Saturday, May 24, 2014

10 Days Post-op

I reread my last post just now, concerned that it would make no sense because of the narcotics I was on at the time. I'm pleasantly surprised that the post makes sense!

First, thanks to all who have kept me in their thoughts and prayers.

I'm 10 days out today, and I feel great. So great, that I'm tempted to just see what it would feel like to run down the hallway of our apartment building. More like a jog with a soft j. But don't worry; I won't.

That's probably been the hardest challenge. I feel like I'm capable of moving around, not just laying around pretty much all day, even going back to work for a half day, but thankfully, my thoughts never get far because I know I just need to rest. I have done a little light housework here in the last few days (more on that later). Let's continue this post in list style, shall we?

The Best Parts of Recovery

  1. I feel like I'm "back to normal." I stopped the narcotics 3-4 days post-op, and I've been off all pain meds for 3-4 days now. Here's a pic of what my incisions looked like a week post op. I have 5 incisions all together (you can't really see the one that's on my right side).
  2. I'm cautiously optimistic about what my body will do in the next 30-45 days.
  3. My mom (and dad and husband) took great care of me for my first 5 days post-op.
  4. I got so. Many. Flowers. And. Treatz. I got flowers from one office, a snacky gift box from another, flowers from the organization we share office space with, flowers from an organization on whose board I serve, an iTunes gift card from my mother-in-law, and a Jimmy Buffet t-shirt from my husband.
  5. I am well into Season 4 of How I Met Your Mother, and I've watched tons of great movies in the past week. (Although, it was very weird when we watched Frozen followed immediately by Wolf of Wall Street.)
The Toughest Parts of Recovery
  1. I still can't do much physical activity out of concern for my healing.
  2. I was really hoping to see my CM dry up after surgery, but so far, I'm still charting mostly 8s and 10s like I did pre-surgery.
  3. My mom took great care of me, but there were issues with my dad (who has dementia). I'm also a little bummed that my husband allowed my mother to take care of me most of the time, and I didn't see him step in and take over when she left on Monday.
  4. Things that my board president was supposed to handle while I was out -shockingly- have not gotten done, and so I've found myself working on pressing work issues while I'm out. Also, people did not read the I'm on Medical Leave for Two Weeks emails that I sent out before I left and have been calling my cell phone with work-related issues. Not cool.
  5. I find myself ruminating frequently about IF and our future as parents. Will this surgery work? What if it doesn't? Do I have what it takes to wait 3 months to see the doc if nothing happens? Was this all in vain?
All I can do is be very, very grateful for the surgery going as well as it did, continue to take it easy, and hope and pray for the best. That's easier said than done, but patience is a virtue, and I certainly could use the practice.

4 comments:

  1. So glad to hear you're really starting to feel back to normal! But please, no running around quite yet. :) It's truly amazing what the surgeons can do through five small incisions! Keep up the good healing!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad that you are beginning to feel better! But I so clearly remember the feeling--was there a point to all of this? Why did I put my body through all of this pain, will it change anything? Etc. etc. Hang in there, it does get better. And I agree with Stephanie--rest up, your body needs it (and you deserve it)! Prayers for continued healing and peace!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Can't find your email address - would you mind emailing me at amy@thiscrossiembrace.com?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so glad you're feeling good. Sorry about the work calls. :( My boss called me during my recovery too... Continuing to pray for your healing!

    ReplyDelete