Jenn.nu

Candy cane syndrome surgery

Jenn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:57:20 +0000

The official name for the type of surgery I had is small bowel resection. But what my surgeon specifically performed was a hunt & fix (and by fix I mean snip, clamp, and remove small pieces) for candy cane syndrome, with a side of searching for, finding and stitching a few more small voids (small, open areas around my small intestines that allow my intestines to move around and get twisted and/or tangled up on themselves) to fix.

Yes, that is as painful as it sounds. Doubly so when you take into account the fact that I just had a very similar surgery ten weeks ago. I woke up, groggy and so out of it I was barely able to open my eyes (though I do recall a nurse yelling at me not to rub my eyes due to the risk of a corneal abrasion due to dry eyes after surgery), but very much aware of being in so much pain that I wanted to die. A voice asked my pain threshold on a scale of 1-10. I responded with, “15“, was shot up with several doses of Morphine (at least two that I know of), and then I went back to blissful la-la-land, waking up perhaps an hour or two later to find myself in my room.

I stayed overnight this time. Dan and Jason were both with me initially. Then Jason left to go back to our house to be there for when Alyssa and Ryan got home, and he fed them dinner and them brought them back to visit me. Jason then stayed with me overnight while Dan took the kids home and put them to bed. But not before helping me to the bathroom first.

Ah, the first bathroom trip after surgery. It’s what I dread most about post-op. Despite being heavily medicated, holding a pillow to my stomach as a splint, and having both Dan and Jason’s help in getting out of bed and making the longggggggg trek down to the other end of the recovery suite (of course the only patient who had abdominal surgery was put in the room that was only second-furthest away from the bathroom), it was agonizing. Dan had to help me get down onto the toilet, and it took several minutes for my still half-asleep bladder to wake up enough to do its job. And walking back… I seriously nearly fainted. My vision began darkening at the edges, and my normal hearing was replaced with a dull roar that got progressively louder as my vision got progressively darker and the pain in my stomach got progressively more excruciating. It was a relief to get back to my bed, though of course the twisting motions involved with sitting down and then laying down are nowhere near pain-free.

I was discharged around 11:00am Wednesday morning, after a night of drug-induced sleep broken up by pain and painful bathroom trips. Oh, and then there was the hour and 15 minutes in which I asked a nurse for more pain medication twice, was assured that I’d receive it, and then was promptly forgotten about. It just so happened that as I was painfully inching my way down my hospital bed towards the foot of it, where I hoped to be able to reach the tote bag that contained the newly-filled prescription for Percocet, that my actual nurse (not the useless nurse’s assistant) happened to walk in, took one look at my face (I was crying by that point), got me back in bed, and loaded me up with Percocet and ice packs for my belly (SO AMAZING) and compression boots for my legs and a fresh blanket and reamed out the nurse’s assistant in front of me, apologized profusely, and then personally checked on me multiple times throughout the rest of the night and early morning.

Oy. But shitty nurses (nice personalities, just crappy as nurses – BRING ME THE DRUGS, WOMEN!) aside, and Jason’s additional goal to my list of discharge goals, which made everybody who saw it laugh, and me apparently taking a swing at Jason the one time when he woke me up so a doctor could talk to me (I still have no idea why I did that, so I’ll blame it on the drugs), my hospital stay was uneventful. The wheelchair ride was uncomfortable, the car ride home was uncomfortable, dragging myself into the house sucked, but once I was settled in bed and re-medicated with fresh ice packs on my stomach, all was as well as could be.

I slept surprisingly well last night, which I thank Tylenol PM for. That combined with the Percocet seems to be enough to give me 4-6 hours of interrupted sleep, which is more than I’ve ever gotten post-op with just pain medication alone.

Now I have annoying itchiness and burning to add to my post-op misery – either my surgeon or her team didn’t listen to me say over and over that I’m allergic to whatever surgical tape they used after the last two surgeries, because THEY USED IT AGAIN. UGH. I peeled it off tonight, patted dry the already-oozing areas around the incisions, put a tiny bit of Neosporin on the incisions themselves and then Band-Aids over them, but it’s too late – I’m already developing a reaction. I’m going to slather on some topical analgesic, and Dan is going to pick up Benadryl on his way home from work.

Hopefully this is the last time I have to go through all of this anxiety and pain and misery. I don’t know how much more I can take of all this!

Thank you for subscribing to Jenn.nu's RSS feed! ♥ Jenn | Flickr: kiss-my-kitty | Twitter: @kissmykitty

{Sex toy review} Bswish Bnaughty

Jenn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:55:52 +0000

Disclaimer: this review contains content that is adult in nature.

