Checking in - almost 3 weeks post-op

I had my 2 week follow-up appointment last Monday (and my weight while wearing jean capris was down 1.6 lbs from the day I had surgery after a 12 hour fast!!!)

I got the blessing to return to work Tuesday, but I kind of wished I'd talked the doctor into saying I should just have half days this week.  I may just sit behind a desk, but it had been 2 weeks since I'd been sitting up for an extended amount of time and I could feel it.  Luckily Angel was at home, since I didn't even make it until 11am before I texted her to bring my my belly binder.  I made sure I had it with / on me the rest of the week. 

Then Thursday & Friday, my weird sleeping schedule caught up to me.  Thursday was a real struggle and I made sure to get a nap in when I got home.  Yesterday I didn't have that option, so 5 hour energy was my friend!  Angel had dance team try-outs (pretty much a formality since I seriously doubt they'd tell her should couldn't be on the team after all these years) and she wanted me to be there.  So I went straight to the studio from work, then did some minor shopping on the way home from there (ya know Halloween stuff is starting to appear in stores!!). 

Once I got home, I stretched out on the bed and just barely started to relax when Randy got home!  I was surprised since he's not usually home so early.  So we went out to dinner and did some store browsing, a typical date night for us!  But I'd made the mistake of letting Miss Angela stay out until 1am and in typical Mom fashion, I stayed awake until she got home.  I was beat.

Saw this at the Salvation Army - wonder how old this is??

It's funny that if you ask me how I felt in the morning, I'd say Great, Wonderful, Excellent!  But later in the afternoon, my answer probably wouldn't be so positive.  I had a nap early this afternoon for an hour or so, then Randy & I went to Target (which is the only store I can consistently count on to actually have my strawberry Crystal Lite in stock!!) and then when we got home, I did some painting on my headstones for Halloween and then talked Randy into going for a walk.  All I had to do was wave some socks at the dog and he was ready to go!  It's been way too long since we took him for a walk and he was excited!  Map My Walk said we went 2.5 miles, but the track did a lot of back & forth so I doubt we went more than 2.25 miles, if that. 

One thing I've noticed since I had surgery is that I don't feel the need to continually stuff my face.  In fact, I really have to stop and think if I am actually feeling hungry or not.  I had a bowl of cereal at 10am today and didn't have anything else until like 4:30pm when Randy & I were out shopping and he said he was hungry.  I would have been fine until he said something and I thought about it.  

This ticked me off.  I drained ground beef into the dogs bowl the other night and then promptly turned and dumped the taco seasoning into his bowl, too!  The pan of beef is sitting on the stove, about 6 inches over to the left.  

Much to his dismay - he did NOT get this bowl.  He has horrible farts on a regular night so there's just no way.  

Oh yeah - I'm not doing Weight Watchers for a while.  They suspended my account while I was in Charleston last month because I had cancelled the credit card that was used to pay for my monthly pass (and I forgot about everything that used that card for auto-payments - oops!)  But it actually worked out for the best, timing-wise, since now I don't feel guilty about not going to meetings until I'm actually ready to get back on the program.  I'll see how I feel after I go in for my 6 week follow-up exam at the end of August.  

They're supposed to be starting Zumba back up at the studio at the same time the fall dance classes start back up at the beginning of September.  I'll have to ease my way back into that! 

Anyhooo.  I still have my achy times, but there's been nothing horribly painful.  I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact I had major surgery.  It sure feels like I've had a pretty easy recovery so far, but I guess since there were significant internal organs removed, that should classify it was major!

And here we go with staying up way too late again.  I need to stop this crap!  At least we have nothing big planned for tomorrow so I'll be good with sleeping late, and I'll try my best to avoid a nap so I'll get my carcass to bed at a reasonable time tomorrow night so I'll be ready to start the week over again! 

#SnS

Sheesh!

I was just looking over my pathology report from the hospital that did my surgery.  Hmm.  I can honestly say I am NOT sad about the hysterectomy at all!  I wasn't sad anyway, but actually reading what all they removed from my innerds is pretty eye-opening.

Plus I've been reading a historical romance novel (OK, I've gone thru 5 so far) and I couldn't help but wonder what a woman back then would have done in my situation - she'd had to suck it up and deal with it.  How awful - shudder!

I've gotten quite a bit of painting done for my Halloween display.  THIS my friends is why you never ask "isn't it too early for Halloween"? The answer is NO.  One must leave allowances for screwups like this!

I reinforced the backs of these cheap foam headstones with plywood and was very happy with how they looked with their new paint.  However, they didn't seem to be drying well and were still tacky, to the point where I couldn't stack them or even let them touch, since they'd stick together.  I'd forgotten to coat them in DryLok (a sealant like thin, sandy cement) first!  So I had to basically start over. 

I grabbed those other 5 out of the shed and did them, too.  

I've already started to repaint them, but didn't take pics of that. 

