I'm just glad I can help, even if it's only a little! *cuddles*
Having a doctor who speaks the same language will help a lot, but there is still a lot that doctors "forget" to tell patients about their surgeries. Sometimes I think they're afraid they will scare the person out of having the surgery done, and sometimes I think they really don't understand what it's like afterward since they haven't had the surgery themselves.
I am feeling MUCH better and continuing to be able to do more things each day, but I am still not all the way back to normal even after a month. I had a very big repair done to the posterior wall during my surgery, so it wasn't what you'd call 'typical' or 'ordinary'. Recovery depends on a lot of things, most importantly exactly what surgical procedure your mom needs for exactly what diagnosis your mom has. The uterus is primarily what "falls out" in women who share our problem, but the bladder can also drop down in the pelvis and cause problems as well as the rectum. There are many levels of severity, so each experience is very different. If you feel comfortable, you might ask your mom if she's having trouble with leaking when she coughs or sneezes (that would be the bladder dropping with the uterus), or if she's having a lot of constipation (the falling uterus blocks the rectum and prevents emptying). There are several non-surgical options that she can possibly try. If she decides with her doctor that surgery is what she needs, most of the people I talked with before my surgery said that in 2 months they felt pretty much back to normal, and in 6 months they were incredibly glad they'd had the surgery done and wondered why they'd put it off so long.
I'm obsessive too, and I love to keep up with the boys building houses and such at Habitat for Humanity. I've had to take a temporary break, but my doc knew beforehand that this is my life, and he's assured me if I'm patient and let everything heal up completely, I'll be able to resume normal stuff eventually.
Right now, the biggest thing I have to avoid is lifting. I'm not allowed to do the laundry (because of the extra repair I had to have done), but I compensate by carrying it in thirds instead of all at once in a basket, and that's working just fine. It takes me longer, but not that much. I wonder if your mom can team up with someone (maybe even your dad!) so that she can do her job in the parts that she IS able to do (dusting, washing dishes, sorting and folding laundry, ironing, cleaning sinks and toilets) if she's got help with the parts she might be restricted on (pulling the vacuum canister, carrying the basket of laundry, getting down to scrub the tub). Every day I need less help with things, and I'm finding new and creative ways to do stuff I probably wouldn't be allowed to do regularly. You just have to know WHY you have the limitation, and then figure out how to safely work WITH the limitation.
Keep me posted on what she says, and I'll try to help you find things so you can understand it and so she can plan for her recovery.
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Date: 2010-03-13 05:02 am (UTC)Having a doctor who speaks the same language will help a lot, but there is still a lot that doctors "forget" to tell patients about their surgeries. Sometimes I think they're afraid they will scare the person out of having the surgery done, and sometimes I think they really don't understand what it's like afterward since they haven't had the surgery themselves.
I am feeling MUCH better and continuing to be able to do more things each day, but I am still not all the way back to normal even after a month. I had a very big repair done to the posterior wall during my surgery, so it wasn't what you'd call 'typical' or 'ordinary'. Recovery depends on a lot of things, most importantly exactly what surgical procedure your mom needs for exactly what diagnosis your mom has. The uterus is primarily what "falls out" in women who share our problem, but the bladder can also drop down in the pelvis and cause problems as well as the rectum. There are many levels of severity, so each experience is very different. If you feel comfortable, you might ask your mom if she's having trouble with leaking when she coughs or sneezes (that would be the bladder dropping with the uterus), or if she's having a lot of constipation (the falling uterus blocks the rectum and prevents emptying). There are several non-surgical options that she can possibly try. If she decides with her doctor that surgery is what she needs, most of the people I talked with before my surgery said that in 2 months they felt pretty much back to normal, and in 6 months they were incredibly glad they'd had the surgery done and wondered why they'd put it off so long.
I'm obsessive too, and I love to keep up with the boys building houses and such at Habitat for Humanity. I've had to take a temporary break, but my doc knew beforehand that this is my life, and he's assured me if I'm patient and let everything heal up completely, I'll be able to resume normal stuff eventually.
Right now, the biggest thing I have to avoid is lifting. I'm not allowed to do the laundry (because of the extra repair I had to have done), but I compensate by carrying it in thirds instead of all at once in a basket, and that's working just fine. It takes me longer, but not that much. I wonder if your mom can team up with someone (maybe even your dad!) so that she can do her job in the parts that she IS able to do (dusting, washing dishes, sorting and folding laundry, ironing, cleaning sinks and toilets) if she's got help with the parts she might be restricted on (pulling the vacuum canister, carrying the basket of laundry, getting down to scrub the tub). Every day I need less help with things, and I'm finding new and creative ways to do stuff I probably wouldn't be allowed to do regularly. You just have to know WHY you have the limitation, and then figure out how to safely work WITH the limitation.
Keep me posted on what she says, and I'll try to help you find things so you can understand it and so she can plan for her recovery.
***HUGS***