March 25th - April 6th, 2024
Monday March 25th - Saturday April 6th
Medical updates:
Eyes - SURGERY UPDATE
Surgery was on 4/5 with a pre-op appointment on 4/4, so Patrick and I drove down with the dogs and stayed in town Thursday night.
In our pre-op appointment we talked about the issue I have every once in awhile with one pupil dilating (anisocoria) and he said he isn’t concerned enough to refer me to a neuro-ophthalmologist right now. I’m fine with waiting, there are enough things on my plate!
Check in for surgery was 11 am and I didn’t go back until close to 1:30 (an hour later than expected). I came out of anesthesia around 3:15 and was discharged at 4. We picked up pho at our favorite place in Santa Fe to eat when we got home a little after 7. Long day!
The surgeon said everything went very well. This surgery was similar but slightly different from the last one. In the last one, he put a spacer graft in the middle layer of eyelid tissue, which has healed well but the outer layer is still pulling down. So, this time, he opened up the outer layer of lower eyelid tissue to create more space, and inserted a skin graft taken from behind my ear. He also put in a canthal suspension stitch in the outer corner of my eye to pull up the eyelid from that side - this stitch will remain in my eye forever. Similar to last time, I have the stitch in my lower lid that’s taped to my forehead to also help pull up the eyelid while it heals - this time, he asked that I leave it in as long as I can stand it (last time I took it out on day 3). The bandage covering my eye will stay on for 2 days, I have an ointment to put on all incisions, and pain meds for 4 days. No lifting more than 10lbs for 2 weeks, then slowly return to activity as tolerated.
Pain was pretty rough last night, with an aching eye socket and it was hard to have my eyes open because there as a lot of pain with eye movement but feels better this morning already! Keeping up on pain meds and ice and rest.
Mouth
3/28 new dentist in Angel Fire: really wonderful appointment - caring, thoughtful staff and dentist. He is trained in a structural approach to improving breathing and swallowing, which in turn improves dental function. He has trained with James Nestor, who wrote a really great book called Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. He asked if I’d had anyone talk to me about this methodology since the accident, and I hadn’t. It feels like a perfect fit. He gave me some things to try and reading to do to hopefully improve my nose breathing and how I am using my tongue, which will help with swallowing. This is especially important given I was trached and need to do some retraining of my body. We did a full evaluation including xrays and my teeth are all vital, at least for now, which is great news! I will see him again in 3 months.
General
3/29 PCP visit: my labwork is pretty amazing, she said I am healthier than I was when I got my last full set of labs in 2018 which is really cool.
4/2 PT - discussed that it might help to do more low or no resistance movement to keep my joints moisturized and moving smoothly. Did some cupping on my leg scar tissue which felt great, like it created more spaciousness in the tissue. Added more glute focused exercises as well.
I asked my chiro/myofascial dr and PT about my upcoming call with the Orthopedic Surgeon and whether it was time to do knee and hip MRIs, both agreed it was time to get more information and see if there are any structural reasons for continued pain and instability.
4/2 call with Orthopedic Surgeon
Arm: keep monitoring arm pain and work with the OT/certified hand specialist to hopefully desensitize it. If that doesn’t work we will consider removing the plate.
Knee pain: continue doing PT and check in again 4-6 weeks.
Hip potential labrum tear: continue working with chiro/myofascial Dr
MRIs: we talked about doing knee and hip MRIs and he thought it was unlikely insurance would approve them but would order for left knee and see. I then emailed my insurance contact and they said they’d try to help get them all approved. I called the orthopedic office again and after going around and around with his staff about the difficulty getting approvals, especially for multiple body parts at one time, we made a good plan to try and get all 3 MRIs to happen at the same time.
Next steps: go in to see the orthopedic surgeon on 4/9 and take X-rays, get more records, order MRIs
Neurology: I finally got in with a neurologist, not until October, but at least I am on the schedule. It is so frustrating how long it took to get this scheduled, and how much work it took on my part to make it happen. I originally asked for the referral on 2/13 and after multiple attempts at getting the PCP office to send it to the right place, had to pick it up and fax it myself. I’m on the cancellation list in case anything opens up sooner.
General updates and happenings:
Patrick got back in town on the 26th, and I was still sick through most of that week but slowly increasing my activity levels
Bday weekend in Santa Fe with friends, went to Moustachio Bashio at Meow Wolf and had a really fun time. Then had a nice cozy relaxing bday with Patrick at home, watching movies, enjoying our hut tub, eating delicious food, and lots of snuggling!
I’ve been playing some indoor volleyball which has been wonderful, despite having increased pain. Also continuing to do yoga 🙃. It is hard sometimes to know how much to push through pain and when to decrease activity - trying to get back to normal activities, even if I do have more pain, feels worth it most of the time… until my body says no, and I listen to that.
4/4 I did a photoshoot with a friend to capture how my body and face look different after the accident. This is primarily for the lawsuit. It was a bit triggering and also enjoyable - I am so grateful to have someone that I feel close with who could help me with this project. We did a photoshoot together back in 2020. She’s an amazing photographer and wonderful friend.
On the Horizon:
4/9: Orthopedic Surgeon
4/10: Oculoplastic Surgeon post-op
4/10: Orthodontist
4/17: Jungle at Red Rocks!
4/24: Pain Injection Specialist
5/3: Rheumatology evaluation
5/8: Orthodontist
5/11: Pain Injection Specialist
5/15-16: Settlement Mediation in Denver
