[SueAndHerZoo]

#1180339

I was sent home with Calcitriol: “the hormonally active form of vitamin D with three hydroxyl groups (abbreviated 1,25-(OH)2D3” twice a day for one week. Also 750 mg. Tums, 8 a day for two weeks and then tapering down the third week.

Calcium levels in the hospital were good but I did go in with pre-existing low vitamin D (which I think just about everyone has now) so I should be getting plenty in the next few weeks.

No, no breathing machine in the hospital. They were probably afraid I’d throw up. LOL I didn’t feel like I had enough time for any of that…. I didn’t get to my room till after 8:00 p.m., spent a few hours being sick, and this morning we were getting ready to go home.

What is a steri-strip and what is holding my incision together under that? I never even thought to ask but I’m betting I’ll get better answers here anyway.

No, no narcotic for me. Just an occasional Tylenol……. don’t like pain meds.

I go back to see the surgeon on August 1st and see my endo on August 15th, so 2 weeks and four weeks.

Shirl….. the nurse put the IV apparatus in my arm as soon as I got to the pre-op but didn’t hook anything up to it until I got into the OR. At one point she said something like “if it’s going to be much longer maybe we should set you up with something” but then she checked the computer and said “look like she’s closing now – it won’t be much longer.” (shrug)

It is what it is. And it’s done. (hurray!)
Sue

[snelsen]

#1180340

Yep. Steri strips are little tapes, with little :threads” in them, with VERY sticky adhesive, that is intended to STICK for at least 7-10 days.

Thank for taking the time to tell me more re your IV. Although I retired a few years ago, it is so easy for me to get in the “work mode” again, given half the chance!

IT WAS, WHAT IT WAS!! AND IT IS DONE!!!! You are well on the road to recovery.

Do you have gorgeous fall colors in New England?? Sounds gorgeous.
Shirley

[Gabe]

#1180341

Regarding the incision site. I went home with no bandage, just the steri strips and they stayed in place, even with showering, until I went back to surgeon 11 days later. No bandage was covering the steri strips. Only used the cloth ice packs for 1 or 2 days. No real swelling or bruising at all.

Talley mentioned silicone scar patch…never heard of that. I’ve literally put nothing over or on my scar in 6 weeks other than sun screen, never messaged it, and it’s literally almost gone. Not kidding. I have to look hard to see it. Every surgeon has a different technique but mine said,,,don’t bother with all those creams, etc since it will run its course and fade away on its on time.

I forgot about the breathing machine in the hospital. Little plastic thing I took home with me. Used each hour and it helped with making sure the lungs dont get congested since you are tentative about coughing, even though you can’t hurt anything.

Sue, how’s your voice? Mine never changed except right after intubation tube was removed..a little hoarse.

Sleep and rest and sleep and rest…let your family spoil you!

Take care,

Karen

[Gabe]

#1180342

Regarding the incision site. I went home with no bandage, just the steri strips and they stayed in place, even with showering, until I went back to surgeon 11 days later. No bandage was covering the steri strips. Only used the cloth ice packs for 1 or 2 days. No real swelling or bruising at all.

Talley mentioned silicone scar patch…never heard of that. I’ve literally put nothing over or on my scar in 6 weeks other than sun screen, never messaged it, and it’s literally almost gone. Not kidding. I have to look hard to see it. Every surgeon has a different technique but mine said,,,don’t bother with all those creams, etc since it will run its course and fade away on its on time.

I forgot about the breathing machine in the hospital. Little plastic thing I took home with me. Used each hour and it helped with making sure the lungs dont get congested since you are tentative about coughing, even though you can’t hurt anything.

Sue, how’s your voice? Mine never changed except right after intubation tube was removed..a little hoarse.

To answer your incision question,,, under the steri strips are dissolvable sutures that will disappear by the time you see your surgeon.

Sleep and rest and sleep and rest…let your family spoil you!

Take care,

Karen

[flora]

#1180343

Gee, Sue, reading your upbeat note to Barbra just now (you know, it took me a while to get over feeling a little funny about reading “other people’s mail” ), you sound wonderful already! Gold Stars, and all the best to you!

Flora

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1180344

Have I said this before? Forums are the best, and you guys here are the best of the best!

Most of you are referring to “steri strips” in the plural. I got one. 3″ horizontally across my neck. No plural. No bandaids or covering. I am apparently able to shower today but am nervous about it… I feel like this thing is the only thing keeping me from a gaping gash in my neck! I may wrap a loose plastic bag around my neck for the majority of the shower and then just take it off for the last minute…. I am so afraid I will go into my regular shower routine and run a face cloth over it or scrub it by accident.

