one week post-op report

What a week it's been! I think my recovery is going normally, and I'm surprised at how achy I feel. On Day 4, I did some light housework that involved bending and about 15 trips up and down the stairs. I don't know what I was thinking, but I paid for it. I felt really swollen and had some pain that night. Since then, I have been very good.

Other than the fullness of waiting for my first post-op poop and the occasional gas pains, I'm feeling pretty good. I feel achy and swollen, especially toward the end of the day, but I haven't been feeling in pain since the first couple days. I've been taking my ibuprofen every four hours during the day to keep swelling down, and then I take one percocet at night, which helps.

Sleeping has been interesting. My first night home, I woke up quite a bit, but mostly I've been sleeping quite well, with weird and vivid dreams but getting a full 8 or 9 hours each night. The past two nights have been more of a challenge, though. On New Year's Eve, I was awake until 1. Last night I went to bed at 8 and didn't get to sleep until 2. I took a nap this morning for a couple hours, which is actually my first nap since I've been home.

Today has been interesting. I got a call from the doctor's office that my pathology report was normal other than the fibroids. This is what I expected, but it's still a relief. Then I had my first outing. My son had lost an eyeglass lens in the snow, and the new one was in. My older son has his driver's permit but not his license, so he couldn't drive his brother there alone. Instead, he drove while I sat in the passenger seat. He did a very good job, but the 10-minute drive there and back did not feel good. I was very happy to get home. But it felt nice to be in a bra and shoes (don't worry--I had other clothes on, too!).

2008 was the the year of the appliance breakdowns for our family. Four days ago, we weren't able to use our new dryer. The gas connector hose was faulty and we had a minor gas leak. The latest victim has been the water heater, which gave out three days ago. Fortunately, my husband bought one on his way to work this morning and it is being installed this afternoon. My 16-year old son has had to be the one to deal with the gas company and the water heater installers. It's a blessing to see him be able to step up to the plate in such a mature fashion. It's frustrating to have these household issues arise when I can't do a thing about them. I want to go move laundry piles, hang wet clothes up, heat water on the stove and bring it upstairs to be able to wash my hair and do sponge baths, etc. It's been very frustrating, but I'm learning to just let go of the stuff I can't do. If I take a sponge bath with cold water, it isn't the end of the world. If I have to have my husband help me wash my hair, that's okay, too. I'm having lots of opportunities to practice acceptance and patience.

I had a difficult time concentrating for several days after my surgery. Now that the general anesthesia is out of my system and I'm not taking my percocet during the day, I'm finding that I'm able to read, watch a full tv program, and think. I'm very grateful that my brain has come back! My laptop is my best friend, and I've been able to spend way too much time on hystersisters, for which I'm very grateful.