02 May 2008

some post-op observations

FRIDAY, MAY 02, 2008 10:33 PM, CDT
Hey! Second post, first real update. It's been three weeks since surgery. Here's how I feel:

1) Slightly warmer than before.

2) Numb and tingly all over. In particular, my hands feel much like they did early post-injury - my right hand/arm actually appear to have less sensation than before surgery. However, this is expected; any pathways around the injury that the nervous system had previously learned have basically been sabotaged and must be relearned.

4) Still neck-sore from surgery. It is much improved from when the incision was stapled together (through two weeks after the operation), but I'm still dependent on the chair headrest most of the time. Transferring bed <-> chair and turning in bed are rough. The incision area is still sensitive to the touch... but I got a haircut today, it didn't hurt, and I didn't freak out!

8) For the record, my nose does not hurt, and never really did. The stem cells were taken from waaay far up in my right nostril. I don't remember an exact quantity of gauze packing used, but watching them remove it all was like a nasal clown car. Since my left nostril was untouched, I smell ok [insert pun here].

16) Anxious and excited to start therapy in a few days. They say it will be hard and a lot of work. I'm familiar with these terms. Bring it.


Thanks for dropping by! Catch you again soon, I hope.

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