Learned at Rehab today that I'm scheduled on Thursday for a lung diffusion test, a meeting with the surgeon and his nurse, and an assessment by anesthesiology. Glad I asked at Rehab because the nurse in charge (I'm sure she has a more job specific title) not only looked it up, she ran a printout of the times and places of them all.
Rehab is becoming more challenging -- although not breath-wise *shrugs* Mostly it's my arms and legs that are being stressed. Figures...now that today was my penultimate visit...oh well *sighs*
I'm thinkin' I'd be in some terrific shape if they'd just let me finish the eight week program, but the surgeon wasn't wanting to postpone until after graduation weekend. Current guesstimates are that it will be a month or so before I'll be ready to return to this Rehab.
Questions for the medical staff:
What is the surgeon's infection rate? Any place to learn this other than from the surgeon himself??
How much antibiotic cleansing should one do before surgery? Ms. Mag says 3-5 days prior to surgery I should shower with chlorhexidine (Hibiclens). Staff at Rehab thought that was excessive/ridiculous. What do you know?
Given that I remain a candidate for a resection, lobectomy or a pneumonectomy, with no complications:
How long will I be on a ventilator? Will I have a chest tube? For how long? Just what does that entail? How long before I will be up and around in the hospital? (We understand 7-10 days in the hospital.) What kind of pain medication will be administered/self administered? What kind of Metamucil product will be accompanying any pain medication? What dietary restrictions/changes might be expected? (I can't imagine they'll suggest an antioxident rich diet, but they might surprise me.) I'm hoping someone can smuggle in some Naked Juice...
Kevin will remember to ask about internet access *grins*
Please add to the list or post any answers/comments that you might have.
Managed to do a bit more yardening up in front where creepy Creeping Charley and Dandelions have an all too good footing. On the brighter side, daffodils are still popping up, creeping phlox is in full bloom. I've seen growth under two of the new rose bushes I tried last year, two of our Celedine Poppies have blossomed, the two grandiflora trillium in our front yard are glorious, and the yard is blue with wild violets. That's just looking down, which is kind of difficult to do these days with the red buds, apples, crabapples, and pears in bloom overhead.
One of the two eggs in the nest in front of Mom's screened porch hatched a new cardinal. She can't see it yet, but she's seen the female cardinal sitting on the nest. I found it when I was trimming the juniper. I forgot to check tonight to see if the second one has hatched.
The photo is of Bardo, our barred owl who's been here at least three years now. Last week Kevin caught sight of him in our creek, just 20 feet from the house, drinking and having a bit of a bath, but he wasn't there long enough to photograph. Kevin took this photo using the distance lens; Bardo is actually in a tree across our ravine. We're discussing selling some his photographs...
What else do we want to know? We have until Wednesday to field more questions.
I hope this finds everyone well.
5 comments:
I did a little research on the pre op shower issue. The CDC says two preoperative showers reduced the bacterial colony counts on the skin "ninefold", although there's no proof that makes a difference in surgical site infections. I think all the healthy living you've been doing lately is your best defense.
I can't imagine dietary restrictions that would exclude antioxidents and any fruit and veggie products you ask for. The main issue will be how soon your gut wakes up from anesthesia and pain control meds. They'll likely want to give you a stool softener like Colace once you start eating solid foods. Can't hurt-it's basically soap that lubes the gut and pulls water into the stool. (The pain meds tend to slow things down and dry them up). The fruits and veggies do the same thing and have other benefits as well. Once you are eating real food the medical folks shouldn't care if you want outside food bought in-they've eaten hospital food! Another thing to include is yogurt with live cultures to put back the good bugs that antibiotics and antimicrobial scrubs kill off.
I haven't found a source yet for info about the surgeon's infection rate. I'll keep looking...
Thanks, woman!
Katie was the one who warns of the need for Metamucil or some such. I'm reading between the lines that a colace type is for when I'm eating softer foods and the fiber stuff once I'm returned to a regular diet?
The yogurt is a good reminder, which I'll probably need again in three days *sighs*
Pet or hug all the critters for us.
Colace is for when you are on the heavy pain meds, mostly. As for the metamucil, I think you usually eat enough greens and grains to keep your gut healthy otherwise. It's just concentrated fiber, and the natural stuff is always better if you can eat it. Make sure you have some whole grain breads in the freezer...I'll bring the yogurt to you once you start eating in the hospital.
Metamucil is, I guess my generic word for fiber or stool softener. Here is my question...What is naked juice? Katie
You'll find Naked Juice in the produce section of your market, in a cooler. There are two sizes here, pint and quart. Pure fruit smoothie, basically. Noted on the back are the numbers and names of fruits in the bottle along with a note on the small bottle that says, "Contains 1 pound of fruit." Some are specifically labeled 'antioxident.' Now we're beginning to see other brands. Try the coop if you don't find it at the local grocery. -dp
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