12/16/09 surgery update on Ed

[MLAZYB]

Originally Posted by Ed Caffrey

Hi Bing!

Has everything gone well with Marilyn? We've been keeping you folks in prayers. The whole time I was in the hospital I was thinking of you and Marilyn...thinking about how strong you two are/have been, and feeling a bit embarrassed because I was so scared of how this thing with me will turn out. Maybe you didn't know, but when you were here visiting, I was drawing a lot of strength from you....thanks very much for that. I know you were needing some support too, but wanted you to know just how much that visit boosted my state of mind. Thanks for helping me with my "giant".

Marilyn had a good check up today. She will have another visit in 3 weeks. Then there will be one more minor surgery. Spending the day at your place gave me a much needed strength as well. I know we were able to feed on each others support. I'm very thankful we were able to spend the day shooting the breeze. It was also very nice that I was able to see Tom and his wife. Very nice people
The big guy above has been looking over us closely for the weather as far as the travel. Hope it will hold for our next trip.

I will send you a PM on Saterday
Take care Pal

Bing

Cindy is right ( Must be a guy thing on posting the pic of your cut)

[Bruce D Bump]

Hi Ed,
You look pretty good all things considered. I want some of that pharasudical super glue, looks like good stuff. Glad to see you havent lost your sense of humor.
Get some rest and heal fast brother.
Bruce

[boatbuilder]

Ed
Great to hear you are home. I know you will have a hard time sitting still for a while but it's something you will have to do for yourself. I think wrting that article could be great idea and there is alot of web surfing to do. Best of all you are home and on the mend. Take care and maybe see you next week sometime.

Jim

[DiamondG Knives]

Ed

So glad to hear you are home. I know how much better things are once you get out of the hospital, so you can deal with life on your terms, not theirs. Slow and easy does it.

Hope Mrs. Cindy has been able to get some rest, those hospital chairs arnt the greatest!

God Speed on the recovery!

Remember what my Dr told me, "You didn't get this way in a day, you won't heal in one!"

Prayers and Good Vibes from Arkansas!!

God Bless
Mike

[Ed Caffrey]

I found out something today. Yesterday, while I was still in the hospital they gave me a drug called perkiset (spelling?) and I had a bad interaction with it. Blurred my vision, and the only way I know how to describe it is that I had two bodies, and each was spinning a different direction. They also gave me a pain patch called Fentanyl, and told me to put it on today. Well, Cindy put it on my shoulder after I got out of the shower today....Man oh man! The reaction was 10X worse with this stuff! I finally told Cindy to rip that thing off of me, and now I actually feel like a human again. I think I would rather be in pain than go through that kind of feeling.

Makes me wonder how many people out there take a Doctor's word and suffer through that kind of drug reaction. Maybe I'll pay for it later in the form of pain, but in this case I think the cure was worse...at least for me.

Bing: Glad to hear that Marilyn is doing well. Give her our best! Make sure you drop me a note when you get home.


Bruce: Its gotta be some kind of super glue. I stayed sealed up, even through a warm shower, and the feel of it on the wound is kinda like super glue feels when you get it on fabric or leather....but I suspect that they will charge me major $$$ just because its "medical grade" or some such thing. Heck, for all I know they sent a nurse to the local Ace Hardware store before the surgery to pick it up!

Jim: I can only watch so much TV...only took about an hour today and I was on the computer surfing....been at it ever since. Well at least on and off. This is terrible, but I just can't see how some folks can sit and watch TV all the time. We have satellite TV...120 channels, and there simply isn't anything in all those channels worth watching. We did watch the latest Star Trek movie tonight, so at least for 2 hours I was interested. That most of the reason for this long winded post.

[deker]

Originally Posted by Ed Caffrey

I found out something today. Yesterday, while I was still in the hospital they gave me a drug called perkiset (spelling?) and I had a bad interaction with it. Blurred my vision, and the only way I know how to describe it is that I had two bodies, and each was spinning a different direction. They also gave me a pain patch called Fentanyl, and told me to put it on today. Well, Cindy put it on my shoulder after I got out of the shower today....Man oh man! The reaction was 10X worse with this stuff! I finally told Cindy to rip that thing off of me, and now I actually feel like a human again. I think I would rather be in pain than go through that kind of feeling.

Sounds like you don't like being high on Opium Ed! The Percocet is a "natural" opioid extract while the Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid. Makes sense that they'd move you to the synthetic in case your reaction was allergic. Problem is that the Fentanyl hits like a freight train....

