Wednesday and Thursday the numbness and tingling in both of my arms increased significantly. The doctor had said that some people have immediate relief after surgery. I did not anticipate that would be the case for me. Why? Because I have been dealing with nerve pain for almost three years. I was hopeful, but did not anticipate that it would resolve immediately.
Last night I could not fall asleep thinking about my appointment today. I woke up today with high anxiety. It was a combination of not knowing what the doctor would say about my pain and the possibility of having to go back to work Monday. I know I'm not ready to go back to work. If I were to go back to work, I would overdue it which would prolong the healing process. I thought perhaps I could go back a half day and then work from home the other half. I am definitely worried about work and not being there. I have kept up on emails and my assistant has been scanning any mail coming in. I can also check my voice mails from home. Since we worked from home at the start of Covid, I know I can still be productive.
First thing first when getting to the doctor's today, was to get new x-rays. The doctor came in and asked how I was doing. I said I have zero improvement since surgery. He said, that was OK and that it would take time. He said, we cleaned out everything we went in. I said well you mentioned some people have immediate relief. He reiterated to give it time. He said my x-rays look good. He did some strengthening tests and tested my reflexes (upper & lower extremities). He said it's time to start physical therapy. He kept me off work until my next appointment which is four weeks away. I told him I did not anticipate wanting to stay home that long. He said, that was fine. If I felt I could return to work, to just let him know and he would change the work order. He wants me to get some physical therapy in too before I start driving. He started me on a steroid to help with inflammation. I can also ice the front of my neck/chest and use heat for my shoulders to help decrease inflammation. He also mentioned having a giant glass of cold water with me at all times. I'm a water drinker anyways and carry an insulated cup with me every where I go, but I definitely need to be better at drinking more.
Guess it's just me and the cats for another week. They definitely keep it entertaining around here. I swear one comes out to visit me and then goes back to the bedroom and the other comes out. Almost as if they are in shifts. Here's Amelya watching me work the other day.
I definitely would not have been able to get through this and continue to get through this without my mom and dad. They both were there for my surgery and both came to my appointment today. My mom picked me up and took me to Target last Sunday. My dad has picked up my prescriptions, got me more coffee creamer, changed my furnace filter, and filled the litter boxes.
Thank you to everyone else who has helped out and visited!
My work husband and his partner came over Monday night and hung out with me for about 1.5 hours. They brought me Pizza King breadsticks too. Yum! He also took the trash out for me.
My niece brought me Salsa Grille on Tuesday.
Wednesday, one of my good friends from work came over and hung out with me for about 2 hours. She brought me stuffed peppers which are my favorite that she makes.
My best friend in California had Cookie Cottage cookies delivered to me last Friday. I've never been so happy to see a delivery man at my front door.
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