Friday, July 19, 2019
POLIO: FROM CHILDHOOD TO GRANDMAHOOD: SURGERIES
POLIO: FROM CHILDHOOD TO GRANDMAHOOD: SURGERIES: I have had 4 surgeries related to my polio. The first was tendon transplants on my wrists. These were not done at the same time. They wante...
SURGERIES
I have had 4 surgeries related to my polio. The first was tendon transplants on my wrists. These were not done at the same time. They wanted me to have one hand free.
Now here's a side note. Remember I had braces on both wrists. I learned how to write wearing those. I started out as right handed. Around 7 or 8 years old, I had the surgery on my right hand, I'm not sure how long I had the cast on. So cast on one hand brace on the other.
Learning to write with my left hand now. Time for surgery on left hand. No more braces after surgery so learning to write again with my right hand. Cast comes off my left hand. My writing was not great with my right hand, so I went back to my left and stuck with it. Can you count how many times I learned to write?
The surgery didn't work on my left hand, but it did on my right. So my right hand is stronger than my left.
This takes me to my 3rd surgery age 12. I don't know the name but it was on my right shoulder. They wanted to do something in my shoulder to help me to raise my arm. At this point I couldn't lift my right arm over my shoulder. They did the surgery put me in a cast that covered my front and back to my hips, the right arm was lifted shoulder high bent at the elbow. They cut a hole in my cast in an oval shape on the stomach area, so I could get some relief. It came in great when I was itching I could stick a pencil in there a scratch myself. I forgot to say they put a screw in my shoulder. I wore that cast for 6 months. It did not keep me down, I went to the beach during the summer, they did keep close eye on me didn't want me to fall in the water and get my cast wet.
When I got the cast off everyone waited to see if it worked. It did not work. I have no doubt today these surgeries would all work. As a matter of fact 12 years after I had the wrist surgeries I was getting ready to go to business college after graduating high school. I went for my physical the doctor there let me know they had made major strides in tendon transplants if I wanted to try again.
I said no, I have learned with God's help how to do everything my own way.
My last surgery I was an adult. I had 2 daughters 5 &6 years old. I had scoliosis. Which is curvature of the spine. It is not unusual for those who had polio to have scoliosis. After Angi was born it was suggested we not have any more kids because of my curve. When Angi was about 4, I had a minor surgery, when the ex ray was done they noticed my curve had gotten much worse. We actually had noticed me leaning to one side in the previous months. We would notice it in pictures. So I scheduled an appointment with a surgeon. I asked him what would happen if I didn't have the surgery. He said you would stop breathing. Because my spine would crush my lung. So we decided I should have the surgery.
I had the surgery at Kaiser Hospital in San Diego. What they needed to do was put a metal rod down my spine. During the surgery as they were pulling my spine away from my lung it punctured my lung. So now I have a Pneumothorax or punctured lung. If you've ever seen any medical shows where this has happened you see them insert a tube in your side into your chest cavity, to help inflate your lung. Let me tell you I was still under anesthesia the surgery was still happening, but when they put that tube in I was awake, the most painful thing ever.
Ok surgery is over. They tell Dan what happened and besides that everything went fine. So now not only am I dealing with my back wide open but also healing my lung. My back was open they didn't cast it at first, they had to make sure everything was healing. I was on a Stryker bed. Those are the ones that flip over so you are facing the floor. I don't remember how often they flipped me but it was several times a day. This took several nurses. I had so many wires and hoses hanging. They had to make sure they were out of the way before the flip.Also had to make sure I was secured in the bed so I didn't go flying out. I don't know how long I was out of it. They kept me pretty sedated. Once I was out of the fog. I helped them, by telling them don't forget this cord and make sure you get this one.
I had doctors coming through on rounds to check out this surgery. I was a type of celebrity. Haha
One of my friends I hadn't seen in a long time came to visit me. I was asleep. Apparently my face was quite swollen from being flipped upside done so much. And from medication. But, she really thought I had put on a lot of weight. Some friends who came to visit while I was face down, got on the floor underneath my bed or just talked to the back of my head. I had several visitors from Church. I had so many people praying for me. It was wonderful.
After 10 days. They decided I was healed enough to put a cast on. That was no fun let me tell you. So you have to be naked. They put you on a sling like contraption, They had to be able to wrap the strips for the cast around my body, from shoulder level down to my hips. Because the curve was towards the top of my spine, they had to make sure I had a lot of stability. But, I also had to breathe. I had to go back down to the casting room 4 times for them to trim it away from my throat. before it was right. I tell you I was not a happy camper with that cast on. I was mad and so uncomfortable. They took out the Stryker bed. Trying to sit without the cast choking me was awful. but at least now I could get out of bed and sit in a chair. It was also the first time I could feed myself. Being in bed my arms were to weak to do it.
I finally got to go home. I had gotten use to the cast. The problem I had was finding the right place to sit. Kitchen chairs were the best. Anything to soft would push the cast up and choke me. We had one of those waterbeds that were 3 feet off the floor, for a while I had to sleep in a regular bed. But, once I gained all my strength back, I would sit on the side of the bed and fall backwards. It was funny. Dan had to help me out. Dan was such a blessing , he would shave my legs for me. We had a long coffee table he would help me lay on it and he got buckets, towels and pitchers and would wash my hair.
I was in that cast for 6 months.
