Try spelling that over the phone to apply for your sick leave!
But wait, there’s more!
Act now and we’ll throw in a Tonsilectomy and a quick lysis of nasal adhesions (a fallout from my last procedure) plus free shipping and handling! Such a deal! I’ve had a great weekend so far!
Actually, it wasn’t quite as bad as I was warned. My physician called it “brutal.” Everyone said to expect a lot of pain, but the pain – per-se – hasn’t been so bad. It’s more a constant irritation. Irritation from the little ends of sutures that keep poking the back of my tongue, irritation that I can only swallow with great difficulty, irritation that the only food I can get down is Jell-o and Popsicles.
But I like Jell-o and Popsicles! Even so, it’s a chore when all I can handle is little baby-spoonfuls. It takes an hour to get through a little medicine-cup sized serving.
Even drinking fluids is a challenge. My throat is different now and it’s easy to get liquid to splash up into my nasal area. Not what you want when you’re not supposed to cough! So far all I’ve had to drink is warm-flat ginger ale and water.
The upside is one person I knew who had this done said they lost 25 pounds! I can spare that.
Surprisingly, sleeping was not that bad tonight. I think once all the swelling and irritation is gone, it will be a great improvement. The nasal surgery was a big help and this should be another step in that direction. Unfortunately, all I’ve felt like doing is sleeping and I don’t really need it right now. (I’m typing this at 3 am!) I was awake a lot of the night in the hospital yesterday as well, but slept more around 4am-6am until my leg cramped up. I had them let me get up and walk around a bit then, hospital gown or not, I needed to get some circulation back!
The hospital staff was great. I was at Millard Fillmore Suburban and had a view of the construction they’re undergoing. It’s just clearing space right now, and the parking lots are all a mess, but they’re expanding out because the Town of Amherst won’t let them build up.
I was surprised at the number of men working as nurses and aides. That was cool. I like a pretty nurse as much as the next guy, but it’s cool to have another guy around to shoot the shit with. I’ve always found the best way to be treated well in a hospital is to cooperate, be nice and understand what they are doing for you. They are just doing their job and trying to get through their shift just like I do at work, might as well make it as easy on everyone as possible.
Actually, there is a lot of similarity to what I do. You might think an Electrician works on, well electricity and wires and machines, but the particular type of work I do, that’s almost secondary. While I’ve done building and installing equipment, what I’ve been doing the past 10 years or so is trouble calls. The machines don’t call in themselves. I deal with people. I go to a call and usually, it’s a person who has a problem. Just in their machine, not their body. And I try to help the person by making the machine do what they need it to do. The machine and the product is secondary, at least from my point of view. It’s helping the person who is concerned with those that I do.
Sometimes managment doesn’t understand that. But what am I doing worrying about that right now! I’ll be off 3-4 weeks and I really hope by then my retirement will go through. Even if it doesn’t, it will be just a month or two until they have to let us go. Current rumors say they will let us all go early enough to avoid paying the Christmas holidays.
Well, it’s almost hard to say. I do sleep better most of the time and my wife says my snoring is much better – almost gone.
My GERD has been much improved, but I still have to avoid eating a few hours before I sleep. No midnight snacks.
I don’t miss the tonsils. Those should have come out in childhood. I do miss my uvula, I now know why it’s there and what it does!
I have a almost constant feeling of something being stuck in the back of my throat, I think some if it may be scarring, some of it may be mucous collecting there. The shape of the uvula lets mucous slide down and off of it. A straight-across shape makes it accumulate there.
If I could go back to before I had it done, I would just ask about that. Could a less drastic trimming be done? Could some of the point shape be left to let things drip off?
Overall, it’s about an 80 out of 100. I’d probably still have it done.
Thanks!!! I appreciate the feedback!
I’m having this surgery next week. I’m wondering are there any things that you recommend I ask my doctor, besides the shaving, when I talk to him. I’m leery of the pain as I’m told it is tremendous. I have a high pain threshold and I wonder it will be enough. Also, I have to work approximately 6 days after my surgery. I’m in the IT field and all I have to t do is sit in front of a computer…how possible do you think that is? What were the negative aspects? Was the pain deep, piercing, throbbing, or stabbing? Just as a reference. I’m told this surgery is a great change from the old sleep, or lack there of, I used to have. Was it really that much better? I’m desperately trying to avoid a C-PAP machine!
Hi Sean,
Sorry for my delay in answering. You’ve probably had the surgery by now. But I hope the above comments were of help to you.
It’s been over a year now for me, but I don’t remember the pain being unbearable. Yes, I needed pain meds in the hospital and at home, and I mostly slept for a couple days. After that, I went from feeling not bad (after taking the medication) to a severe sore throat along with a scratchy, something stuck in the throat feeling. But I took less pain killers than they allowed me. I don’t like to use them at all, but they were necessary.
As for going back to work in less than a week, I don’t think it would be hazardous to you, if you simply sit at a desk, but you’re going to hate it. Your boss might wish you stayed home too. I know I was pretty useless for more than a week. Your sleep pattern will be all screwed up – you’ll be sleeping from taking the pain meds, then waking up to take more. You’ll have no energy. I’d say, if a zombie can do your job, maybe it’ll work.
Al, can you please advise how well you have recovered from your UPP surgery after 2.5 years and whether it was effective and whether you have any long term discomfort or complications. Thanks. Rick