My husband and I went to see the hernia specialist yesterday. She consulted with us on what can be done to correct everything that is left from his prior attempt at dying. (In case you missed that story, you can find it here.)
Let's just say it ain't pretty. Basically, it boils down to rebuilding his entire abdominal area.
The Good: Since my husband did so great under such bad circumstances at the initial surgery, he should expect a really good outcome! Insurance is paying for all of this. It is definitely not considered cosmetic.
The Bad: He's got not 1, not 2, but at least 3 major hernias. No wonder the security in Disneyland stopped us to check what he had going on under his shirt. Boy were they most unpleasantly surprised.
The Ugly: My husband will be getting an internal girdle. That's right ladies, be jealous. For the price of a couple of years in his 30's spent looking like he's got the paunched gut of an out of shape 70 year old, my husband should be rockin' as close to washboard abs as he has ever had for the rest of his natural life. All of this repair may involve another specialist for rebuilding muscle tissue. We'll know after yet another CT scan. At one point the words 'swiss cheese' were used...
And the doctor decided that my husband needs to wait to do all of this until after his next big test in mid May as he won't be able to study or do much of anything for 6 to 8 weeks and she doesn't want to mess up his chances of passing his next actuarial exam. Even as a surgical specialist, she says she could never imagine taking those tests!
She also let us know that letting go of our past horrible experience is a must, as attitude and expectations can play a huge part in how things turn out. I know she's right. I get it. I really do. As bad as things were, we have actually been truly fortunate in all of this. So many things could have gone wrong with that first surgery. And the fact that I actually know lots of people who will never get a second chance with their loved ones does make me feel sufficiently guilty.
But Damn it, this man has been through enough and I just can't imagine how much more he's going to have to take. So, I reserve the right to be snarky about this, at least for a little while...
Nice...I am glad he can get it fixed. And this sounds like it will fix it permanant. It is good to be grateful. I am glad things will be paid for and the outlook is good. We do what we need to, to get through things. Hugs.
ReplyDelete"prior attempt at dying" That killed me! ha!
ReplyDeleteYes.. be grateful!
Hugs!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
I could hardly get through your original post last May, because three years ago, I had a double major hernia operation, and it still affects me - psychologically, more than physically. I keep envisioning myself exploding! Tell your husband he's getting a mesh instead of a girdle. It worked for me. Real men with hernias get meshes.
ReplyDeleteI do think a positive attitude will have a tremendous difference on the outcome. As for you, if it were me, I think focusing on the washboard abs is not a bad way to go. Sometimes we need super positive things to yank us through the hard stuff!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a great doctor! She is acknowledging that attitude affects outcome and that is huge. Just keep telling yourself every day, this time he will be healed. Then when it really happens, you will won't be surprised.
ReplyDelete