First Post-Surgery Dining Out!

To start the day off, Cody spoils me and we enjoy some chocolate croissants from Baker-Wee that go perfectly with my Starbucks Venti White Chocolate Mocha (non-fat no whip) with 2 pumps raspberry. It is a great way to start the day, yummmm. The rest of the day goes pretty well and I'm excited for tonight, which will be my first post surgery meal out. Cody and I are going with Jason and Carrie to try a place called Babbo's Italian Eatery. Since I'm still having issues with flatulence and accidents I wear my Depends to dinner. It's great to see Jason and Carrie because I haven't seen them since I was in the hospital. Plus, I'm not making dinner or having to do the dishes (my cleaning has basically only been dinner, dishes and laundry since I've been in the hospital). We discuss my progress and Carrie comes to the realization that the Happy Bunny Magnet I bought forever ago in Las Vegas makes sooo much sense now, as it says "Oops I pooped on your things!" I make it through dinner with no accidents, although my left calf is starting to bother me more than normal. It's usually a little tight, but it seems to be getting tighter. While we're at dinner, a couple of my other good friends, Donna K.and Kris, are at Phoenix's Comic-Con and have gotten me a surprise! Donna got me a Jamie Bamber (Apollo from Battlestar Galactica) autographed photo that says "To Kristi with love, Jamie Bamber." All in all though, a great day!!!

New Doctor

This morning Cody drove me down to meet with the new doctor that had been recommended by my colleagues at Heritage school, PCP. She did a standard check up and she is also concerned that my blood pressure is elevated. I never had a problem before the surgery, but now it seems the blood pressure is a concern. I also had the headache the other day, so PCP puts me on Zomig (this was the last thing I was on before I stopped having the migraines years ago) for some crazy reason my insurance company only allows 4 per month! She also keeps me on blood pressure medication. I also ask what I can do because I seem to have some irritation in my pelvic area where my skin is peeling, and I think it's "diaper rash" she recommends some Desitin cream on it and to let her know if its not getting better. We drop off the prescriptions and pick them up later. I take a shower, and blow dry my hair, putting on my diaper rash cream so I can put on my Depends. I head back into the bathroom to put up my blow dryer and come back to the bed and I notice some poop on the floor. I tell Cody I think Castro has had an accident, and he tells me he doesn't think it's Castro's. He's right, it's mine. Regardless of the accident, I'm totally excited for tomorrow and promotion for my Kinders at school! First time I've seen them since the end of April, last day of school!!!

Scholastic Sale

So anybody who knows me knows that I love to read and I love to buy books for my classroom! When I found out that I'd be teaching 3rd grade, I couldn't wait to get to the sale and get some new books for my classroom library. Since getting home from the hospital, I had been worried that I would not be able to do this sale (because it is lots of walking around in a big warehouse). Things had been going well, I have lots of farting going on that I can't control (because of the sphincter muscle thing), but haven't really had any accidents, so we decide to go. Since the surgery, every time I'd been out in public I've worn Depends, so I do that with this outing as well. We get to the sale, and I fart (it’s a bit stinky) Cody makes a face, and I let him know that I just made a stinky. We go through the sale and I look at tons of books, it takes about an hour and a half to get through it. I'm totally excited about my purchases and we head home. When I'm getting out of the car, Cody says there is a spot on the back of my shorts. When I get into the bathroom I see that I've had a bowel accident. This makes me sad; it had been a little while since I had one and I thought that streak was over. We relax and watch some t.v. then I start to get a headache around 4pm. I take a Percocet, drink a Starbucks DoubleShot and then take a nap. I'm out for quite a while, Cody makes me some soup for dinner and I take another Percocet because I still have the headache, put some ice on it, I end up throwing up and then I'm finally able to go to sleep. I haven't had migraines like this in forever! Good thing I did research and found a new PCP from all of the recommendations I got from my colleagues at school!

Oops...

It was so nice to sleep in my bed last night. Even if I didn't get to sleep on my stomach like I always do. The neurosurgeon said no more stomach sleeping, that it is bad for my back. So, I took Lynn's advice and laid on my side with a pillow in front of me, and another between my knees. I slept pretty well, and managed to make it to the bathroom with a full bladder, no accident. We spent the day watching some t.v., its uncomfortable for me to sit on my bottom, because it stretches the skin on my back, so I curl on my side with a pillow between my knees. I take the Percocet every 4 hours and it knocks me out! I end up doing a lot of sleeping off and on. Once, I wake up and I feel like I have to go to the bathroom and have a bowel movement, but I don't make it to the bathroom. One of the side effects of the Cauda Equina Sydnrome is that I don't currently have control over my sphincter muscle. I can feel when my bladder and bowels are full, but I can't always control them. So, as much as I hate to do it, I send Cody out to buy some Depends. While he is out the chiropractor calls to find out how I am doing. I'm on Percocet and not thinking clearly. I can't remember the name of the syndrome, so I don't tell him. I let him know that I am still numb and uncomfortable in my pelvic region and that I do not have control over my bladder and bowels like I used to. He asks that I keep him updated and let him know if there is anything that I need. What I need is to be back to the way that I used to be, but I don't see that happening for awhile. Cody gets home and I try out some of my new Depends underwear. It sucks that I'm 34 and wearing diapers again, but if it means I can sit on my furniture instead of staying on the toilet, then I guess it will work. I decide since I've already talked to the chiropractor that it's time to talk to my P.A.  at the Tempe Doctor's office and let her know about the major ball dropping that happened. I call and leave a message that I need to talk to her, not her nurse, but my P.A. herself, and to please have her call me when she can that day. A little later I receive a call back from her, she asks how the surgery went and how I'm feeling and I let her know (Cody had called her office while I was in surgery to let them know I was having it). I let her know that I had called her several times a day on Tuesday and Wednesday with my concerns about being numb and that I asked for a call back. She looks in my file and says that the only note there was is from Tuesday saying I asked about my x-ray results from the previous week. I ask if she even got my call from today, and she said no, she was just wanting to check on me. I let her know that I have been with this practice for 14 years, and even though I moved across town I continued to stay with that office because I trusted them, and genuinely enjoyed the doctors there. Having had this major miscommunication with the office staff and them not properly passing on messages is serious, and I let her know that I'm not sure I will be continuing with their practice because this misstep almost cost me the use of my legs. She says that she understands and she puts me on hold for a moment while she informs the Doctor/Practice Owner of the ball dropping. He is upset as well. The rest of the day goes by pretty uneventfully, except for the unfortunate news that Maurice Sendak (author of Where the Wild Things Are) has passed away.