30 Days After 23rd

Today I celebrate one month since my last surgery. I am not sure the word celebrate is the proper adjective to use for one-month post-surgery. However, I am healing and have had zero complications, minus one minor setback that I will explain.

 

About the minor setback... 

This Tuesday morning, as my mom was cleaning my wounds and changing some bandages, she noticed that two of my stitches had popped, and the wound had begun to open. She washed the area and told me to contact my medical team. My mom also took some pictures to send to Dr. Patel and his team to see how the skin flap looked. After emailing my medical team back and forth, I was scheduled for an appointment for Wednesday at 3:20 pm. 

ARNP Krissie cleaned my wound and explained that Dr. Patel was in surgery, but he had been paged and would take a look at my skin flap. Once Dr. Patel looked at the skin flap and the stitches that had popped, he instructed Krissie to remove the remaining stitches and that he would be replacing them with thicker thread. And so, I am now the proud owner of 12 new blue stitches and four steri strips! Once the local anesthesia wore out, I immediately felt horrific pain. I literally could feel my face swelling again. Due to the pain, I did not sleep much during the night. Therefore, I spent all Thursday in and out of sleep and taking pain medicine. Thankfully, Friday, I felt better, and at night I was able to sleep, only waking up once throughout the night. I have a follow-up on the 28th of this month. 

saying goodbye to 2021

You may be asking yourself why the stitches opened. Well, the answer is quite simple, gravity. As Dr. Patel explained, the skin flap is heavy, and now that the swelling is going down, it has less pressure holding it up, so gravity took over. The 12 new stitches and steri strips pull the skin flap upward, and the pressure bandage I have around my head provides support. 

And so I find myself one-month post-surgery, and I still have many more until I am fully recovered. I honestly have a lot to celebrate because I am healthy and healing, my mental health is also stable, and if I start feeling unstable, I know who I can turn to for support. I am sleeping better throughout the night, eating more, and my leg is getting stronger. The swelling on my face and the droopiness of my right cheek will take much longer to normalize, but at least for now, there are no signs of facial nerve damage. 

 Let the healing continue!

Post 23, part 2

 Recovery from any surgery requires patience, a skill I have gained through multiple surgeries. As I have expressed in previous posts regarding surgeries, I tend to bounce back relatively quickly; however, my body is taking its time to recover from
this surgery. I am healing from different incisions; the right side of my face is swollen, my neck is sensitive due to the trach and Penrose ( a Penrose is a type of surgical drain), and my left leg is weaker than my right due to the skin flap. So, it will take time before I am at 100%. 

Tuesday, January 25

I said goodbye to the ICU! I was transferred to a standard room on the fourth floor, room 402. After settling into my new space and saying goodbye to my mom, I put on a movie and got comfortable in a recliner. At one point, my suction fell; I figured I could stand up, walk the two feet towards my bed where the suction was and pick it up. I did not think I needed to call my nurse to help. After all, it was a short distance. So, I put my movie on pause and slowly scooted to my bed. Two nurses walked into my room as I leaned against my bed to grab my suction. 

Out of ICU

Needless to say, they were not happy; they reprimanded me, telling me that I could have gotten hurt and that I needed to call my nurse if I wanted to move. They helped me get back into my chair and grabbed my suction. My assigned nurse, Nick, came in later and jokingly said, " I heard you were a runaway." I promised him and the other two nurses that I would call for help moving forward. 

Despite my vow not to stand up again, a nurse placed an alarm on my recliner and bed. In hindsight, I should not have stood up despite my self-assessment that I was able and strong enough to perform my actions. 

My brother Andrés also visited me and slept over! By far, it was the best night ever! We watched movies and took a stroll around the floor at 10 pm. 

Wednesday, January 26 to present

Freedom! After one whole week in the hospital, I was discharged! Oh, what a happy day! Being home has been the best medicine! There is nothing better than sleeping in your bed and eating home-cooked meals. At home, I do not have to worry about a chair alarm going off every time I stand from my recliner. 

I went back to Moffitt on Wednesday, February 2, for a follow-up and to remove the staples from my left thigh; I had a total of 30 staples! Kathy, Dr. Patel's nurse, removed the staples and examined the wound; she said my leg was healing perfectly and that I had to increase my walking distance to rebuild my strength slowly. My next appointment is Tuesday, March 1.

As I am nearing a month post-surgery, I can slowly see the results. My left leg is stronger with each passing day. My tracheostomy and Penrose drain in my neck are nearly closed. The swelling on my face and head has significantly gone down, and the stitches have started to dissolve. But, please don't misunderstand; I still have a long road ahead of me to see full results. Dr. Patel said it would take up to ten weeks before I see results, but fully recovering from such extensive surgery will take about a year. 

I do not know if I will need a follow-up surgery once I fully recover, and honestly, that is the least of my worries. Right now, I am focused on healing from number 23. I have had zero complications. I follow all medical advice and listen to what my body, mind, and soul need, and what I need most is patience in the healing process. 

Post 23, part 1

 I am officially two weeks and a day post-surgery; I honestly cannot believe it has already been 15 days since I had surgery! I spent a week in the hospital. Six days were in the ICU and one day in a standard room; this was the longest I have spent in the hospital following an operation, I usually leave the hospital on day two post-op, but this time was different. 

1-19-2-22, before surgery

January 19, 2022 Surgery day

I arrived at Moffitt at 5:15 am to register and prepare for the surgery; I was wheeled into the OR by 7:15 am, and surgery began at 8:35 am. Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, my mom was the only one allowed in the waiting room. I cannot begin to imagine how my mom felt being alone in the waiting room. Yes, she kept in contact with family and friends, but still, I would have liked for her to have someone else accompany her while I was in surgery. By 4 pm, I was wheeled into recovery.

My first memory after coming to is of being in a dim room and having my mom next to me. I was unable to speak and in pain. My mom explained that I had a tracheostomy which prevented me from speaking. I recall pain on my left leg and an overall heaviness on the right side of my face and neck. I kept coming in and out of consciousness that night. At one point, my mom left, and my dad came and spent the rest of the night with me. My dad later told me that I kept asking him to rub ice on my chapped lips; I have very little recollection of asking him to do this; however, I recall having him right next to me and holding my hand. 

On Thursday morning, my dad explained that that surgeon had placed the tracheostomy as a preventive measure; due to the surgery, there was a possibility that the swelling could extend down my neck, which could cause difficulty in breathing. The trach was a second layer of defense in case I could not breathe on my own. Thankfully, there were no complications with my breathing. Despite understanding the reason behind the trach, I wanted it out! I was in constant discomfort. I used pen and paper to communicate because I could not speak. Drinking and eating were also challenging. I was not happy. 

 Friday, January 21

One of my doctors placed a cap on the trach; this allowed me to speak. Of course, the first question I asked was when the trach was being removed; of course, my doctor had no specific date but said soon. I was thankful to be able to speak once again. However, my voice at first was weak and sounded robotic. Even though I could talk with the cap on the trach, eating and drinking remained a challenge; to do either, I had to tuck my chin to facilitate swallowing. Additionally, the right side of my face is swollen from my temple down my cheek to the nape of my neck; this means I cannot chew on the right side.

 Monday, January 24

Finally, one of my doctors walked into my room at 7:15 am and removed the tracheostomy! You have no idea how happy and relieved I was! I immediately noticed my voice improve, drinking and eating also enhanced. It has taken about a week for me to gain full vocal strength. 

Check out part 2 for the continuation of my post-surgery progress...