Message from mum (Caryll)

She said to tell you all that the operation went well and that she enjoyed listening to the sawing and hammering!

I hope she got to choose the music in theatre - they had to scrabble around to find Elvis for me once, and the surgeon had to use his own iPod!

I was in PM contact with Caryll before the op (as I have had the same op), and assured her that she would go out like a light and know nothing about the op.

I am absolutely shocked that I have let her down so badly. I do hope she wasn't scared during the sounds you mention. I've PMd her separately.

Having had several ops over the last four years - all on my face - I can honestly say I prefer not to be knocked out. The latest one was last week, and I was knocked out for it, recovery does seem to be a lot slower. I hope that Caryll is feeling much better already!

Actually, hearing the noises didn't bother me, although the sawing was odd because I could feel the vibration in my hips!

I hope you've started to get over it already

It's getting there.

I'm home!!!!!!!!!

Don't be silly, Lynda! You're not at all responsible for what the surgeon chooses to do!

From what mum said, the side effects of being knocked out were quite bad with the lady who went in for an op before her. Probably worked out for the best!

Caryll - welcome home! Separate PM to you.

Eleanor - I don't need to tell you to look after your mum while she recovers.

Lorraine - I'm so sorry to hear that you have had ops, and as recently as last week. You have been such a schtum stoic and I hope very much that you are recovering well and all these "procedures" are now behind you

LyndaW wrote:

Lorraine - I'm so sorry to hear that you have had ops, and as recently as last week.  You have been such a schtum stoic and I hope very much that you are recovering well and all these "procedures" are now behind you

Thanks Lydda - I have had non-resolving, grade VI facial palsy, so I've had a number of operations to try and put some movement into the left side of my face. If you're interested you can read the start of my story here: http://www.facialpalsy.org.uk/about-facial-palsy/personal-stories/bells-palsy/lorraines-story/403 The surgeons have been marvellous, and it's so clever what they can do. I had my fourth surgery on my left eye last week, to extend the length of my eyelid in an attempt to help it to close.

I think you're very brave!

Thanks Caryll, bravery really doesn't come into it, it is what it is. I feel very self-conscious, and very self-indulgent at times when I'm wallowing in self-pity. Sorry for hijacking your thread.

I hope you're starting to feel a little more comfortable?

I don't know, I think there are different types of bravery. Yours is getting on with what has to be done with little or no complaint.

I'm certainly more confortable than I was, although my quad muscles still scream when I ask them to do something & the simple exercises are (seemingly) horrifically difficult!

Small steps & plenty of painkillers!

Lorraine - I've read your story and my heavens you've certainly been through the mill. You are an object lesson on how one must (unfortunately) keep banging on at the medical profession if you have a problem which is being airbrushed aside until something is finally done about it, and I'm so glad that you are at last on the road to recovery.

Caryll - I've pm'd you. Yes the excercises are impossible at first (I remember a physio visiting on my ward and saying (whilst my knees and legs were at 90 degrees whilst I was sitting) "now, raise your foot from the floor as much as you can" and staring intently at my leg. "Go on" he said after a bit, and I had to admit that I had already done it - I had tried but couldn't lift my foot one millimetre!

But over several weeks, with the help of out-patients physio, my knee became as bendy as could be expected of an old lady!

Thanks Lydda.

Here's a pic of my torture room, complete with the horrible NHS walking sticks I'm using...



And the view from my window, although I didn't get a chance to appreciate it much...

How are you feeling now?

Oh, getting there, you know.

Bored & frustrated, but the worst part is not being able to get comfortable.

Caryll, your torture chamber is luxurious! I've got no grouches against my hospital but I had about a foot space each side of my bed, and on one side that was taken up by the washbasin for the nurses.

My crutches were different from yours - do yours prop you up under the armpits? What do you do with your hands? My crutches had handles to lean on at a comfortable height and just a kind of loose cuff at the top to stop them flapping about - they were brilliant and I didn't want to give them up!

The view from your window was certainly up-market and a lot prettier than the view of the multi-storey car park that I had - not that I spent a lot of time gazing out the window either!

I don't have crutches, I have walking sticks. They're apparently easier to use than crutches? I don't know, I've never used crutches!

Oh - I don't know much about walking sticks! I use one occasionally when my back is very bad, but don't find it much help. I think I would have found it more difficult to get about right after the op on sticks than on crutches tbh, especially on the stairs. But I'm sure your doctors etc know what's best for you; it could well be that you recover locomotion quicker than I did - they had to wrestle my crutches away from me!

There have been times when I think crutches would have made me feel 'safer' than sticks, but overall they haven't been too bad.

Yes I've got to admit - I think crutches are 'safer'

Last night my 'good' leg somehow fell off the bed & twisted my bad knee.

Very painful now.