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Update On The Old Girl

This kidney stone deal has kicked my butt! I told Vince this morning that the last time I had this done, it wasn’t nearly so bad and, in his usual “always knows what to say” self, he said “Everything is harder when  you’re old!”

When I came home from surgery and bragged about how good I was feeling, I think I was under the influence of anesthesia and pain meds because it’s definitely be down hill since then.  The pain hasn’t been unbearable but I just feel horrible – I don’t feel like doing anything. I stay up for an hour, sleep for two hours, get up for an hour, sleep for three hours.

I’m no doctor but I honestly believe the antibiotic I was taking was dragging me down. I started thinking that because I kept feeling worse each day post-surgery – not sick or hurting or feverish but just didn’t feel like myself. I googled it and you know . . Google can be your best friend or your worst enemy but what I read gave me hope that it was the antibiotic and I will be feeling better soon.  I took the last one yesterday at noon so I’m hoping that by tonight, I’m starting to feel like my old self again. This morning I fixed breakfast, got a load of laundry going, watered a few pot plants and took a shower and I think that’s more than I’ve done the past several days.

It is amazing what four days of doing NOTHING will do to a household. This morning we ate breakfast using salad forks and had grits out of serving bowls. Everything is dirty . . I’ve lived on ice cream and watermelon for the past few days so every small bowl was dirty. The dishwasher is going, the countertops have been wiped down . . there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. You are right; part of the problem is that Antibiotics kill off the good flora in your intestinal tract. I take a probiotic and eat yogurt when I am taking antibiotics to help keep me feeling better. I find it helps especially if I start them as soon as I start feeling bad. It seems to help the body’s immune system.

    Hope you turn this corner quickly.

  4. Glad you are feeling better. we went through the kidney stone stent routine w my BIL who is Developmentally delayed since birth. He is not able to tell us that he is in pain, or what is wrong, usually he just starts acting out, hitting, kicking, biting.
    I have to say your blog about it has made me more understanding of what he must have gone through. Right now I think he maybe developing another one. He just had a bladder infection, which i sent him into the bad behaviors. He’s 71 now and in a nursing home. We are praying that another stone is not there.

  5. A lot of healing has to happen, and you need to remember the body heals when it is sleeping. Ask Vince to do your chores so you can rest and heal. It takes time.

  7. Yep, I agree with Linda, you need more help. You are so patients being able to go,go,go from morning to bedtime and Vince is used to that too. You need to ask him to load the dishwasher or wash the dishes by hand for you. He won’t know what you need or what you want to do unless you tell him . Make him a ” honey do list ” on your way to the bedroom to take another nap give him the list. The way they perform the surgeries may have become easier for the surgeon’s but the patient still needs time to recover and your body is also dealing with stones in the other kidney. It’s no wonder you don’t feel right. Rest ,Judy, you’ll be feeling better soon. Continued prayers and some cyber hugs.
    Quilterbee

  8. Yup – agree with everyone – rest is the best medicine. And get some yogurt or kefir to get those good stomach bugs back in shape.

  9. So sorry you aren’t feeling well. My husband has had kidney stones several times but only needed surgery once, they really knock him flat. I had chemical pneumonia after a bad surgery experience once and had to be on really stong antibiotics for several weeks and I noticed I always felt better right before it was time for the next dose. When it was time to be discharged from the hospital it was the same time my next dose was due. I had my coat on and was clutching my bag of stuff to take home while waiting for my husband to check me out. I was not letting them give me another IV dose of the meds–they were worse than the pills. LOL
    Just rest while you need to and you will feel better soon. The more you rest the faster you will recover. Don’t you have some paper plates and bowls you can use? Plastic silverware? Now is the time to dig them out.

    By the way, did you hear on the news yesterday about that sun flare that happened two years ago? If it had been a week later it would have wiped out the Earth’s electical grid. Yikes! I immediately thought of you and that at least you would be prepared while the rest of the world fell into chaos. They said the world would have been plunged into the Middle Ages, no running water even because the city water pumps are run on electricity. I thank God every day for air conditioning and running water.

  10. ????I hope you feel 100% soon. The body needs a chance to heal. Get your rest. Naps are OK

  11. I hope you are feeling better soon. I did have to chuckle when you said you were eating from serving bowls. I could see myself doing that…

  12. Judy, as a veteran OR RN, and a patient who had surgery 5y ago, these symptoms are r/t the anesthesia you had. Those drugs take time to recover from. I slept 18-20h a day for the first 6 days. I couldn’t believe it myself and I see it done every day. Allow yourself time to recover and heal your body.

  13. So glad that you are starting to feel better….now take some probiotics to counteract the effects of the antibiotics.

  16. First blog from you in about three weeks, have missed so much. Still don’t know the problem. That said, we think of you daily and hope you continue to feel better. Antibiotics, the pits, but make you well. Take care of yourself and Vince too.

  17. praying you feel better tomorrow and more so each day. Both the anti-biotics,a nd the anesthesia can really do a number on us. The new antibiotics are often way too strong… sometimes the old tried and true is all we need… but lots of factors go into the MDs deciding what to give, and not always medical research.

    The good news is you are off of them now.

    Make sure you drink lots of water ( if allowed) to flush all the nasties out of your system…

    And thanks for letting us know… been checking every day for an update! 🙂

  18. Rest, rest, rest! Your body is telling you it needs to recuperate by sleeping. DH and I split a cup of yogurt for our bedtime snack to maintain the “good” bacteria in our digestive tracts. Kick back and let Vince take over some of your duties until you recover. Is Socks lonely out in the sewing room without you?

    Take it easy until you recover.

  19. I hope you continue to find more energy every day but don’t push it. Have Vinve do some things too. But he will need to be told probably.

    Hugs

  20. So sorry you’re under the weather after the kidney stone surgery. But, today you sound like your perking up! Thinking about you and hope you’ve turned the corner!
    And let that mess sit. Use your energy to heal!

    Take care, joanna

  21. I’m glad you are seeing some light and hope for the end of this feeling. It was invasive, even if it didn’t happen to be open heart surgery. The body doesn’t like that. Hope by tomorrow you see even more improvement!

  22. Sounds like you’re turning the corner. Continue to get lots of sleep, that’s when the body is healing. I pray that you’re back to your normal self SOON. Love your posts.

  23. The effects of anesthesia can stay in your system for a long time. I’ve had a couple of surgeries and I sleep alot for the first 7-10 days afterward.

  24. I agree with the other comments. The best thing you can do is listen to your body – sleep and rest. The more you push the longer it will take to get back to ‘normal’.

  25. Feel better soon. My DIL (age 31) had minor surgery and then antibiotics. Several weeks later, she learned she still felt awful because of C. diff, a side effect neither the doctor nor pharmacist told her about. One full week in the hospital, several near-death days, and two months later, she still doesn’t feel 100%. We are all strong believers in probiotics now!

  26. I hope you’re feeling better soon! Use the paper/plastic kitchenware you’ve stashed away for emergencies, and get as much rest as possible!

  27. Oh my goodness Judy! I’ve been out of touch for a couple of weeks (at least) and didn’t realize you were unwell. Hang in there and give your body time to heal! {{{hugs}}}

  28. I wish I was there. I’m a terrible nurse and cook, but I’m a great dishwasher!!

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