embiggen Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 I hope you heal nicely and feel better than before! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 get well soon lou! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Preferred B Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Best wishes, Lou, for a speedy recovery. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dreamin' Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Get well, Lou! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Thinking of you LB -- feel better Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PigSooie Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Get well soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Kinsley Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Louie - Hope you're on the mend! Feel better - we can't have the voice of reason around here out of commission for too long! BTW - Benjamin (formerly Kenobi); nice work with the Natalie Dee web comic! Her site, my friend's blog and this little dog & pony show are the main 3 things I peruse on the internets everyday. Sorry to hijack - now send more vibes to Lou! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Just wanted to add my wishes for a quick recovery, Lou. Hope you're back to yer old self soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skyflynn Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Be well, Lou. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimtweedy1977 Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 You are very much thought of here Lou. Best wishes on a speedy recovery! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clouds of Fluff Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Hope you're feeling better soon! Vibes from Kansas! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Leo Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 See you at a show soon Lou. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foolnrain97 Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Feel better, Lou. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SarahC Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Feel better Lou!! ***vibes*** Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Hope you've got a turntable and lots of vinyl within easy reach! Vibes for good-as-newness ASAP.That I do. There is a pile of vinyl and CDs that will get some spins in the next couple weeks that I have not had time to listen to in past months. Since I won't be out buying I guess I should thin down the stuff I have already bought. Currently spinning Diz and Roy from 1955 on Verve.Just wanted to add my wishes for a quick recovery, Lou. Hope you're back to yer old self soon! Well see this is the thing, I knew Paul was also out of commission and didn't post up and I do believe another person or two did the same thing, so I didn't feel it was appropriate to post up my issues. Thanks to all for your best wishes. This is something I have been talking about for about a year, so it was in the works. It did not come out of blue, but it was also something I needed to find about six weeks to get through, something I have not had in the last couple years. Anyway before I go on, thanks again for all the kind words. Spoiler alert - don't read this if you are squeamish or don't really care to hear about my internal organs. About a year or so ago tests showed (and a number of intestinal blockages, which are unbelievably painful) indicated my Chrone's Disease had progressed to the point again that surgery might be needed. I underwent this type of surgury just over 10 years ago (long before I knew anyone here) which reduced the pain and discomfort I had experienced since my late teens and early 20s. The surgery removed the final two feet of my small intestine and a few inches of my large one as well as my gall bladder and apendix. It was not fun to say the least. I was warned at that time that it might not last forever (maybe 10 or 15 years) and that there was the possibility I would need to have it done again in the future. I took my meds and just kept moving on. As mentioned, a series of blockages and and upper GI showed the disease had progressed again and perhaps I should consider surgery as an option. During my hospitalizations for the blockages one particular surgeon pitched the idea repeatedly (even now it seems like he was selling me a car), but my doctor reassured me he was one of the best at this in the midwest so I said when the time came he could do it. I thought the time might be last fall, but I could not find the time at work. One last blockage this summer proved to be the tipping point and I went ahead with it. I had it done a week ago Thursday at Northwestern Hospital. Things went very well, with only six more inches of small intestine being involved as well as a couple of inches of large intestine. Basically they just cut off the bad parts and stick the good ends back together and put you back together, but this does entail about a six to eight inch incision right down the middle of your belly and then of course while they are at it, they pull everything out the entire length of your small intestine and check it out, before they put it all back. Something new this time was that for post surgery they installed an epidural so deliver the dilaudid by pump directly to the area of the body where it might be needed rather than into the general bloodstream. Thank goodness for dilaudid and my surgeon also did me the favor of NOT installing an NG tube in, which frankly I was expecting anyway. (A urinary catheter does make things easier as well since you don't have to get up as often.) If all this weren't grueling enough, within hours of getting out surgery they get you up to start walking around. No shit!! It is to keep clots from forming, gets the digestive system waking up, and keeps your lungs clear. Can you think of anything you would like to do less after having your stomach cut open than get up, I sure can't. Then the watch is on for the first passing of anything so that it is evident that the digestive system is waking up. Just like the rest of you, after being taken out, inspected, rejected, injected, reflected, etc., the digestive system would rather just sit there and take it easy. I mean you can't drink or eat anything anyway, so why move? This process takes about three to five days. If things don't move an NG tube then becomes necessary to help decompress the digestive system and help it along. Well I got up and did my walks and tried to "pass" but alas nothing happened. In a great deal of pain and distress the "pain unit" docs came to me at midnight about four nights in and told me if something didn't move soon my surgeon had instructed them to insert the NG (nasal gastric) tube. Well within 2 hours my system moved. It isn't often you get to use the joke about getting the "shit scared out of you" quite literally, but that's what it was. From there on out it was a few more days of getting my system to move using a liquid diet and then final solid food before I got to go home last Thursday, one week after surgery. I can now eat small amounts and mostly lay around downing a pain killer about every four or so hours and wait this all out. I figure my first foray into the clubs will be the Laurie's 10th anniversary party at the Hideout in a few weeks (which will be right after a few days in the mountains of North Carolina near Ashville if all goes as planned) and then hopefully stopping into see Von Freeman and maybe some other types of easy going clubbing (no moshing I guess) before returning to work after Thanksgiving. I know that this is too much information, but for those of you who have cronic illnesses or have had serious acute illnesses I think you can relate. Those who have not had such experiences, thank your lucky stars. My problems are not the worst, there are far worse things, but they have provided many harrowing hours of pain and discomfort both at home, in hospital rooms and on occasion in hotel rooms. Northwestern is a great hospital with great docs, nurses and other staff (and a nice lake view), but even under the best of conditions, a hospital stay is a stone drag and I don't recommend it. Okay, that's about all the sitting up I can do anymore. Time to lie back on the couch, throw on another LP or CD and fall out watching college football. Thanks again. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gobias Industries Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 keep the v v v vibes movinnnnn hope everything progresses according to plan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
W(TF) Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Chrones is a bitch. Take it easy Lou....put your feet up and watch some baseball. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Chrones is a bitch. Take it easy Lou....put your feet up and watch some baseball.Thanks.... During my last hospitalization 10 years ago, Jordan was on the Bulls and it helped me many a night while sittting in the hospital with the tube down my nose. I am certainly happy to have the Series tonight. Go Boston.......(always been an American League fan and see no reason that the Bosox can't sweep this thing.) I never had really computed laying down but it ain't all bad. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H.Stone Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Wishing you a speedy recovery... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Kinsley Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Wow. That indeed sounds sucky. Glad you're through the worst of it and have better days ahead soon. Enjoy the sofa time as much as possible! If you get bored just start a political or religious thread and wait for the inevitible fireworks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JerseyMike Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 get well soon, Louie B! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 ouch, lucky i wasnt eating at the time! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 I figured it was something really awful like this Take it easy, Lou, and get all the rest you need to sort this out Quote Link to post Share on other sites
M. (hristine Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 I hope that this surgery will give you relief from the pain for a good long time. Speedy recovery, Lou! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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