Salsa's Summer Surgery!

Boo Boo Kitty · July 13, 2008

Karri! You look great hun! I am glad to here you aren't falling over in the shower still! Still be a good girl and get your rest! :smile:Keep healing so nicely too!

salsa1877 · July 13, 2008

Uggghhh... Almost biffed it this morning getting out of bed. Holy crap I got so lightheaded. My legs were shaking, I almost threw up (that would hurt), and my vision was going in and out. So now I can't walk my mile today. I am pissed off BIG TIME! I do get to walk to the library, but that is about 3 blocks from here.

losingjusme · July 13, 2008

awwww, Salsa... im sorry... PLEASE take it easy. you are still recently post op. especially in the heat.

salsa1877 · July 13, 2008

I know I need to take it easy it si just that I feel so damn good from the neck down. I have VERY little pain...a little discomfort if I move the wrong way. But otherwise I feel 98% of my normal self. So I think that I should be able to do whatever I want. Then there is this whole dizziness/lightheaded issue. My PS is more convinced today that it is a drug reaction to my Cymbalta. We and she looked up the side effects possible and I have almost 75% of them. I have been on this med for about 1 month but I read a few journal studies that show that surgery/anesthesia with cymbalta is not recommended. None of us new that before apparently as it is not in the general literature of the meds. I spent several hours reading medical journals this morning. One of the side effects is syncope (or passing out) and lightheadedness. PS thinks that with the hormonal changes caused me the removal of fat and the fact that she took me off my birth control for a month to reduce blood clot risks may be another part. Also there could have been an interaction with the anesthesia. Problem is that I can't just stop taking the Cymbalta. You have to be weened off of it. We are going to call my PCP as early as possible tomorrow to see what she says. I think I am going to demand to be taken off of it. She said when she first put me on it that she could switch me to prozac (never taken that one) if I couldn't take the Cymbalta. Hopefully she can do that tomorrow.

TexasBecky · July 13, 2008

Salsa, I'm sorry you are still having troubles. Hopefully you can get your meds adjusted tomorrow and will start feeling like yourself again. Of course you are only 10 days post op so you have to keep taking it easy. Just because you feel pretty good doesn't mean you are able to return to your regular routine. Practice patience. Its good for you.

Thanks for posting your pictures. What a remarkable difference! You should put a before and after side by side so everyone can see the incredible transformation. It keeps getting better and better too!

salsa1877 · July 13, 2008

You all are right. I am just not one that can do nothing. I am too dizzy to work on school curriculum so I have been reading, reading, reading. IN fact I have read 4 books in the last 3 days! That is why I was hoping I was going to get to go to the library today. But maybe tomorrow.

I am going to try and work on some school work but I don't know if I have it in me mentally right now. I have a lot to do so I have to get it done sometime!

nurse niki · July 13, 2008

Hope you are feeling better! I can only imagine how hard it is to just do nothing, after being so active the last year! Your new pics are GREAT!

kareyquilts · July 14, 2008

Salsa: Hope you feel better soon. I don't want to get too personal, but maybe you could do without any antidepressant? Of course, only you know how your feeling but almost all antidepressants have negative side effects. I know because I have used them and tried many in my past life. I'm just wondering if the new you and exercise could help your depression?

salsa1877 · July 14, 2008

I have been on and off of antidepressants for many years. I have just been on Cymbalta for a month because I was hyperventilating so bad that it was interfereing with everything. The anxiety about maintaining my weight was so great that it was throwing me into panic attacks. We tried a lot of things because I didn't want to go back on meds but when it was getting to the point that I couldn't hardly work because of the hyperventilating I figured I didn't have much of a choice.

The meds have helped me not freak out over calories. I was to the point that if I was told to eat 1800 calories in an attempt to maintain that I would eat no more than 1805. I would weigh my food obsessively, count calories obsessively, and pretty much was making my life and everyone around me miserable. Since I started taking the meds I have calmed down a lot. I still worry about calories (though in the last 3 days have consumed several thousand thanks to docs orders) but not to the point that I am shaking and panicking about it.

I would love to never take them again but I also don't want to feel like I did before I started taking them. Hopefully we will figure something out.

Thank you to everyone for all of your support. I greatly appreciate it!

salsa1877 · July 14, 2008

YEAH.... DRAINS OUT! Sorry Frangi but I beat you on this one. I only drained 10cc's in 40 hours.

Let the swell hell start! I have been much more swollen on the right side (the first drain gone) than I have on the other side and I am assuming that is because of the lack of drain. So I guess now I will have equal opportunity swelling!

Oh yeah and we got me into my PCP tomorrow in hopes of doing something about the Cymbalta. Talked to a friend of mine today who said that she experienced the same thing when she was on it.

TexasBecky · July 14, 2008

YEAH.... DRAINS OUT! Sorry Frangi but I beat you on this one. I only drained 10cc's in 40 hours.

Gee Salsa, I didn't realize that you and Frangi were in a drain removal competition. I think she'll beat us all on the reduced swelling thanks to keeping her drain in so long.

losingjusme · July 14, 2008

wooo hooo!!!

cori in wa · July 15, 2008

Hi Karri. Glad you figured out what was (most likely) causing the syncope. I KNOW how hard it is to stay down, because I am the same way. I don't even watch TV any more, mainly because I can't stand to do one thing at a time (Ok, and because commercials make me nuts).

BUT, you HAVE to stay down and take it easy in order to heal. Rent (borrow) movies, organize paper (if you scrapbook), work on knitting or crocheting projects, watch entire seasons of tv shows on discs, something, ANYTHING so you can get the down time you need. Of course, reading is always good too, but I find if I read too many hours in a row my lower back and neck get sore.

Please, please cut yourself from slack and let your body take the time it needs to heal.

Best wishes for good results at the docs tomorrow.

LadyBugRed · July 15, 2008

wooo hooo!!!

Congratulations LJM on gaining a baby!! I just noticed your post!!

salsa1877 · July 17, 2008

WARNING! The last picture on here is of the skin that was removed. It may be unsuitable for all people to look at if you have a squeamish stomach. Blood, tissue and fat are shown. The first two pictures are of me in surgery.

Skin pictures.doc

Edited July 17, 2008 by salsa1877