GRr the pain

Ok so i woke up this morning witht he incision under my arm killing me from sleepig wrong i imagine...so i slept part of the day with the pain meds...not good---but now tonight i turned my head and ripped a stitch in my neck---or at the very least popped it out from under the skin---bled for a bit but i have it covered with a band aid to keep it safe i guess...
I am singingin SUNDAY morning don't really wanna worry about this junk right now.
I have been practicing and my throat seems alright--not super strong but strong enough to get through i imagine...since it's a group of 5 of us i should be fine!!!!
hoping to get better sleep tonight PRAY FOR ME!! pogo time

ActionGeekBlog: Go with your gut

ActionGeekBlog: Go with your gut''Very interesting information on the vagus nerve check it out

I went shopping

Now to most you are probably saying SO WHAT...well first off shopping is my way of getting out of the house in general since i don't drive....SO i decided we need groceries and i am sick of looking at my house. We did our shopping. My arm incision is TONS more sore---turns outpushing a full grocery cart wasn't so smart--I am sore so sleeping should be fun or not...My neck is also very stuff----especially where i think the wires go to the stimulator in my armpit.

I am also worried about the location of the implant. It's running on my left arm and seems to move more than i think it should. It also doesn't appear to be FLAT against my skin but inserted into my muscle all i can feel is the edge of it NOT the face....wondering if this is gonna make it difficult to turn on in a few weeks. I have to wait til i am cleared march 15th by my surgeon to have it turned on. Since i was so ill with coughing and congestion the surgeon wants to make sure things are healing well enough. Theya re a bit delayed as nothing in my body wanted to heal while i was coughing. Today was the first day i haven't completely coughed my brains out. I still have congestion and have to vlear my throat when talking lots---but that is to be expected coming off surgery AND a severe bronchitus like cold.....Hopefully i will sleep well and not be too sore in the AM.

It sure was nice to get out of the house though. but i am sure i will need to rest tomorrow.!!!!!

I am finally home alone

Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!! But i missed my peace and quiet during the days. My husband took last week as vacation when we realized that I wasn't healing well had a very sore throat and almost no voice AND had trouble chewing and swallowing [this part has changed---i still have to chew on my right side BUT my swallowing is FINE as long as i don't rush it] So i slept in this morning after making sure the kids were up for school. I am doing some blogging on this and my other new blog which i am starting...yes i am nuts LOL
I figure this one gets boring just talking about vns--and although that's a big part of my life other things are going on..including missed concerts by my children this weekend as i was still coughing and in too much pain to sit through them:(
I am still sore in both incision spots--MOSTLY under my arm which is very tender..but then again--they did put a foreign body into my body and then left it there. I see my dr surgeon again on March 15th. Then i will be able to have it turned on AMEN....the fun begins!!!!

ONE WEEK done

On the left is my face one week after surgery. On the right
is my armpit area one week after surgery. The vns impant is under the bottom part of my armpit area. Since i will not be swiping mine with a magnet very often and it will just be on...they put it in a place that will be easy to access to change the batteries...
Wondering how long that will take since they are talking that mine will have to be done on the smaller end...At least i know i won't have to play with my neck any more.!!!!

Want your epilepsy blog links posted??

Send them to me either through comments or emails and i will add the link to my site...after making sure it's a FAMILY safe site!!!!!!
thanks
KIM

Day 6

Well I haven't posted in several days. I have not been feeling well at all. The cold I stopped so I could have surgery cam eon full force after......I still have a very deep cough and it hurts SOOOOO badly when I cough. I saw my surgeon yesterday and everything he says looks good. The neck being numb is normal. He had to pull things out farther for me as I told him I sing and needed to sing in two weeks time post op. so he took extra precaution for my neck surgery. The actual stimulator was placed in my armpit area. I cannot feel it yet. There is still TONS of swelling at both incision sites. He changed my pain meds from the oxycodne to tylenol 3. I had trouble taking the other as it made me sick. So hopefully with this one I can get some sleep. I am a naturally left sided sleeper and this not being comfy laying on my left side is making it hard to get the rest I need. I have slept two nights in bed the rest has been in the recliner where I actually get a better nights still[ this from a woman who can't just nap sitting in a chair!!!!] I have to be feeling well enough to go out this weekend as my oldest son has a county choir concert Sunday afternoon and my daughter has a district choir concert Saturday afternoon. Since I don't drive anyway I can take pain meds to help me out.
I don't like taking them in general so I save them for when I really need them. You don't heal as quickly as you think....I mean you hear outpatient surgery and you think can't be all that bad. Due to numbness in my neck I have to eat slowly and chew slowly as I don't have ths swelling abilities completely back yet....They are getting better though.
I haven't posted much as I didn't want to seem as if I was complaining.....I know it's a long road.....But feel people who are reading this should also know if they make the decision any information they can gather might be helpful.

