The Next Check-up
Interestingly enough, the transplant center seems far more pleased with my progress than I am. My weight is holding relatively steady, my incision is healing nicely, the swelling in my legs has reduced significantly, and my albumin was up to 3.0 as of last week (normal is 3.3 – 4.5, so I’m almost there).
I found out that the back spasms I’ve been getting every time I sit down or lie down are probably not so much related to my inability to sleep on my side as to some of the contorted positions the surgeons had to put me in during the transplant surgery. My transplant coordinator told me today that about three weeks post-transplant is when many patients start complaining of back problems, and they are almost always related to the surgery. Further complicating my back problem is the fluid I’m still carrying around in my abdomen. I figure at this point I’ve got to have around 6 liters in there, and it’s getting fairly uncomfortable around the incision. Still, once that albumin gets above 3.3 or so, the ascites should start to resolve on its own. At least, that’s what they keep telling me.
Today was the first real day of summer, with temps in the low 90’s. I was lucky that my appointment was early in the morning, since that meant I was able to get back to the apartment before the worst of the heat hit. I never was much of an over-85 degree chick, but right now I wilt immediately upon contact with hot air. I have no idea how I’m going to get any exercise in if this nonsense keeps up.
Cattitude did afford me plenty of opportunity for exercise this morning. More opportunity than I really cared for, actually. She spent about three hours hacking up her breakfast all over the first floor of the apartment. If there is anything worse than cleaning up someone else’s vomit when you aren’t feeling 100% yourself, I don’t want to know about it. Of course, she was fine by the time The Socialist got home. I swear, she just wanted to see if she could get me stuck on the floor as I tried to clean up after her. (She nearly succeeded, by the way.)
I think it might be time for me to try to go to bed and get some sleep. With luck, I’ll do better tonight than I have the past few nights.
The trauma they do muscles during surgery is nothing to sneeze at. I had back spasms following my gall bladder removal, and I will always have problems with my neck, because they had do move all those muscles when they did my brain surgery.
Hopefully your pain is temporary and almost at end! {{you}}
ditto what moonriddengirl said. although, i wonder what they had to do that injured your back.
I’m just getting a chance to read the last two entries. I hope your back is feeling better and you are getting some sleep by now. And, I really hope that your albumin level is up to where it should be!!!