50, Disabled Veteran Facing Another Fusion Abdomnoplasti to Hold off More Back Surgery

I have issues with medical adhesives and starting to itch really bad never itched with tagaderm before but not looking too good since major itch is around the burns my nurse put tagaderm on to try to make sure they get healing better. been doing my physical therapy every day not hard since it is pretty easy but I guess it is the most I can do. Have phases of hunger Saturday I pigged out today made myself eat because at that time I thought I had slept through all of Saturday and figured I needed a lot of protein (nurse keep telling me lean proteins) but just now am in all out hunger mode. Hope this go round we have healing all the way !

While in the Army I was exposed to 64 PCBs (what they make herbicides like Agent Orange) 2 types of Cobalt heavy metal radiation and 40 something nerve agents. I had only been diagnosed with poly cystic ovarian disease but there was something else and I tried for over a decade to get someone to figure out what was wrong with me. I finally was told I likely have endometrious but the VA would not do the laproscope they require for diagnosis for compensation...So since at that time I was a spouse as well as a Veteran I was sent to Dwight D Eisenhower Army hospital one doctor spent 6 months doing same tests (In one year I had 47 internat and external ultrasounds and 12 pap smears...) Finally the Army doctor agrees that I could have endo but he has orders for Germany so I have to beg his supervisor to get the laproscope. Basically I was insulted called histerical and raped by that POS as my 'patment' for the surgery he said "will take about 30 mins We'll go in and look around and when we don't find anything maybe that will make you feel better" They found several areas of endometriosis as well as a huge cyst on my ovary. The [RS bleep] Army doctor was too inept he was unable to remove areas of endo attached to the outside of my uterus. As you can guess with the crap care I had gotten and the [RS bleep] I am very PTSD with new doctors. The VA plastic surgery had said that to repair the damage done to my muscles in the abdomen from a later hatchet job during my VA hysterectomy. My L5-S1 was also herniated and severed my sciatic nerve. I lost feeling in the right side of my right leg and I was in a 'therapies' land for 10 years till the L5-S1 was bone on bone with the vertebra getting locked together. I had a 30 5 tear in the L4 as well so I had a double level fusion with laminectamy, discectomy and cage with collected from my hip stem cells and cadaver marrow. Unfortunately the taking the vertebra off the nerve didn't allow it to heal it did however remove the connection of another damaged nerve on the left side it is not as bad as the right but the right has already had 10 years of atrophy. So this is the mess my poor doctor Loessin was stuck with. The Va had said I needed the Abdomnoplasti but refused to due it because I have had unstable scars on the hysterectomy scar and the front entry of the fusion. Although the abdomnoplasti would be removing that damaged skin and muscle. Before the surgery I needed an EKG and some meds ordered although I was not going to even tell VA I was doing it myself cause I was so over the BS games they play telling you need something then refusing to do it. As you may see this was same situation that lead to me being raped by Army doctor so I really wanted to not have VA spiking my PTSD Dr Loessin was a great calming supportive doctor so I feel safe with him but I went to VA to get the meds and EKG and the POS I have that just refills my meds and has never even looked at my scars or checked me. He tested my lack of reflexes when he first took over my primary cause he came in with the women are stupid and exagerate everything attitude. I let him know I was not the one to play that with. But he sends the nurse out to tell me he didn't like the idea of me having liposuction he was told about 10 times on that day and in responmse to messages he sent about how he disagreeded with my liposuction. He refused to get that that part of the procedure is a normal thing that the main thing is to get the damaged muscle and skin off so I can build that stronger core to try to stop the zipper effect of the Fusion. So the night before the surgery I get a message on the VA site MyHealtheVet He wrote that 'You will probably have complications so I hope your surgeon will be there cause I won't be" So I have put in for a change of primary but not allowed to even see him till June! Yup that is the VA. But no need to deal with them I got the antibiotics free at Publix and used GoodRx and had a coupon for the shots he had me get incase of clotting (that was the med jerk was upset about. So had the surgery All I remember is as I was coming out of happy juice land I was constantly offered pain meds and I kept telling them nah I'm good and surprisingly I was. I normally took either 300 mg of Tramadol when not doing anything bedridden or if trying to do basic life things 75mg of Morphine plus max 3600mg of gambapentin and 100 mg of amtryptiline but I needed nothing my back felt better than it had in years. Still not great no pain but it was a 'back ache' not the non stop spasms and nerve burn that sadly are my life. Keep in mind I have a L3/L4 disc with a 40% radial tear. before the surgery a slight move and the wrath of disc jelly on a damaged sciatic is like you lit a fire inside you and decided to have your back spasam like it is a bongo. I didn't have that and for the 3 weeks of measuring and empting drains I was so happy I had it done and was doing great healing up first drain the left one came out at 4 weeks and 5th week post op right drain came out. there were a couple bits of stitching that had busted through but that was cut and