I will post pictures as soon as we crop them---we have them dated etc....
Talk atcha soon
KIM

Day two post op

It's Sunday morning and i was able to remove my bandages this morning. I slept for a good 8 hours last night. I am still having some numbness in my left neck and face...and hoping that as the swelling goes down so will the numbness. Hope that is not a permanent side effect.
I took some pictures and will add them as i crop and submit them on here.[Here are the pictures i promised----right is my face, left is my armpitarea. this is 48 hours post op] I have not been able to shower yet and I am still pretty sore but am taking as little pain meds as possible as i don't want to deal with the withdrawl of the meds. I am eating alright although i have to really concentrate to chew and swallow and not choke. I am getting some of my taste buds back as well...since it seems my left side of my tongue isn't as numb.
I am hoping that tomorrow is the last really bad day and that i start feeling better after that...I am sure the shower i get to take later today or tomorrow will surely help on that front. Right now i don't feel strong enough to stand in the shower. I am too shaky so am waiting til i am safer....
Will write more soon..i sure hope this is helping people understand what i am going through if you want or need more information please let me know
Kim

Good Morning

It's 930 am the day after surgery. It's almost 24 hours post op. I am still numc under my whole chin area although i am more sore than i was last night. I slept in the recliner last night....I was told byseveral people they had to lay at 45 degree angle for 3 days after surgery. I was note given this after my surgery at all in fact in post op i wasn't in a 45 degree angle either!!

Anyway I still cannot feel the spot when the stimulator is but i am very swollen still. The area under my arm is VERY SORE and makes using my left arm as leverage for say getting up out of my chair more difficult. I can kind of see the incisioin under the bandages under my right arm--they couldn't cover it all the way due to location. it's about 3-4 inches long running up and down my body. The incision on my neck is covered but feels so very stretched due to the swelling feels like i swallowed a baseball. i can't see the incision but it's swelling towards the back of my neck, but this is expected.

My throat is no longer numb SOOOOO my throat is now very sore from the tube!!!! i am hoping to eat some eggs this morning and wathc olympics again--- can you believe the womens hockey team is playing for the bronze MAN!!!!!!


Ok off to rest.....

It's Done AMEN

We got to the hospital at 630am today. They did my instake questions. I got changed. They started my iv and gave me all my meds for my stomach[ i have a hietal hernia so they have to be more careful when sedating me and keeping my tummy from not being upset. David was with me along with my mother in law Joanne. The Anesthsialogist came in an explained that he would be giving me a longer tube in my throat due to my hietal hernia but we have to remind them to be careful of my vocal chords since i sing...since this tube would GO through my chords. Around 815am they took me back and i was in there a few mintes before DOWN i went...I came out of surgery two hours later. It was a deep cut in my throat since i am heavier they have to go deeeper. the cut in below my left ear. then there is another incision under my left armpit. Both are VERY sore even though they are technically NUMB still.[I didn't know they would numb the area!!! did anyone else have this]I was numb all the way up to my mouth and i couldn't swallow solids at all..had to really gulp fluids to get my pain pills down. I was home at 330pm and although tired and sore...Iwas expecting the pain to be much worse!!!!! I was told day 3 is the worst as that's the peak swelling and pian levels. I am also swollen enough that i cannot yet feel where the actuall stimulator is located. I think i can tell based on where it's most sore but i still can't feel it.

Day one PHOTOS

The first photo is the area along my armpit/breast area....when i got home. The picture below is of the area of my face that had the vagus nerve in it.... I am adding pictures throughout the blog so please refresh the pages!!!

It's approved and a GO for Friday

I finally got approved for my VNS today and will be having the surgery done on friday morning at 830am. I am altering the meds i need to and getting rest to try and keep this cold under control!!!
Thanks to everyone for support...this is an important hurdle for me

MY INSURANCE GRRR

I have been fighting with my insurance to get approved in time for my surgery friday. They said they had everything and allowed me to do my pre op testing. Then today i find out i am still not approved and need to call my dr in the morning because two different forms have different seizure frequencies listed on them and they need clarification. I am praying that since i have to wean off of some of my meds that i will still be allowed to go ahead with my surgery on friday and if not then possibly next week. It has taken me so long to get to this point. I have been fighting nerves and illness and the stregth to say go ahead with it...to have it delayed will be such a let down!!!!
I will keep you updated
Kim