Makes me wonder how many people out there take a Doctor's word and suffer through that kind of drug reaction. Maybe I'll pay for it later in the form of pain, but in this case I think the cure was worse...at least for me.

You'd be amazed...While it may not be the "spinnies" you had, there's lots of negative side effects that people don't realize they're experiencing because they're high as a kite.

I'm glad to hear you're toughing it out without the heavy pain killers. they can be tough on you. Hang in there man, you'll be just fine in a bit...

-d

[DiamondG Knives]

Ed
On the pain killers, I have the same problem. Usually I have to take a motion sickness drug with the painkillers to stop this. I was prescribed hyrdrocodone and th only way I could take it was to lay down with my eyes closed (it did help me sleep though!) Might ask your Doc if you could get a pill form and take smaller doses.

I feel your pain on the TV we have over 100 channels and I watch the food network, and the history channel. It amazing how much junk is on tv! Mabe you can get Cindy to find you a DVD of all the Bonanza Series! There is a show worth watching!!

God Bless
Mike

[bbarnettAUS]

Hey Ed,
Glad ya home and alls well. I can relate to ya on a few things youve said. When I had my race bike smash I found out I was allergic to morphine, gave me massive aches & pains & made me feel pretty ill. It wasnt till i said no to it a day after the operation that I suddenly felt a whole lot better. Prescription pills did the trick.

As far as watching the TV, I just cant do it anymore and cant believe the amount of time some people spend doing just that, my own offspring for starters.

Looking at that incision, i can imagine how sore the surrounding area is, especially after they had the jimmy bars in there jacking those ribs apart!!! They can be pretty brutal at times. I remember seeing footage of a knee replacement being done and my knees felt way better immediately.

Take it easy mate, it will be frustrating but ya need to heal up properly, and be gentle with Cindy when she asks ya to rest!!!!.

Cheers Bruce

[Wade Holloway]

Hey Ed glad to hear you are up and about. Deker is right about the pain meds. I almost spit my coffee out reading about your experience with it. You have discovered the secret with pain meds, it really does nothing with the pain, just makes you were you do not care if you hurt. The surgery you had is actually one of the most painfull surgery you can have, but it does sound like you are dealing with it pretty well. On your incision you are right about the super glue. We use sutures underneath the skin and the actually seal it closed with the super glue. The glue is not really holding anything just more of a sealant. Glad you are doing so well and Jeanne and I are still keeping you and Cindy in our daily prayers. One last piece of wisdom for you, , just remember that pain is a wonderful thing, it lets you know what you are not supposed to be doing. Take it easy my friend.

[boatbuilder]

ED
Sounds like the patch you wore for sea sickness. I hope it doesn't take as long now as it did this summer for your blurred vision to go away.
jim

[tomh]

Hope you are feeling less tender today brother! Give me a shout if you feel up to it, and stay out of the shop!! I know you are thinking about going in there.....

[Ed Caffrey]

Thanks for all the input on the pain meds folks! I know that Cindy had her doubts about me taking the patch off, but I slept pretty good last night, and did not wake up feeling sick. I made the statement this morning that I'm gona go outside sometime today and take a walk around the yard.

Tom: you were reading my mind....but I don't dare. I decided that I'm gona load Windows 7 on the shop computer, which will give me an excuse to be out there, without working on knives. If I can't work, then at least I can be out there!

Speaking of Windows 7, I loaded it on my laptop (that I'm using right now) and although I had my doubts about the OS after having used Vista, I really like Windows 7. I got a screaming deal....well I should say that Mandi (my daughter) did. MS had a deal where college students could get an upgrade version of Windows 7 for $29.00!! She used her student email address and got me a copy of Windows 7 Pro. It was a little confusing loading it up, but once it was on the machine, I found the computer seems to run much faster, and so far the laptop has not frozen up...which is something that I have constant problems with on my desktop machines with XP. Gona load the new OS on the desktops when I can.

Guess it will be another day of surfing the web and waiting for something worth watching to show up on the TV. Maybe I can think up something to start some new threads with here on the forums besides me and drugs!

[samf]

Ed
I hope your doing better
Sam fogler

[wjsmith11@bresn]

Ed,
Glad to see you are doing better. Do you
ever watch movies on DVD. I have about
3 handfuls in DVD's. Or is there anything
else you whould like to try your hands at
like non-tiring things. I have a large hobby
collection of thigs to do while layed up
Our Prayers are with you and Cindy.
Walter

[ddushane]

Glad to hear you're doing ok Ed, We've been praying for you at church and at home. hang in there!

Dwayne