Posted by seattlebill on December 20, 2007 at 20:44:04:In Reply to: post mma 6th day need a lot of help posted by sleepdeprived on December 20, 2007 at 08:15:23:
Welcome to the "otherside"...and things get better from here on out.
This is the intense, "tough" early phase of recovery. Even with talking to people ahead of time, and knowing full well what to expect, we all wonder what we've done to ourselves at this point.
Be assured of a few things. First, six days post-op is very, very, very early. These are "normal" issues at this stage. Second, we have all been through this at this stage...and we've all muddled past it. It takes alot of determination and forward thinking, and tolerance...but it is doable ! Third...here are some reasons for what you are going through...
1) Profound swelling, is a normal consequence of major surgery or trauma. We retain salt and water initially, and then as our bodies heal, we release this...and the swelling goes away. Technically, there are more complex mechanisms of "inflamation" that cause this fluid retention...which subside as we heal. In our jaws and faces, it is both contained (due to areas of slow drainage), and are quite disproportionately noticeable (as compared to if you had surgery on your leg or back). As another week passes, the swelling will certainly diminish by at least 50%, and then another week, another 50%, etc... IT WON'T STAY THIS WAY.
2) Drooling...is a reaction that is similar to your facial swelling. Plus, it may be a response to "foreign bodies" like suture, arch bars, braces, etc... This too will dramatically improve after another week. In fact, I remember friends who had similar drooling issues as teenagers when they first got new braces. This quickly got better for them...and it will for you.
3) Constipation...or lack of bowel movements is all too common after many surgeries. First, anesthesia and pain meds slow your gut down. Secondly, if you don't put the right things in your gut (or much of anything), it will furhter slow things down.
The best treatment is prevention. Fiber, fiber, fiber ! Normally this means green veggies. For the nutritionally limited post-op stage...we must use water soluble products. For me, the best, tasteless stuff is Fibercon...mixed into whatever we can drink at least twice a day. This will prevent constpation and normalize bowel movements particularly while taking needed pain meds.
In an old-school moment...daily ambulation helps to prevent constipation as well.
To jump-start a really constipated gut...you may need to try (in this order)...prune juice, milk of magnesia (MOM), miralax, ducolax suppository, or (lastly) an enema. If you really aren't getting any results at all, and are bloated...you should call your doc or go to the ER . It likely won't be a serious issue, but they can definitely "correct" things if need be.
If you end up drinking alot of Boost or Ensure, it will have the effect of loosening stools due to its high osmotic content (like very rich shakes). Fiber will help this too by bulking up your stools.
4). Feeling blue or mild depression is all too common after any major surgery or any long standing illness that takes more than a couple weeks to recover from. The best way to mitigate this is to recognize that this is a part of the healing process. At one time or another, we have all been there after this surgery !
Distraction, and engaging in morale-building activities will help a ton ! Getting out and doing rudimentary physical activity (walks, shopping trips, drives, etc...) will be re-build your stamina, tire you in a healthy way, and get you out of the house and back into the world. Try to figure out an hour or two of "outdoor" activities daily. These are as important as eating and other physiologic activities.
Things will get better ! Hang in there.
Bill
- Re: post mma 6th day need a lot of help apneamom 12:30 12/21/07 (0)