Thank you so much! I am all settled into the hotel with my mom and relaxing for the night. It’s really comforting to have her with me. I forgot my “comfort blanket” so we are going to the mall, tomorrow, in search of a replacement. Then, we are going to this beautiful occult shop so I can get a few items for a devotional I want to practice tomorrow night in part of my pre-op prep list. I am feeling mostly positive about this and am ready to get it over with!
1 Like
Hi, twin! I cannot believe you are (very likely, maybe probably???) the surgery right before mine! Though, this makes me a little nervous because now I’ll be acutely aware of that fact if my own surgery is delayed for any reason. You better go in there and kick ass (while unconscious)! I am rooting for you!
Are you being admitted over night, as well? If so, maybe Tuesday morning if one of us is feeling up to it, we can arrange for going to the other’s room to say hi before we are discharged. There’s a possibility I’ll be kept for two nights due to underlying issues I have, but the current plan/goal is to stay for one and get outta there.
What do you think? It would be very Hallmark Movie of us. Wanna DM me your number?
4 Likes
Hey! I am an organized person, for sure. It’s the only way I can maintain my life - usually alone, five pets, full time (remote) job, several doctor’s appointments weekly, running tube feeds and PPN/IV fluids each day, maintaining some semblance of a mid-thirties social life, personal projects and hobbies, all the household chores and finances - it all falls on me. So, lists, ROUTINES, self care, all of it is a huge must in my life. If I hadn’t arranged pet care, a hotel, my mom’s travel, surgery, post-op plans and so on what would have happened? LOL! I don’t wanna think about it.
I LOVE leopard geckos, but they require much more stringent care and have higher dietary and heat/light needs than crested geckos which was part of my deciding factor. They are sooo cute though (but so are cresties). I cannot wait. I grew up in a similar household. My mom had once-upon-a-time dreams of being a vet and worked as a vet tech many decades ago. We always took care of all neighborhood strays, took in cats and dogs, reptiles, birds, smaller mammals and rodents and so on. It’s def why I have four cats (rescues) and a dog (adopted) and why I’m adopting my gecko from a reptile rescue. I love it. Gives me a lot of purpose and companionship.
I am looking forward to spending the day with family tomorrow. My mom just published her first novel and it’s for sale everywhere, so we are gonna go buy a copy at a store tomorrow. Then, we are hitting the mall because I forgot my “comfort blanket” as well as a local occult shop. I will update y’all after surgery!
4 Likes
Thank you so much for the well wishes! I feel so grateful that my mom was willing and able to fly in for this. She did the same for my j-tube surgery placement back in June but came several days post-op, and I had the worst surgical/hospital experience of my entire life. Having her with me for surgery in case I need an advocate will certainly be a relief (though, based on the extensive empathetic interactions I’ve had with the entire team thus far, I highly doubt that’ll be the case).
It will be VERY nice to have her with me for the first week, post-op, in a cozy hotel where I have no chores, work, pets or worries other than recovering and resting. True R&R for the first time… in my life???
I will report back soon!
3 Likes
@Elena this is great advice. I do want to warn you - if you haven’t ever used lidocaine patches near your neck/face/skull base (on the back) before - once they start working it can be really off-putting to not be able to feel anything. Lidocaine rarely works the way it’s intended to, for me (part of a genetic issue). So, I had extra strong ones prescribed once for topical pain relief after an injury. Once they worked I could not wait for them to wear off because the pain relief wasn’t worth feeling like I suddenly did not have a neck. LMAO!
3 Likes
@Leah I have used lidocaine patches in the past directly on my cheeks to help with the nerve pain when it was more superficial, it did help temporarily but it was problematic to have them stay on 
I’ve used different tricks overtime even applying cayenne pepper extract directly to my gums to offset the pain in the teeth and it would help and sometimes even eliminate the pain or make it switch to another location. There are studies on capsicum affecting nerve endings in some way. So even though I’m not into spicy food at all I was willing to endure the hot burning of the cayenne as opposed to the burning nerve pain.
