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Home again, Home again
Jul. 11th, 2012 10:49 pmWe've been back in New Mexico for just over a week, but last week was a holiday week that ended with some minor surgery for me, so we're just starting to get back into our routines. Mom and dad didn't have internet access most of the time I was in Michigan, and I couldn't log in here from my phone (which has now resolved itself), and now that we're home we can't seem to get the baby to settle down into bed until almost 10, so I'm not getting a lot of online time.
I posted some updates to Facebook recently about the surgery that I wanted to cross-post here, so here they are:
July 5: Tomorrow morning I'm supposed to go under the scalpel and get a subdermal cyst removed from the top of my head. I really hope it works this time. (another doc tried four years ago but it came back). Many thanks to Elizabeth Cafer du Plessis for agreeing to watch Rosie during the surgery. Fingers crossed!
July 6: Thanks for all the support, you guys. The surgery seemed to go ok. The most painful part was getting the anesthesia injected. Ow! The Dr said she got out two parts. Might have been two cysts or a pseudopod in the side of the second one. The resident said those are often what causes them to recur, so fingers crossed that she got it all and it will stay gone.
Afterwards I went and hung out with Liz and the kiddos for a while. Need to remember not to lean over with my head upside-down! Got some oozing, which is normal and they'd given me gauze for. I have to apply pressure for 15 minutes straight if it does it though. Turns out that's pretty tiring, holding your hand on top of your head for that long. (they don't really bandage this kind of incision, they just put in stitches and cover it with something like vaseline, which I'll need to keep on it for the next week or two.)
Home now and the baby's down for her nap so I'm going to nap too. Took two excedrin and am waiting for it to kick in. It hurts ...like someone put a hole in my head or something. ;)
July 9: Recovery from surgery on the top of my head is going well. Head still hurts but bending over or down is no longer a completely terrible idea. This morning I even washed my hair (away from around the spot where the cyst was removed). Some of that just seemed like spreading aquaphor to more of my head (Johnson's baby shampoo is kind of weak on the count), but it still felt good to scrub most of my scalp.
Saturday morning I clipped my bangs pretty short because the goop was making them hang straight down and get in my eyes. It's frustrating not to be able to use a headband to train them in the morning the way I usually do, but that's a fairly minor complaint.
On the whole, seems like healing is going well. And every so often a small glass of coke with a splash of rum helps a lot. :) (no, seriously, a touch of caffeine does wonders for the headache.. Mostly I just use excedrine though, now that the incision has closed.)
July 11: Got to wash my hair this morning! (whole head, not just away from the wound). that sure was nice. It itches, but doesn't hurt as much.
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Brian and I have been working on cleaning the house despite being tired because we're trying to get the kiddo back to sleeping through the night without nursing or snacking (two trips in two months got her used to co-sleeping with me and free access to the snack bar from about 1:30 on, or she might sleep until 2 or so (4 am MI time) but then ask for a solid food snack). Our catch phrase now is "night is for sleeping" and she doesn't get any solid food between teeth brushing and breakfast. for a couple nights I still went to her but wouldn't let her nurse, and then we switched to Brian. He says last night she was still restless but didn't ask for food or anything, so we might be making progress.
We also just switched her from her crib to being in the queen bed all night (well, mattress and springs on the floor), since she was always asking for the bed when she woke up screaming. A few nights with no crying or screaming has been nice, but Brian's really tired from being in bed with the wiggle-worm.
In happier news, we started the kidlet on a couple weeks of swim lessons at the UNM pool and she seems very excited about it, frequently telling us about it and doing dramatic re-enactment of moving her arms and blowing bubbles. Today was her second lesson out of 6. I'm hoping to hit the pool more often with her from now on. Swimming has always been a wonderful comfort zone for me, and I hope Rosie will also be a strong swimmer.
I posted some updates to Facebook recently about the surgery that I wanted to cross-post here, so here they are:
July 5: Tomorrow morning I'm supposed to go under the scalpel and get a subdermal cyst removed from the top of my head. I really hope it works this time. (another doc tried four years ago but it came back). Many thanks to Elizabeth Cafer du Plessis for agreeing to watch Rosie during the surgery. Fingers crossed!
July 6: Thanks for all the support, you guys. The surgery seemed to go ok. The most painful part was getting the anesthesia injected. Ow! The Dr said she got out two parts. Might have been two cysts or a pseudopod in the side of the second one. The resident said those are often what causes them to recur, so fingers crossed that she got it all and it will stay gone.
Afterwards I went and hung out with Liz and the kiddos for a while. Need to remember not to lean over with my head upside-down! Got some oozing, which is normal and they'd given me gauze for. I have to apply pressure for 15 minutes straight if it does it though. Turns out that's pretty tiring, holding your hand on top of your head for that long. (they don't really bandage this kind of incision, they just put in stitches and cover it with something like vaseline, which I'll need to keep on it for the next week or two.)
Home now and the baby's down for her nap so I'm going to nap too. Took two excedrin and am waiting for it to kick in. It hurts ...like someone put a hole in my head or something. ;)
July 9: Recovery from surgery on the top of my head is going well. Head still hurts but bending over or down is no longer a completely terrible idea. This morning I even washed my hair (away from around the spot where the cyst was removed). Some of that just seemed like spreading aquaphor to more of my head (Johnson's baby shampoo is kind of weak on the count), but it still felt good to scrub most of my scalp.
Saturday morning I clipped my bangs pretty short because the goop was making them hang straight down and get in my eyes. It's frustrating not to be able to use a headband to train them in the morning the way I usually do, but that's a fairly minor complaint.
On the whole, seems like healing is going well. And every so often a small glass of coke with a splash of rum helps a lot. :) (no, seriously, a touch of caffeine does wonders for the headache.. Mostly I just use excedrine though, now that the incision has closed.)
July 11: Got to wash my hair this morning! (whole head, not just away from the wound). that sure was nice. It itches, but doesn't hurt as much.
_______________________________________________________
Brian and I have been working on cleaning the house despite being tired because we're trying to get the kiddo back to sleeping through the night without nursing or snacking (two trips in two months got her used to co-sleeping with me and free access to the snack bar from about 1:30 on, or she might sleep until 2 or so (4 am MI time) but then ask for a solid food snack). Our catch phrase now is "night is for sleeping" and she doesn't get any solid food between teeth brushing and breakfast. for a couple nights I still went to her but wouldn't let her nurse, and then we switched to Brian. He says last night she was still restless but didn't ask for food or anything, so we might be making progress.
We also just switched her from her crib to being in the queen bed all night (well, mattress and springs on the floor), since she was always asking for the bed when she woke up screaming. A few nights with no crying or screaming has been nice, but Brian's really tired from being in bed with the wiggle-worm.
In happier news, we started the kidlet on a couple weeks of swim lessons at the UNM pool and she seems very excited about it, frequently telling us about it and doing dramatic re-enactment of moving her arms and blowing bubbles. Today was her second lesson out of 6. I'm hoping to hit the pool more often with her from now on. Swimming has always been a wonderful comfort zone for me, and I hope Rosie will also be a strong swimmer.