Every girl needs a bullet vibrator. Bullet vibrators are small, discreet, usually need no more than 2-3 AA or AAA batteries, and for the most part are little powerhouses that kick out vibrations in varying intensities. Some bullet vibrators are a little more high-end, offering vibration pattern options in addition to vibration strength options. Most bullet vibrators are attached to the power pack by a length of cord, and on the power pack you’ll find dials or buttons that allow you to control the intensity and/or type of vibrations that come through the bullet. I like bullet vibrators because they’re powerful and small, which makes them ideal for use during sex with a partner (they’re also easy to hide away in a night stand drawer or in a zip-up pillow).

So when I saw that Babeland had some higher end bullets, I knew I had to have one. I picked out the Bswish Bnaughty (note: Babeland is no longer carrying the Bnaughty, but they do have the Bswish Bnaughty Unleashed, which is a similar model, but the upgraded version which features a wireless bullet instead of a standard corded one). The Bswish Bnaughty offers four vibration speeds, which are controlled via buttons on a wired battery pack, which is attached to the bullet via a nicely long 31″ cord. A lengthier cord is always appreciated, especially if you’re having sex at the same time you’re using a bullet vibrator!

I wasn’t disappointed with my choice. Bswish Bnaughty is a strong little vibrator, and probably my new favorite bullet. It has a soft, silicone coating, which heats up quickly and also feels a little nicer against intimate areas than standard hard plastic bullets. The vibrations, which are powered by two AA batteries, range from average to deliciously powerful – more than enough for most women out there, including those who, like me, seem to have clitorises of steel at times.

You can purchase the Bnaughty’s newer, improved counterpart, the Bswish Bnaughty Unleashed, at Babeland for $58.00.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Disclosure: Babeland provided me with a free product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for subscribing to Jenn.nu's RSS feed! ♥ Jenn | Flickr: kiss-my-kitty | Twitter: @kissmykitty

Ow. That is all.

Jenn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:04:52 +0000

I’m 34ish hours out of surgery, and the pain intensity has not gone down very much at all. Even now, after taking two Percocets about a half an hour ago, my pain is still rating at an 8 on the 1-10 scale. Yesterday was no fun. Small bowel resection surgeries with a side of snipping & clipping this and that are anything but fun.

Thank you for subscribing to Jenn.nu's RSS feed! ♥ Jenn | Flickr: kiss-my-kitty | Twitter: @kissmykitty

{Sex toy review} Sqweel

Jenn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:57 +0000

Disclaimer: this review contains content that is adult in nature.

I have a love/hate relationship with oral sex. I love it, because it’s not only an incredibly intimate and loving act, but it’s also an exquisite an amazing one, in terms of the pleasure I get from it. But I hate it, because even though the sensations feel amazing, it’s not always easy for me to have an orgasm from it – at least, not quickly. Then I become my own worst enemy, worrying if Dan is comfortable or if he’s getting bored or tired, and then I wind up delaying my orgasm even longer, and then I worry more… You see where this is going. So when Babeland offered me the Sqweel for review, I said yes. While it may only get a 3/5 rating for vibrations, and it may need a generous application of water-based lubricant (remember, silicone-based lubricant can never get near silicone-based toys!), I was hoping that the reportedly similar sensations of the Sqweel would help me get more accustomed to and thus have an easier time with the amazing sensations brought on by genuine oral sex provided by a real human tongue, as opposed to several battery-powered silicone ones.

The Sqweel, as the initial introduction to this post should have no doubt clued you into, is designed to mimic the sensations of oral sex, which is no doubt a favorite for many women. Three AAA batteries power the wheel which contains evenly spaced, soft, flexible silicone “tongues”, and there are three speed options. Add in a bit of water-based lubricant to help the tongues glide easily over your clitoris, and you should be in heaven.

I say should, because while the Sqweel did feel good, it was lacking…something. Pressure, perhaps? I think that’s it. Most men and women who perform oral sex on a woman will not only flick or glide their tongue back and forth, but they’ll also apply pressure as they’re doing so – and generally, more pressure as you’re building up is a good thing. With the Sqweel, there is the definitely flicking/lapping sensation of a tongue, but without that delicious pressure that can bridge the gap between no orgasm and an amazing orgasm.

Overall, the Sqweel is a sex toy that is fun, and a good prelude to real oral sex or another sexual activity, and isn’t badly priced at $59.00.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Disclosure: Babeland provided me with a free product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for subscribing to Jenn.nu's RSS feed! ♥ Jenn | Flickr: kiss-my-kitty | Twitter: @kissmykitty

Cattle chute.

Jenn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:18:29 +0000

This hospital operates like such a cattle drive. Patients come in, get registered, then mill around together in a little waiting room. Then we’re all herded together to same day surgical waiting, where we’re checked in and then taken, one by one, into our little pre-op rooms, which are just big enough for a gurney, two straight-backed chairs, an IV pole, and a medical waste trash can.

Isn’t my hospital gown sexy?

P.S. I’ve become a pro at peeing in a cup.

Thank you for subscribing to Jenn.nu's RSS feed! ♥ Jenn | Flickr: kiss-my-kitty | Twitter: @kissmykitty