removed same time looked like there were just little bits along the incision still scabby felt good and was allowed to ride my recumbent CatTrike I set up with a trainer thing so I can ride it in the house I was pretty weak and was just doing a very slow like a slow walk rate so was really excited that the next week I should be cleared to do longer walks outside. But the night before my check up I felt one of those body shaking sneezes coming on and instinctively had my hand firmly on my right side to steady it for the sneeze and my fingers are now INSIDE my stomach and there is this fluid oozing out. I had chucks pads as part of the for your surgery checklist and grabbed one of those to catch the ozzing that was now covering me. I got up to go to the bathroom and it was just a trail of ozze my bathroom looked like a massacre had happened. I created a bikini with chucks to catch the ooze to drive to doctor. At that point it was about an inch 'tear' in the incision. He took a biopsy and had the nurse show me how she was soaking dressings in saline and then packing the wound. I didn't have issues with it since I couldn't really see it other than a line. It was a little overwelming though that I am bedridden mostly normally so that wasn't new but now I needed to be able to have dressings and saline and change out the dressings every few hours. the ooze was not just a light thing. It was actually so unreal it was funny but I was trying to get back to bed from bathroom and one of the dressings shoved in the hole shots out with a spray of ooze like I was a super soaker. My entire house was a path of where I went shown in a trail of ooze. The hole was widening and it wasn't just the hole but there were areas under the top layer called tunneling I was having to pack with the saline wet dressings. I called my step mother to see if she could help me for a couple days cause I was at the it's too much limit. I needed help. She came down saw me taking out the ooze soaked dressings and putting in new ones she said "If you stay in that bed you are going to die. She made me go to the hospital if I stood up the dressings would fall out because they were so heavy from absorbing the ooze. I was set up with a bedside toilet but when I would go the dressing was falling out some getting in the pee. I tried to get the nurses to make sure they were cutting all that off but some must have gotten shoved back in because later test results found staff infection and urine. The good thing was they kept me overnight so that admittance to the hospital got me set up with the after care social worker so I got a home nurse that was coming three then two and now one day a week. At first we had about a 7 cm hole with tunneling I was having to shove these dressings inside and try to get anything I was going to need for the next couple hours done in about 5 mins or the ooze trail would begin again. The tunneling ended up being two holes so my dr combined them so I had a 13.5cm acroos the gut 4.5 cm widest distance across belly to pubis and 3cm deep at deepest area there was still a tunnel which when about to my belly button which was healing too good. But The biggest problem was one I caused and I hope this cautionary tale keeps someone else from doing the same thing. After surgery you are numb but sore and a heating pad is a nice thing BUT a microwave gel heat/cold pack is NOT a good idea! I did not even feel or realize how badly I damaged my stomach The day after I was touching my stomach and was confused why skin was coming off. the next day I realized I had 3rd degree burns from the heat pack. I burned through a nerve that a bit of it is sticking out and if touched it sends pain signal I can feel running from that little white 'string hanging out in the pit where the burn killed of a deep amount of skin and derma. I have been putting Dakin .25% bleach/saline on dressings put in the open wound and tunneling. It is hard to explain what shoving your fingers/hand in your gut and under the 'cliff' muscle / fascia. I guess I had enough stuff happen when I was in the Army it really didn't phase me. But it started needing 2 of these 12inch x 4 inch dressings in the dakins and by Friday when it was healed enough to sew up the wound was down to 10.4cm x 3.4cm x 1cm at widest and deepest areas. in the lower side of the opening it had grown new skin and was about even with the skin. Dr Loessin said he sees this happen maybe once a year or two years. It is not a common complication. My nurse said the suture is very flat so he may have had to remove more og the upper side because there was a very obvious height difference on either side of the open wound. but it is very flat she said. So I have a drain he thinks can come out in a week or so and back to the incision cleaning ointment and dressing like right after surgery. I am very lucky that I also have a physical therapist that gave me some basic exercises to help with the back and leg spasms since I am more static than normal. she will also be able to monitor my activity as I am allowed more activity. Another warming after surgery you are going to be really numb and you may not have 100% bladder control especially when asleep. So use chucks and have a pack of depends for the first couple days at least. I think I had one of the 'horror' story issues but my doctor the local hospital and my home health nurse and home physical therapist have made it a no biggie, I'm 2 months post op but really starting over so 2 days post op now. DON'T USE MICROWAVE GEL heating pads!!! And just make sure that when you consult with a doctor make sure they make you feel safe and secure in your decision and what is being done. The best wish is everything goes routine but if things go pear shaped do you trust your doctor to get you through a open wound or infection or like me both.