a post-op check-in....

I have been "checking out" a bit since Thursday's surgery, mostly resting and sleeping and resting and sleeping.  Even during the movies that my family rented over the weekend, and during the endless boardgames we played, it seemed that I took advantage of every moment when I could close my eyes, and found myself in a strange, drowsy twilight most of the time.

Today was my first day alone since the surgery, and I've found it necessary to surrender to this need for stillness and sleep, and I'm finding that I can no longer blame it on the pain medicine, as I chose to skip it this morning. It's a strange feeling to not get anything done. To just lay around and watch movies (or rather, sleep through movies) all day long.

Last week's surgery went the best it possibly could. It turns out the person scheduled before me cancelled their surgery, so when I arrived at the hospital, I was immediately caught up in preparations and paperwork, leaving me no time at all to be nervous. At one point, there were nine people scurrying around my little tiny pre-op room, all doing their thing...  taking my blood pressure, putting leg compressing stockings on me, asking about my current meds. It was a whirlwind....  and similarly, what is usually a two hour procedure wound up being 45 minutes long--  laporscopic, as I had hoped. My gall bladder was not infected, but it was enlarged and inflamed, so it's a good thing that it came out when it did. I listened to a guided meditation and music the entire time, and I had my handy dandy wonder woman talisman with me as well-  not that I remember!  I was a very lucky woman, with a super sweet medical team on my side. The next thing I remember after they wheeled me into the operating room was waking up to a very kind nurse in the recovery area, asking me if I'd like some gingerale.

The best part about it all was having a four day weekend with my honey. The worst part was getting rid of the gas trapped in my belly and my shoulders. My friend Whitney came and did her acupuncture magic on me, and that helped tremendously. And now, after several days of relying on others to help me do the most basic of things, I am able to get myself up and down from sitting, I am able to go to the bathroom on my own, and this morning, I even accomplished putting socks on all by myself. Yes, this was huge. Still can't tie my shoes, but that will come in time....  :)  And I have to retrain myself to take deep breaths, as it's much less painful to breathe shallow, and then when I startle or laugh or sneeze, something pinches in there, but other than that, the pain is much better.

Originally, I had thought about taking this week off of lyme-related meds to give myself a breather, after cancelling everything else I had planned....  and I didn't jump back in where I had left off, but my doctor did encourage me to take just two antibiotics to keep my body "in the game" so to speak. They are easy peasy to take, and don't affect me at all....  so I'm happy to oblige, especially knowing that next week, we'll be able to pick up right where we left off, with one more round of the lyme/babesia phase part B to go before we head into the heavier stuff toward the end of October-beginning of November.

So I'm now gallbladder-less.  And it's given me a much broader perspective, as I consider where I am health-wise....  and for that, I am grateful. My dad will soon be having a knee replacement, a facebook friend of mind just underwent brain surgery, another friend is facing a startling increase in her MS symptoms, and next week, I will be back on some more intense meds, leading me to who knows where....  and we all just keep chuggin' along, hoping for the best, knowing that somehow we're being taken care of.

Forgive me for being brief, but I'm a bit uncomfortable sitting here at my computer, so I'm headed back to my cozy spot on the couch for more rest. If any of you locals want to stop by for a visit, give me a call....  I would LOVE that, as I'm here the rest of this week, resting!  Thanks to my dear friend and neighbor, Tracy, I have been relieved of pick-up duty all week long....  which is good, because I am just not ready to drive just yet. But I can tell right away that it's going to get old, real fast, this surrendering to rest. So come see me!