I thought about asking medical specialists, surgeons, and pioneers in research but here I am coming to my TB bretheren as their advice is usually the most sound regarding modern medicine.
Last August my spleen was removed (a non-trauma related event) possibly caused by an aneurysm in an artery leading to the spleen or some sort of trauma when I was on a rowing machine 2 hours prior. Numerous complications occured and please forgive my non-medical jargon (4 abdominal surgeries with a nice 12 inch incision down my abdomen, cardiac arrest, oxygen deprivation to brain as I was in card arrest for 1/2 hour, loss of blood-later was told they used near 70 units of blood and plasma as it was coming out of every opening, acute kidney failure, severe muscle wasting, some short term memory difficulties [but I can still lay bass!] and probably 5-6 other "lesser dx's). Anyway...I was released after a near 6 week stay on September 30. Here we are near 3 months after release and I'm probably 20% better than my release date. I do go for physical therapy 3 x week as I have more weakness along the right side of my body.
I have good days and bad days.
Bad days are near exhaustion, back pain from lack of movement, low appetite. I have had a "flu" for nearly 2 weeks so my PCP gave me cough medicine which works no better than Nyquil and Omnaris (nasal spray). Also on Tramadol for pain but I think thats killing my appetite (i need to gain 20-25lbs and can't) and it doesn't do too much (Percocet [an opiate] was decent though as I got about 3 hours of relief after taking).
Good days I am usually less exhausted and I can do an errand or two. Spend a couple hours out. I even did a 45 minute gig (acoustic where I sat)!!
Bad days usually outnumber good days 4 to 1.
So..anything else to look forward to in recovery from a spleen removal as it's now 4 months later.
