belated update

don't know where to start, but figure i oughta post soon...i've been getting some phone calls i don't have the energy to return at night and i guess i've left some folks hanging...don't want that. i actually did fire up the ole computer the other day, but after getting caught up on reading some blogs, i ended up just going to sleep. The first few days here are a blur.


Honestly, the things that have been most noteworthy aren't necessarily bloggable; or are they?

I just had a good night sleep, meaning that i could fall asleep after they "check your vitals" every 2 hours. The first night i was here, i had no idea what time it was and would toss and turn, staying awake. Except, i can't "toss" or "turn"...i have to stay in this one position on my back. I am a side-sleeper, so this isn't my fave way to fall, or stay, asleep, but i'm managing. I guess its the morphine, but i've been able to nod off during the day then sleep well at night.

It seems that phase of convalescing is OVER! At 7 AM sharp, one of my doctors came in and started bellowing out plans. ( Surely he noticed i was asleep, or heard my mom snoring in the corner...?!?!? No matter!) It's time for the catheter to come out, time for me to get up and get moving some more and time to loose the morphine drip! He'll write a script, another doc will be back later today to check on the drainage vacuum ( for later Gross Post) and they'll check on my long-term cast. This is a tough-love kind of doctor/person who isn't going to let the grass grow under his feet/ my butt. His goal is to get me out of here ASAP.

Hmm....maybe i'll appreciate that later? Right now, i've gotten to where i hate to see him coming. Yesterday he reminded me that, in the scheme of things, my surgery wasn't that big of a deal. That was very comforting before surgery, actually. Not exactly comforting now...but i get what he's saying. There are people here who have had their legs removed! So get up and get moving!

See, i set myself up. The first day after surgery, 2 young physical therapists came to take me "on a walk". Looking back thru my druggy haze, i realize that they were both new to it...they were helping each other while they were helping me. I don't know how, but i managed to walk around the entire nurses station! It had to be the drugs...and also, these 2 kids were very talkative and that was a good diversion. I can't imagine walking that far now.

Now the next day, Saturday,there was only one Physical Therapist and i guess she assumed i knew what i was doing...but it was a disaster! She didn't help me move my leg, so i basically slid the cast off the bed, painfully "landing" it on the floor and then got all my assorted tubes all tangled up. I could barely make it a few feet out the door and i turned around. My catheter tube wasn't arranged right, so that caused some pain for some time after, until that was sorted out; i was exhausted after that failed attempt. I was more than happy to lay in bed the rest of that day.

So the next day was Sunday and i was "on my own" as far as to "Ambulate" because the P.T's were off. YAY. I ambulated to the chair and ate lunch, visited with friends and felt just fine about it. I topped that off with an overzealous trip to the toidy (see Gross Post) and was back to bed. That wore me out.

They are also going to take out my morphine drip today...my smooth sailing is about to hit some bumpy waters. It's just now 8:30 and i've already seen 2 doctors.

need i mention, my hair is looking fabulous these days?