Pete:

Your post really made me think. You described in such detail how it feels to be a patient. Im wishing you the fastest recovery possible.

Christine

The skin graft patch they used on my thigh is interesting -- It's metallic on top, kind of a cheese-grater with super fine holes in it, covering several layers of dressings. At the same time as they removed the metal staples from from the incision where they stripped out a vein or two for the radial forearm free flap, they also removed the staples for the patch. After that, as the edges dried and broke loose from the site below, I was instructed to just snap or cut them off -- It's all gone now, just a red patch on my thigh.

I once knew a lady who rode elephants for Ringling and her thighs were covered by tattoos except on spot about this big where she had a tattoo removed because it was about a former husband who had encouraged her to try cocaine. BTW, in about 2003, elephant-riding ladies made about $1K/wk.

Having been one of those kids who had to be constantly reminded by Mom to 'stop picking at those scabs', I see a kindred soul in the inventor of this graft patch -- Pick away to one's delight -- Especially useful when more or less tied down to hospital bed with not much to do.

I believe these cheese-grater patches have their primary use as covers for areas where skin has been burnt off.

One of the most negative factors I ran into during the surgical recovery period was the danged alarms on the hardware hooked up to me. One machine was simultaneously monitoring my O2 levels and my pulse rate -- I would just be drifting off to sleep and the alarm would go off, snapping me wide awake.

On one bad day, there was a lot of stuf going on on the floor and people would come it and holler at me to Keep Breathing. Sometimes it was just that (I would be trying to concentrate on doing something and hold my breath, which of course dropped the O2). After a lot of fussing around, it turns out that my pulse drops into bradycardia (low pulse) and if the alarm threshold isn't set low enough, the danged thing would go off just as I was dropping off. Problem was that for me, the usual 'safe' zone was waaay too high.

If I do surgery again, I will be sure to discuss this with the nurses and maybe put some kind of warning tag on myself. There really wasn't much space to be hanging tags this time around because the wrist harvest site was on one side, so the IV arrangement was on the other, with the NG tube in my nose and all the cutting on my neck. Maybe an ear tag?

Pete, that had to be nerve wracking as all get out. I never experienced anything like that but I can read your thoughts as you type. Good luck Pete and keep posting.

It has been a month since the free-flap surgery -- Amazing!

I got a lot of advice about post-op care at home by PM from trimatt -- It was good to have my adult children here to help; I did everything myself, of course, but it was nice to have backup just in case and easier to have someone drive me instead of driving myself.

Just got back from visit to the nurse practitioner -- She picked out a lot of sutures from my forearm and that is healing very well. The trach hole finally closed on the inside, so now just a band-aid there -- Need to get some cool ones.

One thing I forgot to mention about hospital stay was that they had a set of random auto-inflating cuffs on my lower legs to keep circulation going good while sitting/sleeping in the bed -- Good idea.

The whole hospital stay was made much better by the various nursing and support staff -- What a friendly bunch of folks EXCEPT when one wakes up from dozing and finds a Physical Torturist has entered the room -- I get that 'trapped in the dungeon' feeling, right down to the guy in the black mask with his box of 'tools'.

Some time back, I found plastic flies by the gross on EBay and ordered some, sharing with my son who is a special ed teacher in Chicago. Of course, I took some into the hospital and had some fun -- I would stick one up a nostril, as if it was crawling out, and when the next person came in, I would complain that I was having some very fierce itching -- Some of the reactions were priceless! One of the PT ladies even brought me a plastic spider (from the PT dungeon in the back rooms, I guess).

I still have some speech and swallowing therapy to go, but first the swelling of my tongue and throat has to go down -- Can be as long as eight weeks after the surgery. Having problem right now with several days of diarrhea -- Nurse said it might be lower bowel infection from messing around with all the anti-biotics or it might be that the food brand (Novartis at home; Jevity in hospital) and I don't get along. Have to bring specimen in for testing.

Talked to nurse practitioner about PEG tube size differences and she said that if I wanted, they could replace my current PEG with one with larger diameter tube.

I am thrilled to see that you are up and about and as eloquent as ever - tongue swelling or not. You are well on the way to full recovery and I know with a great attitude like yours that will be an easy task.

Donna

Hi Pete,
Sounds like you are doing very well!! Amazing that a month has already gone by since surgery. I'm hoping you continue to have a smooth and speedy recovery.

Best wishes,
Tricia

Gee Pete, with all you were going thru, I'm amazed at your ability to make any posts at all never mind such wonderfully descriptive ones. Did you ever think of writing a novel? I think you would be great - maybe a medical murder mystery? Hope you feel better soon.

Pete, I have been away from the board. So Sorry to hear you are walking down this road again. I have been reading here and it sounds like your doing really good. Happy to hear that.

I just wonder how many times you and I have passed each other in the hall ways...Ha ha... You take care Pete.. I will sends some best wishes your way.:)

Take care.. Diane

I thought of a couple of things that I should add, which are pertinent to any major surgery:

1. I was able to get some respite from the ICU alarm noises by asking for ear plugs -- they had them, but unfortunately they are the standard kind to block out loud noises, like construction machinery, chain saws, etc. and they let voice-range frequencies like alarm come through, albeit attenuated -- Be nice to find some 'Blocks it ALL' plugs.

2. They constantly hound you to pee enough so that they know your renal system is functioning properly -- Problem is that I have an enlarged prostate so peeing is a problem -- I felt like I should have brought in an excuse note from my prostate doc -- One more item to go on my ear tag next time I have surgery.

I am now taking a series of sessions with a physical therapist for Lymphedema massage to reduce the swelling in my neck, loosen my neck and loosen the scar tissue from the throat-slicing -- I could have used this after the radiation.

Have appointment in couple of weeks to take barium swallowing test -- Still on PEG, but occasionally taking reflexive swallow of water and one med that I don't want to run through the pill crusher.