I'm back home, but have lost my October Shows.

Chuck Ellis

Member
Messages
6,997
Location
Tellico Plains, Tennessee
Last weekend on Sunday-9/27- when I was closing down shop, my hand brushed across my belly where I've had and umbilical hernia for a number of years... it felt tender and as I usually do, I just pressed on the bump to push it back under the skin. No Joy in Mudville that night... the more I pushed the more it hurt, the harder the bump got until about 7:30 I decided I better go to the ER... Couldn't drive and the wife can't see to drive at night, so an ambulance was in order... first for me there.

I showed up at ER and they put me in a room to wait for the ER doc... in walked this 300 lb doctor who took one look, he started pushing and again No Joy... He gave me something to "relax" me, then came back for another push session. This time I was about to hit him... nothing ever hurt so bad.

Turned out I had developed a strangulated hernia and emergency surgery was in order... by now it's past midnight and no surgeon will be available until 0800... NO JOY...

Long story short, the doc showed up at 0805, took one look and started re-arranging his schedule.. Went down to Surgery at about 0830 and they started drugging me... next thing I'm back in recovery room at about noon with a 10 inch incision down the front of my belly, an incredibly sore belly and I've lost all my October Shows... I can't load and unload the truck, no heavy lifting for 6 to 8 weeks.

This weekend, today and tomorrow would have been one of my bigger shows for the year... 17th & 18th back to same area for another show that last two yeas has been very profitable. The wife contacted todays show and good news they'll let me roll the booth fees over to next year. Havent contact the second show yet... proably will send email tonight.

Warning: Don't put off fixing something that can be done in day surgery until it becomes catastrophe and cost a lot more.... I've had this hernia since about 2002 or so... in 2003 or 2004 I went to a surgeon in Houston to see about getting it fix.. a $500 day surgery. Next morning I wound up with a full blown case of appendicitis and had emergency appendectomy
but they didn't fix the hernia... I never went back... I think I didn't want to go through the pain a second time... the appendectomy was pretty intense.... This new pain is even more intense....
 
Glad to see they got you all patched up, but sorry to hear about the shows and the pain.

Heal quickly, Chuck. There will be more shows. :thumb:
 
Chuck,
Glad to hear you're on the mend. Though I am sorry you had to go through it all in the first place.
Also, don't second guess yourself. I had elective surgery a few years ago. Ended up going through a few years of rework and recovery. Still not right. (Of course others said that before the surgery.:rofl:) So it can go either way - don't fret over it.
DO take it easy and follow the Doc's instructions especially pain meds. I've seen too many friends "tough it out" only to end up worse off than before.

Hope you feel better fast!

Wes
 
Good advice about not putting things off. Glad to hear you have recovered. Good thing is that the hernia is now behind you.


No they left it where it was... it's still out front.. :D:D

You don't realize how much you use your stomach muscles until you get gutted and have that long gash... They went right through my belly button... I had a real pretty "innie" don't know what's going to look like now that it been split open.. :rofl::rofl:
 
Chuck,

DO take it easy and follow the Doc's instructions especially pain meds. I've seen too many friends "tough it out" only to end up worse off than before.

Hope you feel better fast!

Wes

Wes,
Thanks for positive comments.. the doctors always told me that as long as it was soft and I could push it in, not to worry... you can live with a hernia for years... I follow DR's orders pretty good.. no lifting, no lawn mowing (Yeah!), etc for about six to eight weeks...I opted out on the pain meds... they give me grimlins that I don't like.
 
well chuck its good that youre still here to chat about it ..look on the bright side and what about your wife do the lifting and yu just do the selling at the shows:) now days yu dont want to throw out a oppurtunty if yu can make it work for you..
 
Chuck, glad to hear all is going to get better. My dad when he had his colon cancer surgery, they split him from the bottom of his ribs around his belly button all the way around to where the top of your belt rides on your back! :eek::eek: I think he said he quit counting at 81 clinks of staples landing in the pan and they weren't around his belly button yet (started from the ribs!):doh:
So, it could be worse! Hey, as a seller you never get to see the "rest" of the show, go and walk it if able, enjoy looking and getting ideas of "busy" tables and what they have the others don't (decorations, prices, babes, etc).
 
Chuck shows will come and go but your health is the only thing that is important. Glad that you got the help that you needed and that you are recovering. How is the wife doing after your ordeal I bet it scared her too? Wishing you a speedy recovery. :thumb::thumb:
 
Sorry to hear about the setback, but hopefully the future will be a little more comfortable. The shows will wait, your health won't.

Take care and hope you feel better soon,
 
Good luck on recovering - maybe you can do as suggested and make the show with help from the wife and/or hire a high school kid (they love to make some extra money) to help. I am out of work right now with a severe muscle injury myself and the pain is bad - strict bedrest for a month and now able to walk a bit but have to rest after a couple hrs due to the pain. I work in the hospital in critical care and take care of alot of people post op from surgery so let me add my 2 cents.
Keep that incision clean - I have seen alot of people get their incisions infected and have to return for further treatment and hospital stay. What I tell people to do is this - after you shower and 4 times a day at least swab your site and around it with alcohol pads. Stay away from your garage and areas where bacteria are and take care of it. If you see signs of bad inflamation - the incisions site opening - oozing - anything abnormal contact your Dr. right away, you will avoid a hospital stay. Alot of people know this but think it will go away and wait until it gets worse.......
Pain Medications - You were probably given a prescription for some type of narcotic (Percocet - Vicodin or ?). What i run into is that people will shy away from pain medications for a couple reasons - 1-afraid they will get addicted 2-they cause unwanted side effects. <---those are usually the two most seen by me anyway.
Only you know how bad your pain is but what we teach is you will usually do less if your in pain in terms of getting out of bed and excerise like walking, staying out of bed to a chair and so forth. "IF" that is what is going on with you it is not a good thing at all. You can get Pneumonia and Atelectisis very easy from just laying in bed. What i would tell you is this (and im doing this with my injury also for pain control)......
Vicodin or something similar is on the mild side as far as pain control goes and you can take 1-2 tabs usually every 4hrs if needed for pain.
If you do not want any narcotic pain reliever at all for any reason, than ask your Dr for non-narcotic pain relief medicine (there is alot available).
They usually will let you use cold packs for mild pain relief - like one you put in the freezer at home and then apply to the site when you want - it helps but is the less effective than the above
Sitting around in pain is not a good idea in many ways and can slow down your recovery..........
Lastly what i see alot of both post op from any type of abdominal surgery or taking any pain control medication is the possiblity of constipation. People will alot of times think its no big deal or simply just dont say anything about not having them and think....ohhhh it will happen sooner or later....Make sure your having them and if your not - call and tell your Dr. This is a easy fix and you dont want the constipation to get worse have to be disimpacted.

I didnt mean to rattle on I just see alot of people leave the hospital with poor instructions on care and follow up.....If they went over this with you great and if not hopefully ive told you something that may be helpful to you.............good luck to you
 
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