at a clinic in the same system as my hospital so they’d see the results right away. If Dr H isn’t having you do that, I think a Walgreens test would be fine.
Not sure it will come in time but this is the best wedge pillow I’ve found, the one at bed bath and beyond is a smaller slope. At least if shipping is too slow you’ll have something to compare it to though!
I have a Bed Bath & Beyond wedge pillow & agree it’s not steep enough. I had to add several bed pillows to mine to increase the slope. It is a bit more economical though. I since purchased a memory foam wedge pillow from Costco which is similar to the one you sent the link for. Wedge pillows are handy for many things but they are bulky to store. Thanks for the recommendation, anharris!
HOORAY! Your surgery is coming up soon! Glad your house closing is tomorrow & not in two weeks! Hopefully you’ll be somewhat settled so you can come home & rest post op.
Jules & anharris have given good advice. I will also be praying for you on your surgery day.
I had my surgery over the summer just a few weeks after we closed on our house and four weeks before we moved my daughter into her freshman dorm. Why does everything happen all at once??!!
Anyway, I purchased Smoothie King Angel Food smoothies with frozen yogurt in them before my surgery and stocked them in my spare freezer. They were great to eat after my surgery.
I wish you good luck with your surgery and a speedy recovery!
Thank you all so much for your advice and suggestions! We’ve been very busy moving into our house and surgery is Wednesday and I’m overwhelmed with everything. It’s been very difficult because moving things causes worse pain for me in my neck. I’ve been in so much pain recently and cannot wait to get them removed!
Feeling everything, excited, nervous, scared, happy, ready, thankful and everything in between.
The great thing (and yet the slightly sad thing) is that my family grew up in and out of homelessness, and now I’ve gone from homeless to home owner!! Sadly I’m back in the town that my “parents” live in (my home town) and I don’t talk with them (no contact due to years of neglect and abuse as a child) and I was eating at a restaurant and I saw my “father” pull up (he works as a food delivery driver) and I hid so fast… I hate it… Trust me there is no way to connect with them and I’m sick of looking for a relationship that I will never have with them. So now I’m just annoyed with running into them but I guess that was a random rant… lol Sorry >_<
Thank you all so much again!
Here is a picture of my doof and our new yard
Your yard is GORGEOUS!! I love the many fall colors & your dog looks so very content surveying the surroundings. I’m so glad you’ve gotten moved in. Getting settled in is the next step, but it sounds like you’re on your way. Do what you can before surgery then let it go until you’re feeling good post op. Don’t stress about unpacking for at least a couple of weeks after surgery. Give your neck & nerves time to get a good start on healing.
I applaud the effort you’ve made to rise above your circumstances & live in a better situation than your parents provided for you. It must have been very difficult seeing your dad in a public place & wanting not to be seen. It sounds like you were able to protect yourself. Hopefully that scenario won’t repeat itself any time soon.
I’m excited your surgery is coming up so soon & anticipate hearing good things as you recover.
Sounds like a stressful time for you, & so sorry for you that you’ve had such a difficult upbringing…I hope such a beautiful setting & the though of walking your gorgeous dog will bring you peace
A new home & hopefully a new start after your surgery, you sound so strong so I’m sure you’ll do really well. God Bless
