my last blog post was

about pre-op.  This week I went for a three week follow up.  It was supposed to have been two weeks but that fell on Thanksgiving.  She wants me to come back for a four week follow up to be released.  It'll be five because four falls on Christmas.  Whatever.

My incisions are healing and the doctor reminded me that my innards are not healing at the same rate.  Well, they might be healing at the same rate but there's a lot more healing needed in there.  I feel it.  It doesn't take much to make me need a nap.  I did a little too much yesterday by putting Christmas lights around the trees outside.  I ended up needing a long nap and later on a dose of super strength ibuprofen.  Paige came over to help me finish decorating.  It's really hard to sit back and not do anything when stuff needs to be done.

I've played a lot of games on my iPad and caught up on a lot of dvr.  I've also watched a lot of YouTube.  I never thought I'd sit around and watch YouTube but it's easy and addicting.  YouTube has taught me that I can buy things from Dollar General for a penny, people leave the Mormon church for similar reasons, and I could never live the van life.  Oh, I've also learned it's #vanlife.  I've also been looking up hysterectomy recovery videos to compare my progress.  It seems like my stuff is going more smoothly than most of the videos I've seen.  KNOCK ON WOOD.

My surgery wasn't bad.  I really wasn't in pain afterwards, it was mainly pressure.  The pain I did have wasn't from incisions or anything but from gas.  The gas pain is for real.  Somehow the gas they fill you with during surgery works its way up to your shoulder blade afterwards.  My first nurse let me know some people think they're having a heart attack.  Thanks for the heads up... (eye roll) I could barely move.  Oh, regular gas causes pain too.  It's definitely not pleasant.  One of the ways they say to get rid of the gas is to move.  When my nurse was taking me on my first walk, we made it to the end of the hall and she told me to let her know if I need to turn back.  No.  We would walk the block.  Halfway around the floor, she told me I was doing really well.  The only thing that kind of bothered me was the pressure.  It felt like my insides were dropping to my abdomen.  The nurse also suggested I stick to a liquid diet for the nausea caused from anesthesia.  There was no nausea but I did have a scratchy throat from the tube being down it.  One of my first questions, "my throat hurts, was there a tube down it?"... Yes.  I stuck to pudding, macaroni and apple juice for the rest of the day.  The scratchy throat lasted for about four days.  Up next, TMI (as if the surgery itself isn't...).  Oh, the doctor also said to eat or drink foods that would help me poop.  She said I DEFINITELY did not want to end up constipated.  While I was halfway enjoying the thought of what not needing to go to the bathroom might feel like, I obeyed.  I had Eric and Paige bring popcorn.  It didn't really work.  I ended up taking a stool softener and still nothing.  I realized the popcorn was missing something, something I hadn't had for a few days.  Coke.  Three sips later and I was in the bathroom.  It wasn't fun but I was in there.

I think that's all the major stuff.  One of the hardest parts has been being useless.  I haven't been able to do anything.  At my follow-up on Wednesday, she told me I could start doing a little more.  Still no vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing, hauling laundry baskets, you know... the stuff I do all the time with no problem.  It's frustrating, really frustrating.  I had Cosme pour Tide into a small cup so I could at least wash a few clothes.

I guess that'll be it for now.