Guest guest Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 > Exactly how BAD did everyone feel for the first few days and when is the turning point for better? I know everyone is different of course. My son has been in bed since we got home from hospital, he does get up to shower - I feel like i should be encouraging him to get up, sit up...should I? Nothing seems to taste good to him so of course i am constantly pushing liquids. Last night he couldn't breathe, so we bought a cool air mist humidifier, seems to have helped some. This morning he is complaining of heartburn...HEARTBURN? Did anyone have this...the only thing i can think of is that it's from the mixture of milk products and acids, like juices. I remember someone saying they slept for a week...should i let him do that if that's what his body is telling him to do, or be the pain in the butt mom that i feel like i am and make him get up and sit up for a while each day??? help!! And is DAY THREE really the worst?? I also am interested in the ice question -- I doubt that > ice is still helping...my surgeon's nurse said they never switch to heat, but i can see where it might be comforting, even if it didn't do anything to alleviate the swelling -- as long as it doesn't contribute to it...sorry for so many questions, this board is incredibly helpful and I don't know what i'd do without it and you all! > > Marcia Marcia, My own experience differs from Jay's, but looks like your son. I had real heartburns, they were caused by the fact that the stomach got ready to receive food, but I wasn't in the mood to eat. The excess acid created heartburns. They will go away as soon as he eats something, and not too acid stuff at first. Milk may sounds like a wonderful idea, but it's not. Milk contains calcium, a natural antacid. The problem is, to get rid of it, the stomach produces more acid... Vicious circle... So, the first meals your son should get would be Ensure or low acid stuff (for 24 to 36 hours), then re introduce whatever he liked before, the stomach will handle it. Acid stuff includes orange juice, apple juice, etc. That doesn't mean he can't get orange juice if he likes it, of course not, simply make sure he gets it with something else (half a glass of Ensure + half a glass of juice). That'll make a nice meal, easily digestible. As for ice, my surgeon suggested switching to heat 48 hours after the surgery, and the hospital agreed as well as they offered hot towels without speaking with the surgeon first. I know it got me relief, especially in the sinus area where I had trully bad pain. The worst day was day #3 at the hospital. I couldn't breath normally, I had a runny nose 24 hours / day, I wasn't sleeping because even with morphine, pain was at 7 on 10. Then, after that, it just got better every day. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 Remember, now, I had lower only. Nothing complicated and the surgery went well. I was a LOT older than your son. I felt pretty much like a dishrag. Just plain not interested in anything. Yes. It is important for him to move -- he probably will not get a blood clot, as he is young and presumably healthy. But any moving he can do will help to prevent that -- and constipation, as well. If I'm remembering right, Fiddly's surgeon believes that heat DOES contribute to swelling. Mine does not, and heat did not make me swell. It felt good. I reckon you flips your coin and takes your choices... I'm thinking that Gatorade and juices may be contributing to the heartburn, but probably not the milk, although milk stuff may be contributing to the congestion and mucous. I know -- damned if you do and damned if you don't. Do try some broth, if he finds it palatable. It tastes best, of course, when mama cuts up the carrots, onions and celery, and stirs the bones and juices herself over a slow, lingering fire... Just to add to your joys! And there have been folks who have tried doing mashed potatoes and thinning them a LOT and put them into wired mouths. Just be really sure that you have them liquefied before you try it. I don't want to encourage you to choke your son! Has he been in a hot tub or shower? Don't let him do either (I'm thinking he had a graft from the hip, so that may eliminate the tub) without supervision, and I mean the kind who's in the bathroom, in case he gets groggy. That may help him feel a lot better, though, if you can manage it. A shower chair could be a good idea. Cammie > Exactly how BAD did everyone feel for the first few days and when is the turning point for better? I know everyone is different of course. My son has been in bed since we got home from hospital, he does get up to shower - I feel like i should be encouraging him to get up, sit up...should I? Nothing seems to taste good to him so of course i am constantly pushing liquids. Last night he couldn't breathe, so we bought a cool air mist humidifier, seems to have helped some. This morning he is complaining of heartburn...HEARTBURN? Did anyone have this...the only thing i can think of is that it's from the mixture of milk products and acids, like juices. I remember someone saying they slept for a week...should i let him do that if that's what his body is telling him to do, or be the pain in the butt mom that i feel like i am and make him get up and sit up for a while each day??? help!! And is DAY THREE really the worst?? I also am interested in the ice question -- I doubt that > ice is still helping...my surgeon's nurse said they never switch to heat, but i can see where it might be comforting, even if it didn't do anything to alleviate the swelling -- as long as it doesn't contribute to it...sorry for so many questions, this board is incredibly helpful and I don't know what i'd do without it and you all! > > Marcia > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 Oh yeah, and depending on the circumstances in his nether regions, maybe a bit of thinned Maalox or Milk of Magnesia, to help with the heartburn? Things should start getting a lot better in the next few days... C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 > Thanks, thanks, thanks to everyone who answered my wailings!! It really helps to know you're not the only one dealing with something you think is out of the blue...his " heartburn " went away, and i calmed down and stopped trying to push soups that he doesn't want...He's drinking the chocolate ensure with lots of liquids and juices in between, and now we're all living in harmony again (sort of > > Marcia Glad to hear that Marcia :-) Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 If he's getting a bunch of Ensure -- believe it or not, it takes 8 cans a day to do full nutrition for someone who's doing major healing, but I think that's an unrealistic goal. Anyhow if he's getting a bunch of Ensure, he'll be ok, I'd bet, at least until he gets signals from his body that he's in need of more. And then he'll be willing to try to find the way there. Relax. You're being a most excellent mom. I never had that role -- I was a wicked stepmom for a while, to a 12-year-old. We went through the torments of braces, back in the old, " clunky-style " days, (believe it or not, they used to band each tooth, before docs and scientists found the later, most excellent glues to hold brackets in place), but not surgery, thank heavens. I don't think I would have been up to it! Cammie > Thanks, thanks, thanks to everyone who answered my wailings!! It really helps to know you're not the only one dealing with something you think is out of the blue...his " heartburn " went away, and i calmed down and stopped trying to push soups that he doesn't want...He's drinking the chocolate ensure with lots of liquids and juices in between, and now we're all living in harmony again (sort of > > Marcia > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 > Yes. It is important for him to move -- he probably will not get a > blood clot, as he is young and presumably healthy. But any moving he > can do will help to prevent that -- and constipation, as well. Walking does more than prevent blood clots. It increases blood flow, bringing blood to the healing sites and letting it do its work there. Moderate walking can bring down swelling and aid healing. Mild exercise also helps you get a more refreshing sleep later. Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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