On a slight rollercoaster today. Woke up about 6:00 a.m. (which is NOT like me because I am a night owl, NOT a morning person) and didn’t feel bad, just wide awake. Got up, let the dogs out, then went back to bed and slept for a few hours and now I’m beat…. thinking of going back to bed. Let the fluctuations begin!
Sue

[cmac]

#1180345

Sue, GLAD makes a product called Press’n Seal, it’s basically saran wrap with one side that is sticky. I recently had some stitches and Steri strips I had to keep dry and it worked perfectly in the shower. A little tricky to keep it from sticking to your fingers while applying it but you’ll get the hang of it.

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1180346

cmac wrote:

Sue, GLAD makes a product called Press’n Seal, it’s basically saran wrap with one side that is sticky. I recently had some stitches and Steri strips I had to keep dry and it worked perfectly in the shower. A little tricky to keep it from sticking to your fingers while applying it but you’ll get the hang of it.

OMG – I have some of that in the kitchen! I’ve been debating between a huge waterproof bandaid or a plastic bag around my neck but the Press ‘n Seal sounds perfect! I don’t care about it getting slightly damp but I don’t want direct stream hitting it for 15 minutes the first day, ya know?

Thank you!
Sue

[QZZznne]

#1180347

Glad to see your doing well Sue.

Suzzanne

[Kimberly]

#1180348

Hi Sue – Thanks for sharing your story…so sorry you had to deal with “the bad” (I probably would have gone all Graves’ rage during the extra long wait), but glad that you came through OK. Wishing you all the best as you continue the healing process.

[snelsen]

#1180349

Sue. I see what you mean by the plural steri-strips. Very reasonable question! They are referred to as plural, because of the several strips that are embedded in them.
They are tough. Usually stay one very well with showers. Although I would not let shower pound on that area for a long time, but you are not likely to be doing THAT!! So bag the 15 minutes of shower pounding down on your incision site, not a great idea.(: Steri strips are made to be able to shower with them. If your 3″ steri strip does begin to come off at the edges, I suggest reinforcing, maybe with a band aid, to keep it from coming off. They usually fall off, or begin to, at about day #7. Your incision will be very happy, and I suspect will heal, and you will have to look very carefully to see it. When I show mine, people usually say, “I don’t see it.”

Yep..that fatigue factor will remind you that you had an “event” Don’t forget about it. Your body is your temple!!!!
Shirley

[Gabe]

#1180350

Hi Sue. Sorry for the confusion about the plural of steri strips. It’s usually just one long one…. About 3 inches. I didnt bother wrapping mine for showers, but as Shirley mentioned I did not let the water pound on it. Mostly stood with my back to the water stream and would cover my neck with face cloth whenever I turned around to wash front (haha). They are very tough. Mine never budged for 11 days.

Be ready, the fatigue will set in big time over the next week. You will feel fluctuations of energy so don’t overdue it or the crashes will be harder. Your body has gone thru a major surgery and needs time to recover. Easy for me to say in hindsight!

best wishes, Karen

[karenz516]

#1180351

Sue, glad to hear the surgery went well and your home and resting!!! Your a saint for that long wait, my nerves would have got the best of me and sent my heart rate and blood pressure through the roof with anxiety!!! I would of said “hook me up NOW!!!”
My husband gets extreme anxiety before any procedure and they always give him something to calm him down.

Get some much need rest!!!

Hugs,

Karen

[adenure]

#1180352

Congratulations on a successful surgery! It is good to be on the other side of the fence, right? Onward! Yay! I had a subcuticular stitch and a bandage that I removed 24 or 48 hours after surgery. The stitch was removed about a week after. I didn’t have steri-strips, so I don’t know too much about them.

I just took Tums 1000 mg four times a day the 1st week, 3 times a day the 2nd week, and twice a day the 3rd week while the parathyroids settled down.- a precaution from what I understand.

I also just took OTC pain relief- Advil for the 1st 10 days or so (600 mg) every 6 hours. At about 2 weeks, I was able to cut that back quite a bit.

I hope you continue to feel better. One thing that worried me (I worry too much) is that I’d start to feel better, and then my throat would feel weird or hurt again and it would worry me. But, it’s all part of the healing process which takes time. My voice got stronger around 3 weeks post TT.

Let us know how you’re doing.

[Talley]

#1180353

Glad to hear you laid back down and got some rest after getting up early…I think for most of us, when we pushed it that first week we paid for it.

My doc sent me home with the steri strip – seems like two or something else on it, saw him after 7 days, took it off and put one back on and gave me extras to replace it as needed – said he wanted them on until my 4 week post-op visit. At that appointment he said I didn’t need anything but sunscreen…I read a lot about the silicone scar sheets, and with our sun in CO, I really feel better keeping it covered with the sheet – I cut it in half so it’s the size of the steri strip. It worked great at the beach yesterday too!

Oh, funny about the shower – I kept having visions of my neck splitting open in the shower or if I slept funny…similar to my thoughts of a deferent area after I had my breast lift;).

[Author]

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