Background Part II
Well my internet went down on me the other night, so I didnt get the chance to put this up there like I wanted. This again will be long of course.
Ok....so I healed up within about 8 weeks or so after being left wide open to heal on my own. But it just couldnt end there. It would be too easy that way. My body seems to like to do everything the most difficult way possible. So I healed really ugly, but I could live with that if I had to. But the problem was pain, and a obvious swelling on the left side. I had many CT scans and an MRI to see what was going on. It was suspected that I could have an infection in there. I dont get fevers or any other sings of infection, so its hard to really know. In the end the guess was scar tissue and a neuroma. The pain never got better and I had numbness traveling up my belly. A neuroma is sometimes called a nerve tumor because of there nature. Though they are not a tumor. Its a big jumble of nerves that get all tangled up and inflamed, this inflamation commonly make it feel like a lump (hnce the *tumor* term) its painful, often it will continue to get more painful, and also can cause numbness and tingling of the area. The only way to fix it is to fix the irritation (often they occur somehwere like the foot) but in the case of the abdomen thats not really possible, so instead you have to remove the area. So we decide to do surgery. Several inches must be removed since the neuroma is actually above the actual line of the scar. So it was like a partial tummy tuck in a way. He extended the incision all the way across in the attempt to make it look better. The outcome was pretty decent. Recovery is very long though. I had a tubal at the time also and he did some muscle repair.
Well, the surgery was on March 3, and on the 18th I had to have CT guided drainage done on an intra-abdominal abcess. It was down low in my pelvis near the uterus area. Obviously from my surgery. So that was not a great experiernce but not horrible either. If only it all ended there.....I so wish it did. Time went on and I was feeling better, slowly, but getting around better and finally being able to pick up my baby again. Is was rough not being able to take care of him. Then one day I notice some redness, followed by some swelling. It got continually worse and I finally went to the ER on doctors orders. I already knew what it was, and what they would do for it. And sure enough, it was another infection. This was not as deep at least. (This all was on April 9) So back to surgery and they reopen it yet again. It was a little over half of the length of the incision and was all the way through the skin/fat layer, but no farther. A couple days later they inform me that it was an MRSA infection. So im quite positive it was acquired during my surgery. So I get a PICC line and am on IV antibioitcs for weeks. That was fun, along with the packing in my belly. I got through that pretty quick though. I healed within a month.
Now I am again back to where I started. Only this time my pain is much worse than the orignial time. So Im desperate to get something done. Unfortunatly my doctor dont want to help me. I am going to get another one soon here who will. This doctor has always been an ass and he just proved it even more to me. He told me that I will probably live with chronic pain for the rest of my life. Well I dont think thats true at all, and I have too much ahead of me to just simply accept that. I really think that it can be fixed, its pretty simple really. I have a very large neuroma this time, much more so than the last one, and this is also closer to the surface, which make it more painful because it is being more irritated by exteral factors than the last one that was deeper, and therefore had more protection over it.
Im now just waiting and dealing as best as I can. There are things I have to turn down doing, because I know that I cant do them. Thats not fair to me, but mostly not to my kids. They need me to be here for them and to play with them and do normal things. I have a hard time just tying to keep the house half way clean, let alone add other activities into it. So that is where im at right now. All I want is a referal for a reconstructive surgeon, someone who knows more about scaring and the healing process and what my options really are. Well I need to stop rambling, I think I will back later to ramble some more about my last couple days though.
Ok....so I healed up within about 8 weeks or so after being left wide open to heal on my own. But it just couldnt end there. It would be too easy that way. My body seems to like to do everything the most difficult way possible. So I healed really ugly, but I could live with that if I had to. But the problem was pain, and a obvious swelling on the left side. I had many CT scans and an MRI to see what was going on. It was suspected that I could have an infection in there. I dont get fevers or any other sings of infection, so its hard to really know. In the end the guess was scar tissue and a neuroma. The pain never got better and I had numbness traveling up my belly. A neuroma is sometimes called a nerve tumor because of there nature. Though they are not a tumor. Its a big jumble of nerves that get all tangled up and inflamed, this inflamation commonly make it feel like a lump (hnce the *tumor* term) its painful, often it will continue to get more painful, and also can cause numbness and tingling of the area. The only way to fix it is to fix the irritation (often they occur somehwere like the foot) but in the case of the abdomen thats not really possible, so instead you have to remove the area. So we decide to do surgery. Several inches must be removed since the neuroma is actually above the actual line of the scar. So it was like a partial tummy tuck in a way. He extended the incision all the way across in the attempt to make it look better. The outcome was pretty decent. Recovery is very long though. I had a tubal at the time also and he did some muscle repair.
Well, the surgery was on March 3, and on the 18th I had to have CT guided drainage done on an intra-abdominal abcess. It was down low in my pelvis near the uterus area. Obviously from my surgery. So that was not a great experiernce but not horrible either. If only it all ended there.....I so wish it did. Time went on and I was feeling better, slowly, but getting around better and finally being able to pick up my baby again. Is was rough not being able to take care of him. Then one day I notice some redness, followed by some swelling. It got continually worse and I finally went to the ER on doctors orders. I already knew what it was, and what they would do for it. And sure enough, it was another infection. This was not as deep at least. (This all was on April 9) So back to surgery and they reopen it yet again. It was a little over half of the length of the incision and was all the way through the skin/fat layer, but no farther. A couple days later they inform me that it was an MRSA infection. So im quite positive it was acquired during my surgery. So I get a PICC line and am on IV antibioitcs for weeks. That was fun, along with the packing in my belly. I got through that pretty quick though. I healed within a month.
Now I am again back to where I started. Only this time my pain is much worse than the orignial time. So Im desperate to get something done. Unfortunatly my doctor dont want to help me. I am going to get another one soon here who will. This doctor has always been an ass and he just proved it even more to me. He told me that I will probably live with chronic pain for the rest of my life. Well I dont think thats true at all, and I have too much ahead of me to just simply accept that. I really think that it can be fixed, its pretty simple really. I have a very large neuroma this time, much more so than the last one, and this is also closer to the surface, which make it more painful because it is being more irritated by exteral factors than the last one that was deeper, and therefore had more protection over it.
Im now just waiting and dealing as best as I can. There are things I have to turn down doing, because I know that I cant do them. Thats not fair to me, but mostly not to my kids. They need me to be here for them and to play with them and do normal things. I have a hard time just tying to keep the house half way clean, let alone add other activities into it. So that is where im at right now. All I want is a referal for a reconstructive surgeon, someone who knows more about scaring and the healing process and what my options really are. Well I need to stop rambling, I think I will back later to ramble some more about my last couple days though.
posted by Emily at 12:20 AM
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