Seriousness is not welcome here

-
I got my pre-surgery packet in the mail yesterday. I've been trying to be lighthearted about the op, but all this paperwork is causing a lot of unwelcome seriousness to edge in.

Insurance info, blood draws, medical equipment (can you believe I have to have a hospital bed once I'm at my parents' place?), prescription authorization, hotel/transportation info ...

Yech.

Of course, I was expecting it. And I'll be able to handle it, one step at a time. One step at a time.

My biggest fear right now is having to take 325 mg of iron (ferrous gluconate) twice a day starting two weeks before my blood draw ... hmmm, that would be this week sometime. Anyway, I've had some pretty uncomfortable side effects when I've take iron supplements in the past, and I'm not really looking forward to having to take so much for so long. Any suggestions?

In the meantime, I'll grudgingly be going through my paperwork. :)

Comments

LH said…
Hi Cassie,

I totally ignored the iron supplements before my blood donation because of the digestive turmoil they cause me. What I did do was add a lot of iron-rich foods into my diet during the week prior - mainly raisens and spinach, spinach, spinach... I'm a vegetarian AND I got my period the day of my donation, but my iron count still managed to be high enough.


I'm no doctor, but I think you can get your count high enough through diet alone if you work at it.

Laura
February 25, 2008
Sam said…
Hey Cass...I'm surprised you need a hospital bed when you get home, did they give a specific reason as to why?

Also, if you have the time, you might want to try and donate at least three units. I believe at least one will be used during the surgery and the other two are a great help getting you back on your feet afterwards. Turned out I probably needed a fourth, but I went without it (not wanting to have someone else's blood, especially after going thru the bother of having my blood donated). Anyway, just a suggestion.

Also, I have a very sensitive stomach and as long as I took the pill about 5 minutes before I ate lunch and dinner I did okay.

Best of luck!
Sam
February 27, 2008
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dreams

-
I still have bad dreams about having hip surgeries. It's been nine years since I went under the knife. The surgeries seem far from mind – I don't have daily pain, I don't talk about hip dysplasia, and when I get undressed, I rarely notice the thin white scars on either side of my hips. When I do think about it all, gratitude and pride overwhelm me. I think of my recovery and wonderful life that has followed. It's strange then, that my brain sums up this life-changing event with disturbing scenes from an operating room, flooding me with anxiety and reminding me of the unpleasant parts of PAOs. But maybe the nightmares have some value, after all. Being reminded of the stress and pain and work that went into fixing my hips also reminds me of how strong I was to get through it. Never forget.
Read more

Out of surgery

-
This is Cassie's Mom, after trying to connect to the internet unsuccessfully several times in her room, we have decided that Cassie will dictate to me and I'll try to keep you updated by taking the computer elsewhere in the building where there is a strong enough signal. Cassie's surgery took 5 1/2 hours this time, and Dr. Mayo said it went very well. He did find a cyst in the joint, in the same place as the left one...a matching set! He said that was kind of strange. She woke up in a lot of pain and Dr. Mayo said it took some time to get it under control, fortunately she did not remember much of that! She was out of recovery just 1 1/2 hours later and after a breathing treatment; into a room by 9:30, a little nauseas, and with a very dry throat. She kicked me out a little after midnight, and I took a cab to the hotel, since my carriage had turned back into a pumpkin. During the night they did a Doppler test because they were not detecting a pulse in her right leg, but th...
Read more

4 years post-op LPAO

-
Image
It's been four years since my left hip surgery, the day-long event that became a years-long cornucopia for which I am eternally thankful. My thanks does not wane, even though the periods of pain-free living have started to. Between anniversaries three and four, I have to admit that life has been a little tougher. My hips hurt more often and are less willing to take the beatings an active lifestyle evokes. My mind returns to dark places of my past, when pain ruled and I couldn't count on my body. The most challenging aspect is not letting fears and negative thoughts squash the positive feelings and abilities my new hips gave me. Post-surgery pains are completely different than pre-surgery's. Sporadic, unpredictable and in places I didn't think even counted as "hip pain." Post-surgery pains also have been easier to control, just harder to understand. I am considering a visit to a hip doc in my town, rather than a flight to Tacoma to see Dr. Mayo. I need to...
Read more