Shoulder Update!

Here is where I'm at after week number two! I started work again, which has been more difficult than I thought it was going to be. By the end of the day my arm feels like it's dragging on the floor. In the morning when I wake up, my shoulder is super stiff and I can't move it (even more than I normally can). My wounds are looking better each day and my bruise is becoming smaller each day.

As you can tell by the pictures (that I took last night) my bruise is a lot smaller than it was and my scars are looking much better! I took my last pain pill this morning. I don't take them all the time; I take one before I go to sleep because it's still uncomfortable to sleep and I take one in the morning before school. I called my doctor and left a message with the nurse so that I can hopefully get more just to make it through school! It's getting really difficult to constantly be in a sling! UGH! I hate being confined and dependant on others to do things for me! I'm sure Jon is sick of doing my hair every morning too! : ) Thanks baby, I love you! Other than that, I think I'm doing well. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled on December 22, so I'll see how I'm doing then! Love ya'll!
Jamie

Day 4: Recovery

Monday November 24th

Well, I didn't sleep as well last night as I did the night before. I only slept between 5-6 hours straight then I was really sore and came into the living room. Jon left for the Teacher's Conference around 8:00 am and shortly after he left I was able to fall asleep again. Jon came home to help me with lunch around 12:30. I pretty much slept the entire morning he was gone-it was what I needed because I felt so refreshed when I woke up. I decided to tough it out and go to the last sectional and dinner of the conference for today. So Jon helped me shower, get dressed-I actually put a little makeup on! We left around 3:30 pm and went to the conference. It was great seeing everyone! My team volleyball pictures were waiting in my box for me-they turned out great and that made my day! Mickey Eckert gave me an envelope full of get well soon cards her PreK-4 year olds made for me! They are so cute filled with stickers, scribbles of them learning how to write their names, and get well soon sayings in Spanish! Those made me feel great-so cute! We stayed through dinner and left around 6:45 pm, by the end of it I was completely exhausted! It's completely different being up and doing stuff, you don't realize how much your movements affect your arm even when you don't move the arm itself! When we got home, we changed my bandaids and noticed a huge bruise on the front of my shoulder. It probably takes up the front half of my shoulder! It's yellow and purple but it doesn't really hurt much! The new area that hurt today was the middle muscle on the side of my arm. It was super sore today and the only way I can describe it is after you work out a lot and your muscles get sore-well it's like that but 20 times worse! Jon helped me pick up the house for Jon's parents and Erica coming tomorrow! I made a cover for my sling out of fabric and ribbon! It turned out so cute! For the rest of the night I just relaxed! I'm excited for Jon's family coming tomorrow. I made a doctor's appointment for Wednesday at 1:30.

Love,

Jamie Look at the bruise!

Gross and yellow!

Day 3: Recovery

Sunday November 23rd

I FINALLY slept! I slept for 7 hours straight last night! Thank goodness-I needed a good night's rest badly! Around 8:30 Jon and mom helped me get stuff off. We got the big padding off the top of my shoulder and removed the bandages off my wounds to see my stitches! WOW! My wounds look great (as good as wounds can look after a couple days), I'm surprised they don't look worse because they aren't red or puffy or anything. I'm going to heal well I think. So we're standing in the bathroom and my mom can't watch too much so she takes pictures instead. Jon begins to take the pain pump out of my shoulder. He slowly pulls the 5-inch tubing out of the hole in my shoulder. It didn't hurt at first, but it stung for the last half of it coming out. Immediately after he pulled all of the pain pump out I became nauseous, dizzy and freezing cold. I had to sit down, since I was standing the entire time this was taking place. That was a crazy feeling-very strange. During this, Ozzie growled at my mom ( I think he was trying to protect me because he could tell I was in pain). It took me about an hour to start feeling better after that! Thank goodness for Jon, I couldn't have done this without him! So around 10:00 am I finally was able to shower!! The shower was difficult since I can't move my right dominant arm. Jon was really helpful-washed my hair and helped me scrub all the glue and tape off my arm and shoulder. I felt 100% better after finally being able to shower, being clean helps the healing process! Especially after 3 days of not showering! Then I came to the couch and mom was getting ready to leave : (. She left around 11;30 so she could get back to Houston before dark. It was so nice having her here and she was so helpful! After she left I took an hour nap. When I woke up Jon took me to the Christmas Bazaar at First English Church by Lutheran High. We went for an hour and that's all I could take for today. So we came home and I took another nap for two hours! The naps are very helpful! Not to mention Ozzie won;t leave my side since I've been home. He follows me where ever I go and is ALWAYS laying on me where I'm at! He is trying to help me feel better, it's so cute! My shoulder is pretty sore today since the pain pump is out and I have a feeling it's just going to get worse before it gets better! There is a lot of pulling and stiffness again tonight!

Love,
Jamie

This is where they put the 3 huge shots for my nerve block!

