Thursday, March 22

Posted by Laurel Garver on Thursday, March 22, 2012 20 comments
Thanks, blogging pals, for all the well wishes. As I enter my third week of recovery post-surgery, I can tell you it has been an eye-opening experience. And sometimes an eye-closing one. (Thank you, Percocet, for making me sleep 14 hours a day.)

Some random things I've discovered:

~One of my husband's students was having surgery at the same time. In the surgery-prep area (where they give you your stylish hat and put in your IV), he tried to chat with me, but I couldn't see him because they'd made me give up my glasses. Poor kid was about to have his face reconstructed after a rugby injury, so maybe it's a blessing I couldn't see.

~Robotic surgery is cool. I had a four-pound benign tumor removed through an incision that's less than an inch long. (It was removed in pieces, if you're wondering how that trick was achieved.)

~I'm a lightweight when it comes to anesthesia. The nurses wanted to send me home and I couldn't stay awake.

~Nausea and abdominal incisions are a bad combo. Ow.

~Best diet when the idea of food grosses you out: jello, apple juice, animal crackers.

~There are way too many steep stairs in my 3-storey, historic, urban townhouse. What gives? Weren't people shorter in 1907?

~Reading is actually more restful that watching movies or TV. Less data to process at once.

~You can't beat a Kindle if you frequently doze off while reading. It powers down on its own and never loses your page.

~The hardest thing to give up was managing my daughter. I was sure her teeth would go unbrushed, her homework unfinished or lost. She was fine, even if she got more screen time than I'd like.

~It's good for one's spouse to experience how the house runs without you (or more accurately, which things don't get done).

~When your ability to achieve is taken away, you realize how much being busy is actually a choice. And often it's a shabby substitute for deeper relationships.

How have your last few weeks been? What's new?
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20 comments:

  1. I had no idea you had surgery! Ouch! I'm so glad it's all over and you're recovering. Sounds like it's been a learning experience. Take care of you. Jessica

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    1. The first week was pretty rough. It's still kind of slow going. Thanks for the well wishes.

      I'm sure this experience will turn into literary fodder at some point. :-)

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  2. Wow, you've been through a lot! And yes it is good for the spouse to learn how to pick up the slack, it can make them a bit more appreciative of how much goes into a normal parenting day.
    Rest up, read up and use the time to let plots swirl in your mind.
    Wagging Tales

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    1. A friend had recommended I make a spreadsheet of everything I do in a day so he'd know what things need to happen daily that he never thinks about (like the magical hour after school called homework time!) That was quite the eye opener for him.

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  3. So sorry! I had no idea you were recuperating. Glad you are on this side of it, and hopefully feeling better by now. Rest and recover all the way!

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    1. Thanks Karen. I'd put up a super short post about it the day before. For some it can be a pretty minor procedure, but my fibroid wasn't found until it was huge. I'm still tire out easily, but thought it was time to let folks know I made it through.

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  4. Oh! Surgery! Wow. That's a lot to have to deal with.

    It's funny how much we take for granted until we can't do it all or don't have the same things any more. Good luck recovering!

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    1. Yeah, being forced to rest makes you think about your old routine differently. Very True.

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  5. Four pounds!!! Oh, good God, I'm so glad everything went well. Take the time you need and relish every second. Sometimes hubbies need to have a refresher course in "domestic management". I'm glad you're on the mend.

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    1. Yeah, I was pretty floored by that number too--fibroids are very dense and heavy. No wonder I've felt so crummy for over a year and also no wonder I'm healing so slowly. My internal incisions are probably pretty large. But hey, I'm thinner! :-)

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  6. Glad you are feeling better- that seems like a huge tumor! Isn't it interesting how the world really does go on without you? Of course not as smoothly as if you were running the show, but at least the house didn't fall apart around you :)

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    1. Thanks, Abby. I'd seen the MRI images and was floored. All I can say is, once you get closer to 40, see your gyn every year.

      Things definitely wouldn't have run as well without our tenant, because my hubby's teaching schedule went back to being brutal after the first week when he was on spring break. She had me make a spreadsheet of what needs to happen when that she and my hubby could follow. Genius idea!

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  7. I was on vacation and unplugged during your last post so I didn't realize you were in surgery. I'm glad your recovery is going well, Laurel! Take care and have a great weekend!

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  8. Sounds like you've been through a rough time, and I've had a few surgeries so I know how awful anesthesia can be . . .I'm glad you are recovering well and that you are able to enjoy your family! BTW - I have an award for you at my blog today. http://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/2012/03/versatile-blogger-award.html

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    1. Thanks, Tyrean! I'll come check it out.

      The doctors don't have much history to go on other than oral surgery when I was 13, so they didn't know to go lighter on the dosage.

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  9. Thinking of you, Laurel, as you continue to heal. Take care and keep getting better.

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  10. I'm sure it was nice to lose those four pounds! Glad the surgery went well and I hope you're able to completely recover soon. However, it is a wonderful thing to be able to slow down and remember what's important in life. Your last point is spot on! Also, your point about reading vs. tv: when I was in the hospital after my daughter was born I watched tv for most of one day and felt so stressed out and sick and icky by the end of it. Give me a book any day!!

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