Big News - Surgery Scheduled in France 12/6/2018

[tonygret]

Day ten. I had to lengthen my stay in Fance due to some unexpected issues noted above. I am finally able to move around without very sharp pains from the surgery. I think I have the medication regime down enough to allow the trip back hole shortly. Of course I have no idea if this worked yet, as I have a lot of healing to due. But I will continue to post updates.

[Violet M]

Wishing you success with your recovery, Tony. It can seem like forever sometimes because the healing process is slow. Hopefully you can find some pain relief measures as you are going through the healing stage.

Violet

[tonygret]

I am at day 17 after surgery and still in France. I head home tomorrow the 24th of December to be Home for the holiday. It’s been a real roller coaster. I had some complications such as days of fever and some bleeding. But all of that is under control. I must admit the pain from the surgery lingers and the plane ride will be a real challenge. But I am improving and hope to make it home ok. It is still way to early to tell if this will work. My pain is still worse than it was before surgery as I expected. Now it’s just a matter of wait and see.

I read the doctors report yesterday. He had a lot of difficulty with unexpected vessel clusters that stopped him from competing one side. I will post more on that later. I do have to say that Doctor Plateau, his staff and the hospital were fantastic. Whether this works or not, I feel confident I went to the right place at the right time.

Anyway. I wish everyone a happy holiday. More to come.

[April]

Thanks for the report, Tony. So sorry to hear about the complications. So, the doctor completed only one side? Are the vessels still impinging on the nerve on the other side? Two surgeries are sometimes needed to deal with pn, so hopefully there will be an opportunity to address the other side more fully. I'm hoping you continue to feel better.

April

[frigator]

Congratulations on your surgery and I pray everything works out for you. Sounds like you made a great choice in doctors. I would go see Dellon in Nevada but don't think I can make the plane ride. If you feel up to it and dont mind, can you share how you made the plane ride there? I would think I would need some extra heavy medicine to handle it. Maybe put to sleep?

[tonygret]

Today is week 4 after surgery. I am finally back in the USA and in my own bed! My surgical incisions are healing very nicely, although I doubt I will be doing any more butt modeling. The trauma from the surgery is finally calming down and I can walk fairly normally. However I am still experiencing considerable increased pain, above and beyond my original pain before I started. Again, I was warned of this before I had the surgery, so I remain cautiously optimistic. Although, I must admit, in the back of my mind I do worry I made things worse. Time will tell.

My trip home was 23 hours door to door with 14 hours in the air. It was one of the most difficult and painful 24 hours of my life. I bought several pillows in France and traveled with them all the way. And even though I had a full lay down seat for 2/3 of the flight, I have never been more uncomfortable. I originally planned 9 days after surgery for traveling back and had to extend that an additional 7 days. If I had to do this again, I would have planned a full month in France after surgery for recovery before travel. I am not sure my complications made this trip so difficult, or what, but boy was it an ordeal. I am just so happy to be home!

For those that may be wondering if I am a pain wimp, I can assure you I am the last one to complain. I have had open heart, spine and brain surgeries, so I am no stranger to pain. Even during this hospital stay I was told by the nurse “You are the best patient”. However this has been tougher than I expected, but things are improving.

Until next time . . .

[stephanies]

Thank you for the update, Tony. Glad you are home and sending you good thoughts as you continue your healing journey.

Stephanies

[Patty]

Glad to hear your home safely. Hopefully your pain improves quickly at least back to your baseline. I don't think anybody on this site would consider anybody
a pain wimp never mind having just had major surgery. I ruptured the fascia on the bottom of my foot many years ago. Never experienced something
this painful until PN developed 6 years ago.

[April]

Thanks for updating us, Tony. I'm so sorry about the long and painful flight! It's good to hear that you are back at home. I'm sure the pain will start to decline soon, especially now that you are at home.

April

[tonygret]

Week 5 after surgery:

Well, I am definitely feeling better, but I am still very sore. Thee incision area continues to heal nicely and all the black and blue areas are completely gone. The problem areas I had before my surgery are still more painful than before surgery. Again, I was forewarned that it could take 3 to 6 months just to get back to baseline for pain. I am just slightly past one month and the time just can't go fast enough (never thought I would say that). As for meds, I am only taking sightly more than I did pre-surgery, which I think is a real jump forward.

I have been corresponding with Dr. Plateau and his staff via email. They have been extremely helpful getting me documentation i need for my work, insurance company and disability . All three of those things remain a work in progress. I still cant go to work because there is no way i can sit long enough to drive to there. Hopefully things will improve more quickly now.

So whats the verdict? Its still too early to tell. But i am committed to keep this post alive and keep reporting my progress, for better or worse. All comments, recommendations and suggestions welcome.

Stay tuned . . .