What my gross bandages looked like before I took them off for the first time.

Right after Jon took my pain pump out!

Beginning process of pain pump taking out!

Day 2 Recovery

Saturday November 22nd

I woke up every hour last night and finally got out of bed and moved to the couch around 8:30 am. Last night was a rough night. I take a pain pill every 4-6 hours, but there is still a constant stiffness and overall soreness that never stops. Jon has to sub-coach a Lutheran High soccer game at noon. I took a 2 hour nap from 9:30-11:30, then mom helped me get dressed. We went to JoAnn fabrics and Michael's. It felt good to get out again, and I was able to last longer than yesterday. I was nevous the entire time because I was afraid someone was going to run into my arm but I made it out okay. I wanted to find a centerpiece for my Thanksgiving table and Michael's had everything I needed to make one! My mom helped me make a really cute centerpiece that I just love(there are pictures of it in a previous blog). We were out for a little over 2 hours and Jon was home when we got back. Jon rested with me on the couch while mom went to get some fresh shrimp to cook Jon for dinner. We just relaxed for the rest of the night. Tonight was when my arm hurt the worst so far. Although I couldn't see them, I could feel where my wounds are today and they are sore! Tomorrow is going to be great. Not being able to shower is making me itch, especially where all the glue is over my arm. I was in a lot of pain before bed. My mom told me to take 2 pills instead of one and it helped me relax enough to fall alseep. Then I was finally able to go to bed!

Love,

Jamie

Day 1: Recovery Begins

Friday November 21, 2008

I slept okay last night. I came back to the couch around 6:30 am when Jon was leaving for school. Mom made him a triple-decker ham, cheese, and egg sandwich that I knew he would love! My mom and I watched some morning news shows and she helped me just relax. My bicep felt like it had a constant pull to it, but that was pretty much the only area that was sore in the morning. I took an hour or two nap; naps help a lot! It's hard to move around and get comfortable with the huge stuff all over me. Not only do I have a sling but I also have a pain pump that's in a fanny-pack type thing tucked into my sling. The cord for the pain pump is glued to my arm all over and goes into my shoulder on the side. The pain pump helps a lot and I'm nervous about when it runs out. My mom helped me pick up my house a little and during the day we made a list for shopping. Jon's going o be gone all day, he has a basketball game tonight and won't get home until after 9:00 pm. Around 5:00 pm I felt rested enough to go to Walmart for a little bit. It was a nice day/night, in the 50's all day, so I thought it would be nice to get out some. Mom helped me get dressed-basically just threw one of Jon's big jackets over me and a pair of jeans. Walmart isn't too far away, only a few blocks and our list wasn't too long. We were only gone for a little over an hour. It felt good to get off the couch, but I was really tired when we got back! We got stuff like headbands to make it easier for Jon to do my hair after my mom leaves-since I can't move my arm for 6 weeks! I love him so much! Anywho...We get back and eat a little and I go back tot he couch with my Ozzie. Jon got home around 9:30, eats dinner and falls asleep with me on the couch. I make him go to bed and I stayed on the couch. By the end of the day my arm kills-it started to get sore all over. Then around 2:00 am I went to bed with Jon. I didn't sleep very well!

Love,

Jamie

Journal Entries!

I kept a journal from the first week of my surgery! I wrote in it everyday for the first week, and now it stays about the same so I will update my journal each week! I will post the first week throughout today so you can see what fun I had! : )
Love ya'll!
Jamie

