So I have been on Narcotics......
First my surgery in December short lived then again after my accident, 1/29/16 every 4 hours until two days ago.
My mind has been so foggy I have been unable to focus at ALL. I forget. I have to write everything down. I know it is the anesthesia lingering (3 times in 2 months) and the narcotics.... In the Hospital they had me on 2 high dose pain pills, an IV Muscle relaxant and morphine PRN (as needed) and it could not keep up. It was awful. I was sent home with prescriptions for Antibiotic Once a day, An antibiotic mouth rinse that stained my teeth so much my Dentist thought my teeth were dying but my gums healed up FAST (they cleaned my teeth and it all came off but that was scary.... a 500mg tablet Methocarbamol (muscle relaxant) every 6 hours (ADDICTIVE- made me nauseous), Promethazine 25 MG tablet for the side effect of nausea that takes my ability to think and KNOCKED ME OUT!, And Oxycodone-Acetaminophen 10-325 up to 2 every 4 hours (Can we say ADDICTIVE and HIGH DOSE creates nausea- I only took 1 every 4 hours but Damn.... my leg hurt, I could not think, I slept all day every day and I forced myself to put a few habits into place..
It took sheer will, but I made my bed every day, I took off my pajamas and got dressed every day and I took off my clothes and put on my PJ's every day. I kept my room clean and that was my best effort upon returning home. I needed to know I would heal, I needed SOME sense of normal and it was a place to start.... They downgraded my Muscle relaxant to Cyclobenzaprine 5 mg just at bed time and my pain meds to Hydrocodone Acetaminophen 5-325 (still very strong and very addictive) And now I am prescribed Acetaminophen-Cod #4, still very strong but at least they can call in the prescription and I didn't have to physically pick it up at the Dr office.
I could not put my leg down. Gravity would cause my toes to swell like little sausages and my leg below the knee would swell and ache. If I wrapped it in a bandage, it would have deep layers of where just a light wrap would indent into the swelling and the path would circle up my leg. It was an interesting experience.
Sausage Toes...
This is Why I have had to stay home and keep my leg up.... This is painful and I want OFF the Narcotics!!!!
One picture I wish I had taken but I forgot. So I iced and elevated the leg 24 hours per day, 7 days per week since 1/29/16 and today is March 2..... The journey continues.
2 days ago I turned off all of my alarms and slept through the night for the first time all year I think. And then yesterday, every time my alarm went off during the day, I reaccessed... and said NOPE! I got this. I can manage this and instead of taking a pill, I worked range of motion, evaluated my strength and drank some water, (hot tea), lol.. I have always believed water can heal almost anything. Providing the body the ability to transit what it needs to move inside my body so it can perform. And I have been consuming VERY HIGH nutrition without all the calories since the day of my accident. Creating health is a system of behaviors. Purposefully managed with a fully present Mind. When I arrived home I had this huge cast like thing on my leg and a rod in my tibia and I wondered just how much I weighted. The day they removed my Cast I weighted in at 162, a number I haven't seen in years. But I was so swollen in my leg and face that I have actually watched my ankles slowly returning (not yet fully returned) and the swelling in my face and gums caused the lab to have to make my temporary tooth two times because it takes a week and the first one they made did not fit a week later after swelling went down.
Yesterday I weighed in at 153. I almost cried. My ideal weight has always been between 138 and 143. Even at 138 I begin to lose a little energy. But 143 is my maximum ideal and I feel AMAZING and perform like a BOSS at that weight. And I can do pushups. My ultimate challenge has been building my upper body strength over the course of time. And I have to keep the weight off my body in order to improve quality push ups. Every day I reevaluate my goals. Today I am going to have someone get my pilates ball down and I will begin to set time aside to do "something" my favorite way to begin any habit is to do "something" and I have found that my "somethings" can become anything I want to achieve over time but it takes beginning to get there. So today will be my day 1 of getting back to exercising. So don't ever tell me you CAN'T do it. I know better. There are few people who become a health coach who have lived through such struggles. I come from a place of "Been THERE Done THAT", lol. And today I am very excited to begin to build my body. I will call my leg doctor and request they lift my driving restriction also. Exciting day.....
