Judie P's Surgery

[Judie P]

So glad Julie and you are having a better day and life is on the upswing. Especially with Christmas day coming.

Not waking a patient up for pain meds is something that is struggled with often. In all sorts of training nurses and medical professionals are taught that anyone receiving pain meds on a timed set up basis need to be awakened. If the order reads prn in any place that means "as needed" and usually isn't on an order for anyone with bad pain whether a surgical patient or one with chronic pain.

If a med is written on a timed basis they patient should be awakened up and they do have the right to refuse it. However it needs to be explained to them that it is hard to maintain pain control if the timed med administration is messed with. Lots of words for something that you don't have to worry about as Julie is home. Yeah!!!!! You are both doing a good job as a patient and as a care giver. Being a care giver is like being a new mother. You can read all the books, but until you do the hands on you really don't understand it. lol Good luck and stay warm. meirish

So true, Preach...

[Judie P]

Good evening everyone,

I'm so happy to report Judie is back!! Although not where she should be because of the setbacks. Hopefully, she will be able to catch up as she's walking more along with doing her other exercises. She has appointments with her PT, OT, and Nurse tomorrow, which will give us a better assessment of where she is at. I will give you another update then...

Cheers, Joseph

PS: We do have a Gofundme page, if you wish to contribute: https://gofund.me/69760472

[Judie P]

Good evening again from the Palmer Rehab Center,
Well it has been a journey to say the least as you all know.  Every time we make a couple of strides forward, we end up taking one back. As most of you might know the medication that Judie is on will cause constipation, which Judie is naturally. It took her almost 9 days to have a bowel movement. Unfortunately, yesterday she went in the opposite direction and spent several hours on her new throne...  Thankfully she is okay and back to normal.
In the meantime, Judie is doing her best to become independent and has made some strides.However, her Sjogren's has begun to act up giving her flairs. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Sjogren's it is an autoimmune disease that attacks the moisture/mucus in your body. As a result it triggers all kinds of symptoms, least of which is Fibromyalgia. Much like MS flairs, anytime you do any exercise there is always the risk of having a setback that leaves you feeling worse off until it passes. There is no uniform code of what to do or not as it strikes everyone individually/personally differently.
On another note, her follow up appointment with the Neurosurgeon has been moved up from next week to tomorrow. Hopefully, everything is okay as there has been some deep redness around her incision. The seeping has just about ended, so perhaps he will remove Judies clips. Otherwise we will have to come back next week. Thankfully the PT and Nurse assigned to Judie have been wonderful and have helped immeasurably.
Cheers,
Joseph

[Judie P]

Happy New Year everyone!
Here is the latest from the Palmer Rehab Center...
The last update was the day before her neurosurgeon follow up. She did not have her clips removed yet as he wanted to give it another week to allow her incision to completely heal. However, he stated that the site looked great and that there was no sign of infection. He also mentioned that Judie no longer needs to have her head elevated and that she didn't have to sleep only on her back. As a result, she is now sleeping much better without pain, getting stronger and getting around easier. She is also becoming more independent which is giving her confidence. Moving forward it's just going to take time for her to completely heal but she's getting there. 
Prior to her surgery, her neurosurgeon had given us the following timeline related to her recovery. She will be wearing her neck brace for a total of three months. The fusion takes another three months to heal and then another full year and a half to regain whatever deficits she can. However, since her surgery we have already noticed some big gains. As mentioned before, she regained the grip in her right hand and her balance. She has lost her facial tremors and incontinence, Also shortly after both her eyesight and her hearing become more acute but at the moment they have reverted back. It was mentioned that as her body heals that there will be a fluctuation regarding her improvements until she is completely healed.
So with that, we wish you all a Happy New Year again and Cheers!!
Joseph & Judie 

[AlienDog]

Happy New Year!
Wow, that's quite a journey. I'm sorry there have been so many difficulties. Praying you get better and better at recovery, and can join us again. Miss you much!

Thanks, Joseph, for keeping us up to date!
Doggy

[Judie P]

This has definitely been a life changing experience for me.  It is weird to suddenly forget how to type or write or even walk.  I am finally coming to a point that I can do this again, so here is my update.

I have been learning lots of leg and arm exercises when the PT and OT come to visit twice a week.  However, what I really need is to walk outside around the block to get my strength back in my legs.  It has been non-stop raining here, so I hope next week I can get out and do that.  In the meantime, I try to do it inside as much as possible.  I can actually get around a little bit without a walker.

GoFundMe donations have helped us purchase several things I will need in the future.  We have purchased a full wall mirror for the bathroom so that I can see what I am doing without moving my head.  We have also purchased a higher seat for the toilet so I can get on and off easier.  It also has handles.  Joseph installed two pole bars in the shower section so I can get in and out without looking down and sit on a purchased stool to take a shower (when the in-home health care nurse comes to help).  We have on order a "Third Leg" cane that will help me walk without looking down and help my posture in the future so I can stand straight.  We also have on order a mirror for the kitchen, behind the stove, so I can see what I am cooking in the future.  I made breakfast this morning for the two of us.  Interesting experience.  LOL

I have grippers in every room now to be able to learn how to grab things instead of reaching to get it.  I have a sock helper that you put the sock on it and then place your foot inside the thing and pull the sock up.  Got that down but still cannot dress myself completely.

I am off of narcotics now and it has been 3 days.  My appetite is all over the place, but mainly diminished.  Nothing seems to taste good.  I keep smelling something that seems like fruit mixed with chemicals and sometimes I can taste it.  Not sure where that is coming from, but will ask the OT next week. 

My tremors seem to still be around but Joseph says my head tremors are less.  I thought my grip was back, but it seems I still need to work on getting it back as much as possible.

I am not up for doing any work, but Joseph has gone back to work in order for us to have an income again.  With all the rain, it is hard to get back and forth.  I cannot sit for a long period of time yet, and with only getting a shower once a week, I don't think I am ready to do Zoom sessions.  My abilities seem to be a little lost for the moment.  Hopefully once I get a distance from the narcotics, that will be fine.

Well my neck is hurting, so it is time for me to get up from the computer seat and rest it again.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts, prayers, and help.  It has been a blessing for us.

Love and hugs,

Judie

[Linda196]

So good to hear from you directly, even though we have appreciated Joseph's posts so much! Progress is progress, and everyone else probably thinks it's much faster than you do!Things like that always look like slo-mo from the inside LOL

Keep up the great work!

[AlienDog]

AWESOME!  It's good to see you here again, Judie! Your husband was so kind to keep us up to date, but it's not the same as seeing you using a computer again. Sounds like you are working hard to recover, and that is more than half the battle. It's great you have such wonderful support!

Looking forward to seeing more of you,
AD

[Judie P]

Today was the first time outside, except once to the neurosurgeon's office.  The PT took me on a walk, with a cane, down the street in my park.  Things were pretty smooth except the end of the driveway.  I got as far as 3 houses down and back.  On Friday, I will take one more walk with my PT and then I will be on my own to walk with Joseph.
LVN came today to help me with a shower, which will probably be the last time.  As of this Friday, it will be the last of the in-home services.  They say I am doing good.  As soon as the neurosurgeon says it is okay, I will begin out patient therapy to increase my arm and leg strength. 
Still having problems sleeping.  The neck brace is just uncomfortable, but necessary.

[Deb 27]

So glad to hear you are progressing Judie! What an ordeal you've been through. You and your husband are troopers! It sounds like he took good care of you. It was awesome of him to keep us updated. Happy New Year!! Thinking of you!!