So...I am having yet ANOTHER surgery :(

FBODGRL

FBODGRL

Club Member
Wow....it feels like I just posted this (well it was in September) I haven't been very active since then since it is nearly impossible to view MM on my phone and using my computer to type is difficult.

Unfortunately the last (2nd) surgery did not resolve the problem and I am actually worse off than before the surgery. I have no feeling at all in my fingers and hand (with the exception of the pinky which is controlled by another nerve) I have lost a signifigant amount of strength in my hand...I have regained a little bit back through therapy.

After going through therapy and numerous doctor visits a follow up EMG was done last Friday. It is showing a 90% blockage of the nerve. Which explains the constant pain and lack of function and sensation. Considering the nerve is only functioning at 10%.

So once again I will be having surgery next Wednesday. The surgeon will be opening up the arm end to end to assure nothing or everything is seen. This is very scary and I am terrified that I may never have total use of the hand or worse.

I haven't been working since my September surgery and I was set to try and go back over the weekend, which now won't be happening. So I will be off until I recover from this latest surgery (hopefully)

If you guys don't have some sort of short term disability I suggest you look into it. I have been on unpaid leave since my paid time off ran out in October. This is a huge financial burden for someone who only has one income (well now none) Even with my savings I have been forced to use emergency credit cards and money I never intended to use.

At this point my job is still secure and my Chief is getting confirmation on some things in my contract. All I can hope for is that I will recover from this surgery and be able to return to work.

Anyway...I've missed checking in here and hopefully I will be able to do it more often as I recover.
 
My thoughtsare with you. I certainly hopethis will be the lastsurfery you have to endure and that everything goes well.
 
Hugger Z said:
Best of luck Shelly! Can you apply for any disability benefits in the short term?
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Thanks. My job doesn't have short term disability. Only long term and at this point the 4 months I have been off is not long enough. Precisely why I suggest everyone look into their own short term disability if it isn't something your employer provides.

YLWFVR said:
Good luck with your surgery Was this a job related injury?
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No one knows how this all originally happened over 3 years. I suspect that it is something that was caused by my job, but there is no way to prove it. It is a rare condition and there are a lot of questions that just have no answers. If it was a workers comp case I would at least be receiving a portion of my income, but since it is not and I have no short term disability coverage I have no income. The whole situation is extremely stressful from the constant pain to the financial hardship. I worked long and hard to clean up my credit years ago and set myself up in what I thought was a stable financial situation. Unfortunately I didn't plan nor think I would ever be out of work so long for a medical disability.
 
I've actually made sure I have both short-term and optional long-term disability here at work. Not sure when it goes from one to the other. I don't know that anyone anticipates being out of work on disability for a long time. Usually, it's planning and mitigating a possible job loss.

I hope your surgery goes well, and you regain the use of your hand. I type a LOT, and can't imagine what it would be like for me if I had an issue like this.
 
Shelly,

So sorry to hear about this bad luck. I know you're pretty tough so as hard as it is, I'm sure you'll get through it all. I'll pray for you just the same :)
 
Hugger Z said:
Shelly, do you need some help? Should we take up a Shelly's zoo help fund?
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The longer I am out of work and the longer this recovery takes this may be a real need!


Checking in with you guy's....those of you on FB have seen the surgery pictures and heard my updates. It has been and still is quite painful. A lot of the "surgery" incision type pain has subsided so that is better.

I started back to therapy again last week. I am a little under 3 weeks post surgery right now.

The surgery was crazy and they messed up my nerve block initially. SO the nerve in my arm was not blocked, but my face, eye and diaphragm were. So I felt like I couldn't breath and my voice was hoarse and basically gone. They did another block after surgery, but I was in so much pain I had to be quite medicated before the nerve block kicked in!

My lap top is currently broken (I was rarely using it cause I can't type 1 handed for long periods) I need to get it over to Jim (TTA) to look at it. It refuses to boot windows and keeps cycling through the boot menu. The next day my phone broke(yes I have a black cloud over me) SO I had to replace it. I am still figuring it out and of course nothing comes with manuals anymore and I working with a 12 year old desktop so learning how to use it is taking a little longer than expected. Once I get tapatalk on it I may actually be able to check in here more frequently!

I lost a ton of phone numbers when my phone broke. For some reason they didn't all transfer over. So If you guys could PM here or on FB with your numbers...or shot me a text and let me know who it is that would be helpful.

Hope everyone is doing well. Hope to see you guys soon. For now I have been spending my days doing therapy and hoping this heals and I can get back to work!
 
Probably should have posted the above in a separate thread....but still need you guys to PM me your numbers since I lost them.

Also....I may need some help with the beetle. parking brake is sticking. So I stopped using it for the time being. I'm only driving back and forth to therapy and doctor appointments at the moment....so it is not crucial right now.
 
The Beetle. Don't use it as you said and have someone take a screwdriver and crawl under the back and manually push the bracket that holds the cable upward against the stop. Self explanatory for someone with a little mechanical ability.

The rubber boots on the cable end usually split over time. They face upwards so water and dirt go inside via gravity and then it is all over. So it probably needs a couple cables.

Park it in gear and fight the battle when you are feeling better.



FBODGRL said:
Probably should have posted the above in a separate thread....but still need you guys to PM me your numbers since I lost them.

Also....I may need some help with the beetle. parking brake is sticking. So I stopped using it for the time being. I'm only driving back and forth to therapy and doctor appointments at the moment....so it is not crucial right now.
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