B,
You had several procedures with lots of days in the hospital, your body and brain need time to adjust. I have read here that some recover quickly while others have longer convalescence times. It is hard to be in the latter category, feeling depressed and not sleeping. Sleep is essential to heal well, so you might want to contact your doctor for help.
The Plavix and aspirin regimen is giving me stomach grief and adding to my fatigue. I cannot wait to discontinue it in August when I have another angiogram to see if my aneurysm is obliterated.
You will get through this, it just takes time. I watch too much TV these days, but it does keep my mind off my miseries and fires up my imagination. Right now I am watching “Alaska the Last Frontier” on Hulu plus. Lol, due to another health issue I cannot even make it to the supermarket, but I accept this as a temporary glitch.
Bellgott, it’s hard to go through a lot of surgeries. Please give your brain time to heal. I was on increased protein and hydration - actually had to drink a significant amount of Gatorade and it’s not my favorite drink lol. But it helped. Sleep is essential as well to healing, just as Campanile shared. Might want to give your surgeon’s office a call and see what they suggest. Hang in there, it can take awhile. Keep in touch and let us know how it’s going.
I was curious if the plavix was zapping my energy level. It's just so tough going from a go go go type guy to moaning trying to get up and down. Thanks for sharing about energy theory on the plavix. Good luck and be well
Campanile said:
B,
You had several procedures with lots of days in the hospital, your body and brain need time to adjust. I have read here that some recover quickly while others have longer convalescence times. It is hard to be in the latter category, feeling depressed and not sleeping. Sleep is essential to heal well, so you might want to contact your doctor for help.
The Plavix and aspirin regimen is giving me stomach grief and adding to my fatigue. I cannot wait to discontinue it in August when I have another angiogram to see if my aneurysm is obliterated.
You will get through this, it just takes time. I watch too much TV these days, but it does keep my mind off my miseries and fires up my imagination. Right now I am watching "Alaska the Last Frontier" on Hulu plus. Lol, due to another health issue I cannot even make it to the supermarket, but I accept this as a temporary glitch.
Bellgott, one of the side effects of Plavix is feeling tired or weak. Here’s the source: http://www.rxlist.com/plavix-drug/medication-guide.htm
Hey Bellgott,
The changes that neurosurgery can have on us are just bloody awful to put it mildly. My initial concern was " what's within there (the skull) makes me who I am, what could be damaged, what could change by them opening it up...". I too was a go, go, go, person and although I do still try to keep that motivation my body tells me stop, stop, stop. If I over do it one day, the following day my body pays for it 10 fold. I am very aware of others around me and try to put on my 'big boy' (strong)face. But some people can see thru this masquerade.
You say you are at 6 weeks post op, so it is still early days. I was 3yrs post op and things were bad (ok, very bad)then 5weeks ago they operated again (op no.6) and this has just knocked me in a major way. Being that I have been here, in recovery mode, before, I have some idea. But I must admit that each surgery has knocked me harder and harder, so I'm not expecting to be able to run a marathon anytime soon. This will be a slowly slowly for quite some time to come. I had wanted to be back at work but have been told this unlikely to ever happen despite my wishes.
I must agree with the comments made by Campanile and Moltroub in that it will take time and you do need to keep yourself hydrated. As for the medications, well, I've had a lot of trouble with medications and often trying to manage meds can be more difficult than the illness management. It is certainly something that needs to be discussed with your medical team. There maybe an alternative medication/treatment available but only your dr's will know if these are appropriate or even an option.
Just be aware that we are here if you need to chat, we are all managing our own 'loads' and although some of us may not be in exactly the same position, we truly do understand from experience and not just from a textbook. This is by no means an easy journey and anybody who tells you otherwise has NEVER been here. Use the resources you have (Us) to your advantage and know that you are not alone in this 'hellish' journey.
Merl
You have been through loads. The best advice I received from this site is to give myself time to heal. Of course I pushed myself and had friends bringing me food because I had difficulty putting my thoughts together and stumbled on my speech. Brain damaged was their concern. (Good friends though.) I would have saved myself loads of frustration if I had just listened. Good luck and I will keep you in my thoughts.