Monday, November 26, 2012

254.4: Disneyland and California Dreamin'

It was a lovely vacation! My sister's children, spouses and their kids spent a week in Anaheim. We rented a house a few miles from Disneyland. The house was great--enough beds for all the adults to sleep well, a pool and hot tub, and two separate entertainment/game rooms. There were 11 adults and 4 kids (13 months to 6 years) there. We met at the house on Monday and stayed until Sunday morning. Heavenly!

We ate well. And by well I mean yummy food. I took my Medifast meals with me, but I didn't use 'em. I ate too much and not often enough. Still, I was more active than normal. I'm not beating myself up about it.

I only made one day of Disneyland. It was so much fun to ride many rides and be with everyone, but my knees (especially the one that hasn't been replaced) just didn't like the walking, standing, and cramped ride space. I was so sad to miss out on day two, but I would have been miserable.

I'm back on program. With a vengeance. I also plan to begin working out again--weight lifting and stationary bike riding. I want to concentrate on strengthening my leg muscles and improving flexibility.

Monday, November 5, 2012

251.6: Recovery!

I had my gallbladder removed Friday. It was scheduled for Election Day, but I called on Thursday to check how the waiting list worked and they decided to move me earlier. It was a relief because I've been stressed and sick and ready to put this behind me.

I couldn't sleep. After a couple of hours of tossing and turning, I finally just got up. I worked on a few projects at home, then ran some errands to the library and Walmart. Yup, I was one of those 3:00 a.m. Walmart customers.

So, Anita picked me up at 5:25 a.m. and they wheeled me up at about 7:15. I had a moment waiting outside the o.r. where I just felt so alone. Abandoned. All the medical professionals were scurrying about to begin their shift and I was just a piece of furniture. It freaked me out that I was emotional because I've had so many knee scopes over the last decade that outpatient surgery is not a big deal to me. Then I realized this was the first surgery in a decade (or more) that wasn't being done by my amazing ortho doc (turns out he doesn't do gallbladders).

Once the anaesthesiologist gave me the sleepy drugs, I had about four minutes of consciousness to be wheeled in, move to the surgical table, and make small talk. I woke up in recovery with a pain in my gut and some nausea, but feeling pretty pleased. I was so relieved the surgery had gone well and I didn't end up being opened up. At around 10:15 I was wheeled to the post-surgery room and texted my friend Cathi that she could come get me whenever. She works not too far from the hospital. We left around 11:30 and I was home by noon. Lovely to be home!

I thought I'd sleep, but I was wired. Dang! My outside stomach was sore, but I kept ice on it which helped tons. My inside stomach wasn't doing anything. I was nervous to eat anything because I'd read that many people suffer a ton right after the surgery, but I wanted to take a pain pill and knew I had to eat something. Plus I was hungry! I very cautiously nibbled on some of my Medifast Bites (seemed like the closest thing to a cracker) and took a pain pill. The food stayed down. Yay! I also had a tiny bit of broth. By about 8 p.m. I was craving food and sleep. Why couldn't I sleep? Arghh! My incisions felt okay--a bit swollen, but not too much pain. I texted Anita and Cathi and they came through for me again with turkey and mashed potatoes (Cathi) and a Wendy's potato (Anita). I cautiously tasted a very small bit of each and felt okay. Loene came to Bonnie-sit around 9:30. I decided to try to lay down in bed and see if I could sleep. Wasn't sure how comfortable I could be with the incisions and I was pleasantly surprised to find some comfortable sleeping angles. I wouldn't say it was the most stellar night of sleep, but I was refreshed the next morning.

Saturday was more cautious eating and a couple of trips in Loene's car. The bumps in the road were uncomfortable, but I felt okay. Mostly I just felt tired. And desperate--my inside plumbing needed a jump start. Luckily, all that was resolved. I was able to manage the pain with Tylenol. I love it when I don't need the heavy duty stuff!

Sunday was more of the same--eating, drinking, napping, visiting with family and friends. I am soooo tired. Anesthesia side effects, I'm sure.

Today I continue to feel great. My incision site pain feels more like sore muscles. Every once in a while I get a stitch in my side, but nothing I can't handle. I have a small " list which I'm going to work at a bit at a time to test my strength.

I feel blessed. Very blessed.