OW!

[devon]

Hey Ya'll!

I returned to work today after my fistula surgery Friday. Everything went very well. The Anesthesia was flawless. I didn't wake up once!  (I did wake up one other time while undergoing a rhinoplasty to fix a broken nose so I fear it happening again!) I barely recall the big lights above me in the operating room. I am very entertaining under anesthesia, I'm told! Great one-liners. I just wish I could remember them.

I woke up in recovery and was home by 7pm from the 2pm surgery.

BUT, dang! IT HURTS! I'm not usually the type to feel pain. I try to use all the methods I can including self-hypnosis to relive pain but this one really hurts!  Today is the first day off any pain meds but I don't think I'll last much beyond  noon. I will take a short day, take a pill, and get to bed early. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

I have some swelling around the site but no inflamation or apparent infrection after four day. My thumb is numb and the surgeon said to expect that. But now and then, my hand, thumb especially, gets very cold. I have to warm it under my arm. And it also gets puffy with fluid so I try to keep it elevated.

At least I have some movement in the right arm where the fisula is. I can type (as you can see) but it hurts to do so.

Oh! and I was the novelty of the recovery room. Several people came by to listen with their stethescopes to my "thrill". One said it was her first thrill. (I guess I still got it in me after all these years, eh?)  I have no idea what they are talking about but I'm sure I'll get the idea soon.

The night before, my neph called me and said they had discussed the idea of a chest tube too since they aren't sure I will need dialysis before the fistula matures. We agreed to do that on as "as needed" basis since I still don't have any significant symptoms of kidney failure with creatinine at 5.7! He said my labs the day before were 5.5. My response was "Cool! They're down by two tenths!" I see it as half full to their half empty!

so, anther 10 days and I have another surgery. I'm getting myself pumped for that.

And this emoticon... we'll, I can't resist!   

-Devon

[Sluff]

Good going Devon..listening to the blood flow is called the thrill. sorry it wasn't you but keep positive. Hope the pain goes away soon.

[Slywalker]

Devon - happy to hear that your surgery went well.

What is the next surgery?  You mentioned another one in 10 days. 

Keep the good healing going on.

Sandyb

[okarol]

Having your hand be so cold should be reported to the vascular surgeon every day as we were told that it may be a sign of lack of blood flow to the hand.
I hope you feel better soon. 

[kitkatz]

 :wine;Be sure to elevate your poor arm. It keeps the blood flow into everywhere and relieves the pain. Here's to a quick recovery!  

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Devon if the pain is bad see if your doc will prescribe a drug called Tramadol. It not only numbs the pain but makes you sleep for hours. I used it a few years ago for a condition unrelated to kidney failure and basically just slept for most of the time until the pain was bearable.

[Sluff]

  i have the er *hiccup* wine *hiccup* buttle.. I'm so dwunk i'm showing my  oh *hiccup* ..oh my..this so emabarassing 

[MyssAnne]

Devlin, I'm glad it went so well, but now comes the recovery...and the PAIN!!!    I can't speak for fistulas, so I'll let the pros handle that.  Sluff has the wine bottle. He'd better share it with us!!! Or else. (not sure WHAT or else, but I'll think of something!!!)

[paddbear0000]

I hope your arm feels better soon! I don't have any advice for you as I have no experience in this area. 

[cherpep]

The pain should lessen with each day.  If it does not, be sure to notify your surgeon.  Keep it elevated, that will help a great deal. 

[thegrammalady]

Devon if the pain is bad see if your doc will prescribe a drug called Tramadol. It not only numbs the pain but makes you sleep for hours. I used it a few years ago for a condition unrelated to kidney failure and basically just slept for most of the time until the pain was bearable.

there's always delauded (sp) do yourself a favor, take the pain meds. hopefully you'll feel better soon

[Ken Shelmerdine]

i have the er *hiccup* wine *hiccup* buttle.. I'm so dwunk i'm showing my  oh *hiccup* ..oh my..this so emabarassing 

Jeez Sluff I'll have a glass of whatever you've been drinking. Can't see what it's got to do with this thread though but maybe your so rat arsed (drunk) you don't know which thread your on!

[mysty]

Great Devon.. but do take the pain meds..no reason to suffer..

Hey.. I got to hear Keith's "thrill" and feel it too.. that was wild..
Amongst other thrills..

Yo.. Sluff.. share the   ...you know.. like back in high school..(Damn.. I still remember the MD 20 20!)

[devon]

Thanks All for the comments and advice.

