As a few more weeks have gone since I left the hospital, here are some news for the aficionadi (apulgaradi?). The wound on the thumb is healing at a good pace, although the dressings are still on for one or two weeks. While I am still recovering from those weeks in the hospital, lacking energy at times (and getting quickly tired by metro rides), the only major after-effect is an intolerance to beer. Hopefully temporary! I managed to get back to an almost daily run in the nearby park (and to lose my camera, again!, in the process). Once again, most sincere thanks to all of you who sent and keep sending me greetings and good wishes, incl. special thanks to my friends in the Statistics department at QUT for their collective postcard [and yes they can laugh about ït]! And to friends from New York who called me several times. Although my scientific production is very limited at the moment, since the i-like workshop was both enjoyable and cathartic, I plan to attend the French statistical meeting next week in Toulouse [hopefully getting some kg back from the great South-West cuisine!], followed by ABC in Roma [another opportunity for great food]. On the following weekend, I should leave for Vietnam to give a course on Bayesian analysis and attend a conference as well.
Archive for surgery
thumbleweed [local] news
Posted in Books, Kids, Mountains, pictures, Running, Travel, University life, Wines with tags accident, camera, cat, i-like, operation, recovery, surgery, thumb, Université Paris Dauphine, University of Warwick on May 26, 2013 by xi'anthumbleweed [local] news
Posted in Books, Kids, Mountains, Running with tags accident, cat, i-like, operation, recovery, surgery, thumb, Université Paris Dauphine, University of Warwick on May 12, 2013 by xi'an
It has been about a week since I left the hospital and went back home, trying to get back in shape by resting, eating (to gain back some of the lost kg’s), sharing with my family and exercising… I foolishly tried to get back to the university once and ended the day as a wreck (esp. as I had to walk the two k’s of avenue Foch, the Line 2 métro being out of order!). Anyway, I read a lot, went back to my favourite bakery in Sceaux, had chats with neighbours, got reunited with the stray cat, and enjoyed the May sunshine while it lasted. I want to take this opportunity to give my warmest thanks to all of you who sent me greetings and good wishes, who visited me at the hospital or sent me goodies—read all the books, ate most of the macaroons and chocolates! A very special thanks to my friends in the Statistics department at BYU, for their unbelievable support! And to my mom, who came every single day… As reported in the earlier post, the thumb is gone and the wound is slowly healing, although it will require several weeks before the dressings are off for good. (Which gives me a good reason to skip washing dishes!) I dearly hope I will get the green light from the surgeon (tomorrow) for attending the i-like workshop next Wednesday!
At the hospital
Posted in Kids, pictures with tags hopital Saint Antoine, leeches, Paris, postcard, surgery on May 7, 2013 by xi'an
Spending three weeks in an hospital has certainly been a novel experience for me! Except for the boredom (reflected by the many books reviews found in the past posts) and the uncertainty about the success of the graft, not mentioning the occasional pain, I found the experience interesting in several ways. First, I discussed a lot with nurses (and very little with doctors). As I stayed on observation for two weeks, my thumb was checked by a nurse at least every two hours. This (and the heating lamp) did not help with my sleep, but I was amazed by the dedication of those nurses and their constant good cheer, even after my next door neighbour repeatedly crashed out of his bed in an alcohol-detox crisis (no, I was not hospitalised for alcohol related problems!) or when a leech did not want to get to work at three in the morning. They certainly provided a very efficient psychological help during the first days. And then later when I would see them again. On the other hand, my surgeon was extremely busy between emergency surgeries and courses at the university, and he would/could only come to check on the thumb a few minutes every day. Second, I realised how empirical the whole operating process was. There were certainly protocols and rules, but the surgeries and the treatments I received were empirical attempts to save the thumb based on the actors’ past experience. For instance; my surgeon used antibiotics while others did not. And kept using leeches longer than others. Although this is frustrating to me as a patient (what if they had tried something else? &tc.), I understand it makes sense in a Bayesian sense, i.e. that doctors and nurses have to rely on their past experience and on the specificities of the patient to try to find the most efficient treatment. Or to provide me with honest evaluations of my chances of recovery. Third, having the right arm anaesthetised three times provided me with interesting sensorial experiments, from the impression of having my arm raised in the air when it was sitting on the operation table, to the complete lack of control of the same arm after the operation and it coming with a vengeance to hit me in the face later that night! Having medical students run the anaesthesia on me was not the most enjoyable moment of the stay, making me feel like a guinea-pig, but hearing the senior anaesthetists provide pieces of advice and warnings was certainly informative. The same impression applies to staying awake during the surgeries. Fourth and last, I noticed the “hospital weekend effect“, in that doctors were much less available over the weekends (there were days I did not see one at all) and nurses had longer shifts and were obviously more tired (to the point of once confusing head and tail of a leech).
one thumb down
Posted in Mountains, Running with tags accident, French hospital, surgery, therapy on May 3, 2013 by xi'anVery local news: Most sadly, the graft did not work out and the surgeon took my thumb off for good (or bad) yesterday night. I should now leave the hospital any day and start (a) getting back to normal & (b) undergoing intense physical therapy. At least, as Brad Carlin commented, an extra thumb is not very useful on a keyboard…! I am looking forward being out again.
gory update
Posted in Statistics with tags French hospital, graft, operation, surgery on April 26, 2013 by xi'anSome more news, ten days later… I have been operated once again as some tissues on my thumb were turning bad. The surgeon removed those tissues, checked the main vessels he had grafted ten days ago, and grafted tissues from other parts of my hand. This was a much lighter surgery than the first one and it did not last as long. I am now waiting a few days to see whether this second step is successful (and prevents amputation).
