D’oh! Don’t try this at home kids!

Written on Wednesday July 7, 2010

***Caution!!!! This is a more graphic post including pictures. If you have a weak stomach or are easily grossed out, you should probably not read on!***

Since I've had no internet, I haven't been able to post regularly and I have to write these blogs on MSWord, and then publish later when the internet is all fixed. And I haven't had time to write about what happened last week. So let me fill you in now.

Last Wednesday (June 30^th) I went back to the hospital in Nyköping to get my staples removed. Woohoo right?! Yeah, well staples out and tape on (which was to stay on for 1 week).

Since we moved into our new apartment last week, I have been trying to do a little unpacking here and there. But doc says…no strenuous activity for 6 weeks. Perhaps they should be a bit clearer on what qualifies as strenuous activity. Or perhaps I'm an idiot! Lol.

After getting home from the hospital last Wed, I tried to do some unpacking. And it was like 10 pm at night and I had the brilliant idea to move a box that was holding one of those back massagers (I'm talking a very light and relatively small box). I wanted to put it on the very top shelf in the closet system in my bedroom. (I have floor to ceiling closets and probably like 8-9 ft ceilings). I couldn't reach just by standing on my tippy toes, so I held the box over my head with both arms extended and then jumped and tried to throw the box up onto the top shelf. I know what you're thinking!! She's an idiot! Duh! Well about half a millisecond after doing this I felt horrible pain throughout my abdomen. It felt like I just ripped open all the incision points and not to mention my already funky and slanted placed port (in my chest above my sternum) must have moved and stabbed into my left chest muscle. Oh joy!!!! So I hunched over, hobbled to the bed and tried to lay down while screaming in pain. My boyfriend comes in and is like stunned to see me in so much pain and trying so desperately to find a position that is remotely comfortable to lay in.

We were told before we left the hospital right after surgery that if there were any emergencies or situations to call Nyköping emergency room first and possibly go there rather than our local hospital. As they don't deal with this kind of surgical procedure at our local hospital. So we called the ER in Nyköping, only to be told they had no idea and to call 1177 (which is like the what to do if I stick a pen in my eye hotline number). They advise you on what you should do or where to go. But the answer I've gotten every time I've called is "Well it's up to you if you want to go to the hospital or not". So they have been extremely helpful thus far. Lol. Nyköping is like over an hr drive away and I wasn't sure they could do anything.

My first fear was I just yanked the stomach band and it's like around my esophagus now or something. Then my next thought was, shit I just ripped open the incisions. But I looked down at the tape and I didn't see blood gushing or anything. So I figured the inside part of the incision (like deep down in my belly) likely haven't healed yet and I probably tore them.

So we didn't go to the ER, we decided to wait until morning and call my surgeons nurse at the hospital. She said give it 24 hrs and then if the pain is still an issue come down to the hospital. Well for 2 days after I couldn't really eat so much without feeling horribly nauseous. But I think that was more to do with the pain pills then anything. And after a couple days I was back to eating like normal. Yeah I still had occasional pain inside my belly (especially on the left side). And yeah the tape on the far left incision looked like there was some dried blood on it in the center. But I thought maybe that was normal! Wrong!

Late last night my boyfriend and I decided to take the tape off and give everything a look-see. We did the far left incision pretty much last. I noticed some small amounts of dried blood here and there on the other incisions, but nothing to write home (or I suppose on here) about. When I got to the far left one my boyfriend had to do it because it was a bit too difficult for me. So he starts taking the tape off and is like

From the first dr. visit to see how bad it was

"Ugh, I think we have a problem here. I don't think this one is ready to be removed"

To which my response was "Why? What's wrong."

Then he said "Umm, there's like a hole here."

"Huh?"

So he gets a flashlight and a mirror for me to see properly. And sure enough there is a hole. Not like needle point or pencil point hole. I mean I couldn't stick my finger in it or anything. But yeah, a hole. That isn't supposed to happen. So obviously when I hurt myself last week I did rip open my incision…on the outside. On top of that there's some stuff coming out of it, and it isn't blood. And the area around it is looking a bit red and inflamed. So I'm thinking yippee and infection to boot! So first thing this morning I got up and called my surgeons nurse again. She tells me I need to go to my local vårdcentral (government run doctors office) and have someone look at it, clean it and put proper dressing on it.

I went to the vårdcentral on Wed. Nurse said I didn't have an infection!! Score! But she put some packing gauze or something into the wound, and then more stuff on top, and then a big ole bandaid. And told me I had to come back on Friday to get it all cleaned and redressed again.

2nd visit on Friday

Then on Friday I went and had my wound cleaned again, and this time she put some clear gel on some special sponge like gauze and then a big waterproof bandage on top and told me to come back on Monday.

Well it's Monday (July 12^th) now. I went back again this morning. Went through the same process as Friday, only this time I got her to give me the stuff to take home so I can do this at home, rather than go back to the vårdcentral twice a week to get it fixed. So I'm done going back there unless there is an issue. J Woohoo!!!

Funny side story: You have to give your personnummer whenever you go to the vårdcentral. And I've gone so often in the last week, that as soon as the receptionist saw me this morning she put it into the computer without me telling her. She has my personnummer memorized. Hahahaha. How sad is that?

Yup, so go me! What can I say, I like to keep things interesting! I have to have something to write about on here! Hahaha

-FXA