It's a couple days later. Frankly, I have no sense of time right now. Yes, I'm taking the pain meds. I agee.  I'd rather not have the pain if I can avoid it.  I think they gave me hyrocodine.  Usually codine makes me woosey and feel like I'm living in a sponge. But, this particular formula doesn't seem to have that effect.  It does take the pain away and that's good.

My biggest problem now is typing at the 'puter.  I can't rest me arm on the table for too long before my thumb starts getting MORE numb and then cold and painful.  So, I have to keep i slightly above and rest often.  Such is life!  Interesting how we all manage to discover ways to "work around" our problems, eh?!

Again. Thanks.

Oh! to answer the question by SlyWalker, the next surgery is the LapBand so I can wrestle my weight down to a manageable level, take the pressure off my kidneys and, may, just maybe, push off dialysis another several months, years, etc.  I am waging a war on many fronts here!

This is for ya'll...   

-Devon

[Sluff]

Buddy, what ever you can do, to put off dialysis..we are with you.

[kellyt]

Go Devon Go!  You're getten it all done!  Good for you!    I'm glad your fistula surgery went well.  Sorry about the pain.  I never really had any pain with my wrist fistula.  It was the 2nd fistula in the upper arm that I had some pain with, but nothing I couldn't bare.  Good Luck to ya!

[petey]

Good going Devon..listening to the blood flow is called the thrill. sorry it wasn't you but keep positive. Hope the pain goes away soon.

When you put your hand on a fistula or graft, the rush of the blood flow that you feel is called the thrill.  When you listen to it with a stethoscope, it's called the bruit.  (Can you tell Marvin and I have had too much experience with too many accesses?  To date, he's had 21 different accesses -- 22 if you count that temporary in the groin that one time.)

[Sluff]

Good going Devon..listening to the blood flow is called the thrill. sorry it wasn't you but keep positive. Hope the pain goes away soon.

When you put your hand on a fistula or graft, the rush of the blood flow that you feel is called the thrill.  When you listen to it with a stethoscope, it's called the bruit.  (Can you tell Marvin and I have had too much experience with too many accesses?  To date, he's had 21 different accesses -- 22 if you count that temporary in the groin that one time.)

Thanks for making the correction petey, I'm not on dialysis so I was mistaken.

[petey]

didn't mean to sound like a know-it-all, Sluff -- hope you didn't take offense!

Here's a "thrill" story for you...When Marvin got his first fistula, our nieces and nephews were young and they wanted to know why all the adults were feeling Uncle Marvin's arm.  Explaining a fistula and how it works was just too much for the little ones, but they loved feeling Uncle Marvin's "magic arm."  To explain it, he told them the doctors put a bumble bee in his arm to guide the needles in for his treatments (it has a buzzing kind of feel to it).  The little ones were so excited and always wanted to feel for the bumble bee.  Now, they're all adults, and it's quite funny when these 25 and older people still ask to feel the bumble bee in Uncle Marvin's magic arm!

[kellyt]

That's a super cute story, Petey!  My 5-year-old neice likes to feel my arm.  She hasn't ask ed yet what it is or why it does it.  I may borrow your bumble bee story when she does.   






EDITED: Fixed smiley tag error-kitkatz,moderator

[willieandwinnie]

petey, that is a great story. 

[Lori1851]

  Devon!!! Glad to hear the surgery went as it should have. LOL about the THRILL!!!
  Lori/Indiana

[petey]

willieandwinnie -- is that a new (and gorgeous, I might add) picture of willie and winnie in your avatar?  They are tooooooo cute!   

[oleboy]

Hope everything going good now my fistula is lower left fore arm had it since 01/03/08, Like Petey said kids like the buzz had my 1 year old granson in my arms he laid his head on my upper left arm raised up and looked at it like what was that. I hope you can truely delay dialysis. Best of luck

[devon]

Thank you once again everyone for the support and wishes. 

I'm pleased to know you support my efforts to push off dialysis as long as I can.  I'm sure I wll find some benefits to it once I start but I don't want to get started any sooner than I must.

I am a bit of a novelty with the Nephrologist. He seems confused that I'm not already on dialysis with my blood chemistry as bad as it is.  But all my life, I'm been an exception to the rule so I am used to it.

You will love this story.

When I first told my boss about an appointment to see my Nephrologist, he seemed puzzled. 
"What's that got to do with Kidney failure?" he asked. 
Now I was the confused one.
"He's a Kidney doctor," I said.
"OH!" he exclaimed. "I thought that was someone who studies bumps on your head!"
"That's a Phenologist!," I explained.

 



-Devon