The doctors thought I might need to wear a brace for awhile. The day I got my cast off and was told no brace was necessary was the best day in awhile. The night I went home and spent an hour in a bubble bath. God blessed us in so many ways during that time. Some things I didn't even realize until much later. OH and guess what I grew an inch.
Sorry this was so long , I wanted to get the surgeries in one post.
PLEASE feel free to share this.
Now here's a side note. Remember I had braces on both wrists. I learned how to write wearing those. I started out as right handed. Around 7 or 8 years old, I had the surgery on my right hand, I'm not sure how long I had the cast on. So cast on one hand brace on the other.
Learning to write with my left hand now. Time for surgery on left hand. No more braces after surgery so learning to write again with my right hand. Cast comes off my left hand. My writing was not great with my right hand, so I went back to my left and stuck with it. Can you count how many times I learned to write?
The surgery didn't work on my left hand, but it did on my right. So my right hand is stronger than my left.
This takes me to my 3rd surgery age 12. I don't know the name but it was on my right shoulder. They wanted to do something in my shoulder to help me to raise my arm. At this point I couldn't lift my right arm over my shoulder. They did the surgery put me in a cast that covered my front and back to my hips, the right arm was lifted shoulder high bent at the elbow. They cut a hole in my cast in an oval shape on the stomach area, so I could get some relief. It came in great when I was itching I could stick a pencil in there a scratch myself. I forgot to say they put a screw in my shoulder. I wore that cast for 6 months. It did not keep me down, I went to the beach during the summer, they did keep close eye on me didn't want me to fall in the water and get my cast wet.
When I got the cast off everyone waited to see if it worked. It did not work. I have no doubt today these surgeries would all work. As a matter of fact 12 years after I had the wrist surgeries I was getting ready to go to business college after graduating high school. I went for my physical the doctor there let me know they had made major strides in tendon transplants if I wanted to try again.
I said no, I have learned with God's help how to do everything my own way.
My last surgery I was an adult. I had 2 daughters 5 &6 years old. I had scoliosis. Which is curvature of the spine. It is not unusual for those who had polio to have scoliosis. After Angi was born it was suggested we not have any more kids because of my curve. When Angi was about 4, I had a minor surgery, when the ex ray was done they noticed my curve had gotten much worse. We actually had noticed me leaning to one side in the previous months. We would notice it in pictures. So I scheduled an appointment with a surgeon. I asked him what would happen if I didn't have the surgery. He said you would stop breathing. Because my spine would crush my lung. So we decided I should have the surgery.
I had the surgery at Kaiser Hospital in San Diego. What they needed to do was put a metal rod down my spine. During the surgery as they were pulling my spine away from my lung it punctured my lung. So now I have a Pneumothorax or punctured lung. If you've ever seen any medical shows where this has happened you see them insert a tube in your side into your chest cavity, to help inflate your lung. Let me tell you I was still under anesthesia the surgery was still happening, but when they put that tube in I was awake, the most painful thing ever.
Ok surgery is over. They tell Dan what happened and besides that everything went fine. So now not only am I dealing with my back wide open but also healing my lung. My back was open they didn't cast it at first, they had to make sure everything was healing. I was on a Stryker bed. Those are the ones that flip over so you are facing the floor. I don't remember how often they flipped me but it was several times a day. This took several nurses. I had so many wires and hoses hanging. They had to make sure they were out of the way before the flip.Also had to make sure I was secured in the bed so I didn't go flying out. I don't know how long I was out of it. They kept me pretty sedated. Once I was out of the fog. I helped them, by telling them don't forget this cord and make sure you get this one.
I had doctors coming through on rounds to check out this surgery. I was a type of celebrity. Haha
One of my friends I hadn't seen in a long time came to visit me. I was asleep. Apparently my face was quite swollen from being flipped upside done so much. And from medication. But, she really thought I had put on a lot of weight. Some friends who came to visit while I was face down, got on the floor underneath my bed or just talked to the back of my head. I had several visitors from Church. I had so many people praying for me. It was wonderful.
After 10 days. They decided I was healed enough to put a cast on. That was no fun let me tell you. So you have to be naked. They put you on a sling like contraption, They had to be able to wrap the strips for the cast around my body, from shoulder level down to my hips. Because the curve was towards the top of my spine, they had to make sure I had a lot of stability. But, I also had to breathe. I had to go back down to the casting room 4 times for them to trim it away from my throat. before it was right. I tell you I was not a happy camper with that cast on. I was mad and so uncomfortable. They took out the Stryker bed. Trying to sit without the cast choking me was awful. but at least now I could get out of bed and sit in a chair. It was also the first time I could feed myself. Being in bed my arms were to weak to do it.
I finally got to go home. I had gotten use to the cast. The problem I had was finding the right place to sit. Kitchen chairs were the best. Anything to soft would push the cast up and choke me. We had one of those waterbeds that were 3 feet off the floor, for a while I had to sleep in a regular bed. But, once I gained all my strength back, I would sit on the side of the bed and fall backwards. It was funny. Dan had to help me out. Dan was such a blessing , he would shave my legs for me. We had a long coffee table he would help me lay on it and he got buckets, towels and pitchers and would wash my hair.
I was in that cast for 6 months.
The doctors thought I might need to wear a brace for awhile. The day I got my cast off and was told no brace was necessary was the best day in awhile. The night I went home and spent an hour in a bubble bath. God blessed us in so many ways during that time. Some things I didn't even realize until much later. OH and guess what I grew an inch.
Sorry this was so long , I wanted to get the surgeries in one post.
PLEASE feel free to share this.
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