Surgery Day

I woke up around 7:00 am feeling a little anxious and ready to get the surgery over with. I've never had surgery before so I don't know what to expect. Jon and I get to the surgery center around 9:00 am, fill in some paper work, and I pretty much get into a room right away. I give Jon a kiss and tell him I love him before going into the back. I got changed into a gown, took a pregnancy test (yep, they made me take one), and then I was able to lay down in a hospital bed. The nurse, Lisa, comes in and tells me all the fun stuff that will be happening and initials my right shoulder to acknowledge that my right shoulder is the one being operated on. Lisa was really nice and made me feel comfortable while she put and IV in my wrist. She hooks two different bags to my IV and then the anaesthesiologist comes in to explain more fun stuff that is going to happen to me. He tells me that he is going to put a nerve block in to completely numb my right arm. He gave me 3 huge shots into the right side of my neck. Those didn't feel very good but they began to work immedfiately and my arm slowly becomes numb. After the anaesthesiologist leaves the nurse comes back and brings my husband and Pastor Babin! Pastor Babin is a close friend of ours and preaches at St. John's in New Orleans. He came to pray with us before I went into surgery and it helped bring comfort to Jon and I. I was so nervous that I wasn't going to see Jon again before I went into surgery, so seeing him walk in brought me comfort and helped me relax. He gave me a kiss and then had to leave because it was almost time for my surgery. By the time he left, my arm was completely numb and I couldn't lift it at all (that was a very strange feeling). It was around 11:00 am by this time and my fluid bag was over halfway empty. I had to use the bathroom twice before surgery-which was extremely unpleasant because I had to use a bedpan! YUCK! I hope I never have to use one ever again! Anywho...I remeber the nurse and the anaesthesiologist wheeling me into the operating room. They helped move me from my bed to the operating table. I see them move my right arm to the arm table, but I can only watch them move it. It was an out of body experience becasue I couldn't feel my arm at all (so weird). The last thing I remember is saying hi to Dr. Junius and then the mask went over my mouth and nose and then they told me to take deep breaths and I was out! The surgery took 3 hours. They didn't have to do a bone graft like they origionally thought, but my ligaments were in even worse shape than Dr. Junius thought! I woke up in the room around 2:30 pm (only 30 minutes after my surgery was over) and see my husband! I can't describe how I felt seeing my husband, it made me feel relieved and at ease! The nurse checked me out and said I was good to go. Jon helped me get dressed out of my hospital gown, the nurse brought me a wheelchair, and then we went to the car. At this time I can't feel my arm still, they said the nerve block will last for 12 hours. Thank goodness, because that way the car ride won't be as bad and neither will the rest of the day! We got home around 3:00 pm and my mama was already there waiting for us! Jon and I are so thankful that my mama was able to come and help Jon take care of me! I pretty much rest and try to relax for the rest of the day. I honestly don't remember too much from being home on Thursday besides laying on the couch with Ozzie. I didn't sleep too bad the first night. I woke up around 3:30 am then woke up again around 6ish when Jon got up for work. He was going to have such a long day on Friday!

Love,

Jamie

My Sling!

So I figured that since I am trapped in a sling for 6 weeks that the sling should at least be cute! I sewed a cover for my sling last Sunday and here are some pictures!

This is the bow on the side where my elbow is.

Here is another angle of the bow.


This is a front view of my sling!

This is the back view of my sling.

Here is another front view!

Let me know what you think! I think I did an okay job for sewing with my left hand! : )
Love ya'll!
Jamie

Updated pictures of my scars

The doctor's told me that my ligaments were the worse case they've ever seen (of course) and that they put three anchors into my shoulder with cords attached to them to hold all my ligaments in place. Here are pictures of my wounds the day they took the stitches out which was Wednesday November 26th. The last three pictures are from Wednesday and the first two pictures are from yesterday Saturday November 29th so you can see how much better they are looking!

Some Shoulder pics

This is a picture of my pain pump that Jon had to pull out. It was about 5 inches that was coiled inside my shoulder (ugh)! The 3rd picture is me after Jon pulled the pain pump out and nearly passing out. It was a mix of feeling dizzy, nauseous, and I turned instantly to freezing cold!

The last two pictures are of my stiches before they got taken out! I have two on the front of my shoulder and one on the back of my shoulder!

Shoulder Pics

Here are pictures of my shoudler the day after my surgery this is what I have to wear until Sunday morning when I can take my pain pump out! Enjoy--I look pretty good! : ) Thanks for all the prayers, I love ya'll very much! Love, Jamie

Shoulder Surgery!

Here is an update about my shoulder! I am having surgery on my right shoulder on Thursday November 20th. For those of you who don't know, I've dislocated this shoulder 5 times in the past 2 years!
In the words of my doctor:
This is what it says on my doctor's history report: Jamie's status is post multiple right shoulder dislocations. She has had her MRI with an arthrogram. I have reviewed her arthrogram results with her, which demonstrates a large Hill-Sachs lesion of the humeral head as well as the Bankart lesion.
Status of my shoulder: Multiple right shoulder dislocations with Bankart lesion and Hill-Sachs lesion.
Plan: We discussed surgical options. I think that because she has had so many dislocations, she should pursue the operative treatment regimen. We are going to plan on arthoscopic repair with Bankart lesion and possible grafting of the Hill-Sachs lesion depending on the size of it at the time of surgery. We discussed the risks and benefits of the procedure, the most common complication being redislocation.
So that is what is says on my doctors report, I thought it would be easier to type that then try to put it in my own words! I will have 3 different holes on my arm where they will do the surgery; 1 on the front of my shoulder, 1 on the side of my arm, and 1 on the back of my shoulder. The surgery is outpatient, so at least I can go home right after I wake up! I will be in a sling for 6 weeks after surgery, then after that 6 weeks I will start physical therapy. I think that's pretty much it, hopefully it's not too confusing! Thanks for the prayers!
Love ya'll!
Jamie

Shoulder AGAIN!

I dislocated my shoulder again! My arm is pretty much shot and I don't have any other choice to to have surgery! This week I will be getting an MRI to see how bad it is. Then sometime before Thanksgiving I will be getting surgery. I don't know all the details about it yet, but I will be in an immobilizer for 6 weeks afterwards! I will post more when I know!