Revision 13 (VP shunt 4th) Post-op day 3

Should be getting released today, my goal was by sat so I could go with my Mom, sister and sister-in-law to Appleton.  Some oif the things that have to be done before I am released today include the PA (prior auth) for the Linezolid (zyvox), logistics of the lab work, and Infectious disease docs figuring out concrete plan of action which right now stands at Linezolid for 2 more weeks, Lab work 2-3 times a week here and they'll call if the CSF culture comes back positive which they expect if it's going to it wont until day 4 or 5 as the last 2 cultures havent shown up till days 3 and day 5 - a slow growing bug. Given I have the Port I wouldnt need to have a PICC line inserted but we're still hoping the labs come back negative.

This time has been so weird - every post-surgery it honestly feels like healing has went really different - this time I suppose because not only did we take out 2 shunts in 2 completely different locations (8 incisions) but then we put in a new VP shunt to boot. My lower back is pretty swollen yet although the incision is about 3/4 the size of my previous lumbar laminectomy/shunt revision in May using the same incision.

I think honestly I just feel tired and exhausted and worn out by all this - it's not that  I dont think it will get better or even that im worried what if this shunt doesnt work given the VP shunt removal showed us there was yet another occlusion in the process. It's more that im just tired from all the other things that go along with surgery and cardiac stuff has been a little nutty (increased-racing heart beat and skipped beats) and the usual re-adjusting to anesthesia getting out of my body and lack of sleep and head adjusting yet again (not low pressure just pressures in general always go through a 'process' period of ups and downs the first week especially. Honestly I think athough I like the nurses here on the floor and find them almost all very sweet (several have told me they specifically requested to have me on their case load when they find out I am coming in/or here which is always a near thing to know even if it's sucky having spent so much time on a hospital floor that the staff likes you and apparently not a pain as a patient.  I think im just tired of feeling good, not feeling good, surgery, healing, surgery, healing, feeling good, not feeling good and then feeling good again. I will be extremely excstatic (and I bet my neurosurgeon and her nurse will be to) when we have the shunt figured out and in a good place for a long while! That all said I am still very grateful to have my neurosurgeon and her team who want to help and are funny and just plain care despite all of our ups and downs over the past few months - the fact that they continually have some other ideas amazes me and I am grateful to them for that!

I will update again soon but atleast I am headed home today - very excited about this and more excited about the weekend. I know it's going to be hard the next few weeks trying to cover all these incisions for showering and then re-cover them afterwards when some are in some hard to reach areas but im thinking maybe I can go every couple days changing the dressings as long as I can keep them dry in the shower and just have my infusion nurse change them on mon and if im here for labs can always ask one of hte neurosurgery nurses to help or famiy - will figure it out - in the mean time my ever thinking mind is always try to figure out the best details just because.

Take care and thank you for following the ups and downs over the past few months,

Erica