2 Likes
@slekeille If it makes you feel any better I don’t think I’m the first surgery of the day either. If I’m not mistaken usually the person for the first surgery is scheduled for check in at 5:30 am but I’ll make sure to ask when I show up if I’m first or not. Yes I’ll be staying overnight for sure. With my last and only surgery 12 years ago I had severe nausea from anesthesia but I also wasn’t given anything to counteract it so hopefully this time that won’t be the case. I’m all for saying hi and maybe even taking a picture together the day after. Although I’ll probably look like a scarecrow out of it from anesthesia, with crazy hair and drains on both sides 
I’ve seen many post op pictures of the patients and some of them looked like the ladies just left a hair and makeup salon, that certainly won’t be me I’ll DM you my phone number so we can connect 
As far as lidocaine patches thank you for the warning but I have used them in the past applied to my face and the sensation didn’t bother me, they were prescription strength. Although I should tell you one time I applied a roller all around my neck of something like icy hot that had lidocaine in it and it was the weirdest most unpleasant sensation ever and I couldn’t wait for it to wear off, I even tried scrubbing my neck with soap but of course that didn’t help and I just had to wait for lidocaine to wear off.
3 Likes
Looking forward to hearing about your positive results. I am one year and 2 months removed from Dr. Hackman completing a bilateral ES related surgery as well. Here is what I would recommend:
- ice - I purchased the large black gel ice packs that are reusable and don’t leak water. Most Physical Therapy clinics have these and can be purchased directly from them or Amazon.
- anti-nausea meds before the surgery if you are prone to nausea with pain meds.
- if you are staying overnight at the hospital (that’s standard), please realize you will be placed in a unit where there are patients next to you in other rooms and the nurses are there to do their best, but are occasionally delayed in answering a call light. It helped that I had an advocate (my spouse) with me the entire time.
- first bite is real - I am not sure how many are affected by this, but I still have mine (not as severe as the first few months) 14 months later every once and awhile and it is quite the odd consequence of the surgery.
- remain hopeful regardless of your early outcomes - sometimes it is easy to fall back into a pessimistic state if you don’t feel immediate relief.
- Watch carefully for random weight gain - a side effect if something went wrong or your body is struggling. I put on massive weight in 1-2 days post surgery and had to go back in a few times for IV diurectics (to reduce the 20 pounds of water I couldn’t shed).
- If you don’t find complete remedy from this surgery, keep researching and trying new things. For example, I receive injections (while sedated) in my throat every 3-4 months from Northwestern and that helps alleviate some of the pain and discomfort. I have also had injections on the backside of my neck.
- amitriptyline helped me sleep and reduced some of my ES related symptoms. It can cause excess weight gain (water) which I manage by working out (lots of walking) and natural foods that can help with reducing water weight.
- don’t wear tight clothes around your neck for awhile - it can be very sensitive.
- your scars will heal and most people will never see it even if you are trying to point it out a year later.
- you are not alone. Keep checking back in here as there are many willing to contribute and want to support you on this journey.
If there is anything I can do or questions you might have, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
You’ve GOT THIS!!!
Sincerely,
Jay
4 Likes
Thank you for all of this!
- ice - I brought all of my fav ice packs from home
- anti-nausea meds - I take Zofran at home and went over being medicated in pre-op for both pain and nausea (I am a palliative care patient on high dose opiates daily)
- I am staying the night - I am regularly hospitalized and understand the dynamic very well!
- first bite - luckily I am tube feed dependent so this is less of a concern!
- remain hopeful - I will do my absolute best!
- Watch carefully for random weight gain - I have an entire team that watches this for me.
- I will do my best to seek additional treatment modalities if need be.
- amitriptyline - I am allergic but thanks!
- I cannot ever stand fabric around my neck so no worries there!
- scars do not bother me at all - I’ve had dozens of surgeries and have many massive scars!
- I appreciate the reminder that I’m not alone!
Your kind words of support and experience mean a lot to me and I thank you!!!
3 Likes
I am excited for you! You will come out feeling better, I believe it too. Dr. Hackman really is an amazing doctor.
2 Likes