Friday, June 22, 2012

Officially on the Loser's Bench Part 2

This is my third day after surgery and my second day at home.  So far it hasn't been too bad for me as I compare my situation with what I know others have gone through.  Mostly I'm going stir crazy to be quite honest.   

I have my own little corner of my bedroom where I sit and sleep in our leather recliner.  The TV is within sight and I have my remote, so mindless entertainment is taken care of.  I have my laptops near me and easily accessible so I can, and have started working from home: answering emails, starting to work on projects that need my attention and the like.

My fill up station with the flowers sent to me by the company I work for.


But it does get tedious.  And boring.  I do not like to be kept in a corner for very long, so I have been walking every hour or so which is nice.

Physically I am doing really well.  I am still at a higher weight than when I went into surgery, but that is not bothering me too much as I know once the gas and fluids they pumped into me go away, the pounds will start to shed.  Trust me when I say I am really looking forward to when I can ride my bike again, or even do my four to five mile walks!  Now that I had just started to become active, I really miss the exercising!

I seem to be more bloated today than I was yesterday.  I was told that is normal and has happened to others after surgery, so I am not worried about that.  I am taking in fluids quite well, perhaps too well.  I have been told that I need to slow down even more and sip more.  To me I am sipping (coming from a gulping perspective) but I am doing my best to follow orders and slow down.  I really think the chewing aspect is going to be harder for me.  This whole slowing down will be a challenge, but one that I have chosen to embrace as a lover for the new physical life I want to share with my God, family and friends.

I do feel that I have been  productive today as I went out to our garden and watered with miracle grow.  No, I did not, nor could I bend down to turn on the water.  That is what my youngest daughter was there for,  to help me turn on and off the water.  I love my Morgan.  She was very concerned that I was overdoing it and wanted to make sure that I wasn't hurting myself or anything.  She's a very compassionate nine year old.  So she made sure the water was on and made sure the hose didn't kink and I had lots of slack.

The one thing that is bugging me is the gas I am experiencing.  That is the one thing I wish would go away more quickly than it currently is.  Somehow the Gas-X strips just don't seem to be doing the job very well.

So there you have it.  I am home, with very manageable pain, to the point that my hydrocodone sits by its lonesome like some forgotten relic of my past in the corner of my little world right now.  The liquid Tylenol has taken a hiatus and is nowhere to be found and although I am not looking for it my wife has left for the store to make sure I have some.  Just in case.

Overall I am in really good shape, as my limited knowledge of recovering from this surgery and my body can tell me.

I'll keep posting my results on this journey.  I hope you enjoy the ride with me.

Have a great rest of the day!

Eric

1 comment:

azurepenguin said...

Gas Ex strips never worked for me. The only thing that seemed to help was walking. Mine manifested as a big 'bubble' up under one of my shoulder blades. Just keep moving and it will disperse.