I haven't been active on the list since my surgery in July. Actually the
surgery went quite well in terms of the cancer--should be a 95 percent or
better recovery rate, but with a higher risk of some other cancers now.
TM and my surgery did not, however, get along. The wound broke down and my
leg got infected, causing a second hospitalization--the doctor said the
response was like that of a diabetic with circulation problems. The time
off my feet made me lose so much strength in my legs, I had to go through PT
again to get my balance and strength back. The wound breakdown and leg
infection (cellulitis) increased the likelihood of my having
lymphedema--which is to say I have that now, too. The standard treatment is
to wear a compression stocking (further decreasing circulation), which I
refused to do because of leg pain and spasms. The way I've been handling
the lymphedema is by reclining or lying down. Sitting and standing cause my
leg to swell and the groin area to ache, along with the pain and problems I
already had from TM, so I've applied for disability. Social Security has
denied me, their standard operating procedure, but I have a lawyer. The
insurance company couldn't decide, so they sent a rehab nurse to interview
me two weeks ago. I haven't heard their decision on my disability claim
yet, but they'll pay the SS part while the appeal is made if they approve
me.
Just for a little icing on the cake, I've been having chest pains and am
seeing a cardiologist on Monday.
The good news. I started getting massage therapy. The man worked on the
ligaments and muscles that got so tight over the last six years, and a
friend just commented that my walking is much less stiff now (at my usual
slow pace). The massage therapy was quite painful, especially at first. I
started with twice a week, and now I'm down to every two weeks. I'm also
going to a psychotherapist, who's into health stuff and a feminist--a good
choice for me. My acupuncturist has been treating me for bladder problems
post-surgery, and my bladder is better than it was before surgery now. I
can sleep through the night and rarely leak. If I do leak, he treats me
again and I go back to zero leaks. I also spent part of my severance pay on
a new computer, which my friends thought was pretty crazy (my therapist said
I was taking initiative, and not just waiting on other people--the
disability insurance folks--to control my life--yea therapy).
I'm still not handling things great, especially, as my therapist noted,
anything related to health, even down to ordering vitamins (and money,
recently). Slowly but surely, however . . . This is my first posting to
the group post-surgery, even though I started reading messages recently and
THOUGHT about responding more than once. I never thought it would be this
hard--TM seems like a breeze by comparison. I think, though, it's the
combination of the two and feeling very vulnerable.
Aurore