Where I was going with this is....this is something I've been wanting to and have been able to do while sitting.  Nothing strenuous since they're all really light. And the dog has been a great supervisor.  Too bad we have heat advisories out today, I could have gotten more done!

Wow, I went really way off the tracks there!  Moving on.  They removed my entire uterus, cervix & fallopian tubes. The cervix & tubes were apparently "unremarkable", so good. But the uterus and all her friends were the problem.

Adenomyosis (where the inner lining of the uterus grew into the outer wall);  a 5 x 2.2 x 0.8 cm endometrial polyp (the gyn found this at my last exam); multiple "markedly trabeculated myometrium" measures up to 3 cm in greatest thickness (pretty sure this means thickened areas); approximately ten intramural nodules ranging from 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.4 cm to 2 x 1.8 x 1.2 cm (the fibroids) and last, but not least, a cyst measuring 1 x 1 x 1 cm.

How much fun is that??

Anyhoo.  I have broken a few of the "rules".  I'm not exactly sure this is one of them, but I've been driving.  Saturday I drove out to my sister's house (45 minutes) to check on her cats while she was out of town, but I let Miss Angela drive us home.  Then I drove another 20 minutes to one of her friend's grad party, but let her drive home because she had to get to work.  Then I went to the store.  Sunday I had to drive back to where the grad party was, since a certain little blonde doofus had gone back there after work Saturday night and locked her keys in the car.  Sunday I wasn't feeling too well, so I think I may have overdone it.  I took it easy the rest of the day.  There have been a few quick jaunts here & there.  I took Angel grocery shopping yesterday so she could deal with the big bags of dog & bird food for me.  And it's been killing me to look out at the yard, since it's been a good month since we mowed the lawn.  We haven't gotten much rain, so its just the weeds poking up making it look raggedy.  But I will NOT do the lawn.  I'm not that stoopid!

I've cut way back on the pain meds.  The ones they gave me for 'severe' pain that I took the first couple days gave me really weird dreams, like fighting a clown marionette with a teddy bear and seeing my dog bleached white.  Odd!  The 'moderate pain' meds are better.  I took one yesterday and none so far today.

So.  It's peaceful & quiet here.  Randy's back at work and Angel went to work, then is off to the local community college to take a placement test (she finally went & enrolled!!) and then she has dance tonight.  Since I haven't been sleeping well, I think it's from either too much sleep or maybe boredom, I think I'll drag out the cross-stitch project I started a couple years ago but haven't done much on it lately.  It's a haunted house that was supposed to be done for H'ween 2013, heehee!  Maybe 2016?

#SnS

Doing well & feeling fine (ish)!

I'm not quite up for busting out into celebratory dance just yet, but give me time! 

Monday was my surgery and it went smoothly, besides the off & on mild anxiety attacks, that is!  I went in Friday to have bloodwork done and got pre-registered so I was adorned with this lovely bracelet.  Which wouldn't have been a big deal, but Friday was also mine & Randy's 10th anniversary! So I was stuck wearing this stupid thing all weekend. 

Luckily I have this cuff bracelet that covered it nicely so when we went out to dinner, I didn't look like an escapee from a mental hospital.  Sparkly spiders are better than hospital bands anyday!

Sunday was kind of rough.  Randy & Angel were both off doing their own things, so I was alone, doing the grocery shopping & laundry (I had to have clean sheets, towels & pjs the night before going in - and I had to scrub down with anti-bacterial soap the night before and morning of surgery)  So a couple freak-out moments happened.  Jack and Chester were my little shadows.  One of them was always close by and if I were sitting, one was touching me.  My sweet baby furboys! 

I checked into pre-op at 0600 Monday.  I never had to wait long for anything.  The nurses did their thing and I met the anesthesiologist and my doctor popped in to say hi and explain all that was going on to me & Randy.  They took me back pretty close to 0730.  I remember being wheeled into the OR and getting moved onto the really narrow table and looking up at the lights.  The anesthesiologist said something about straightening my arms so he could tuck me in and that was the last thing I remember until they woke me up!   

Apparently when they put me under, all of my innerds relaxed and dropped, so they didn't do the surgery laprascopically (using 2 small incisions and a camera thru my belly-button).  She was able to cut & remove the entire thing vaginally, so I will heal faster!  So my uterus with all the fibroids & polyps, my cervix & fallopian tubes are GONE!!!   Hooray!  But I still have my ovaries, which should prevent early menopause.  Hooray, again!

Time didn't exist for me.  I have no idea how long I was in recovery and then they told me they were taking me to my room and that they'd tell my family where I'd be.  I swear the transport people took me thru a maze with all the turning they did, then they went up a ramp and I distinctly heard my Mom say "yoohoooo"  I opened my eyes and waved, then told kids pushing me I was going to pretend I didn't know that woman!  Heehee!  It was about noon when I got in my room.  Randy said Mom had gotten there about 0830 so at least he had company. 

The office my gynecologist works out of has a Dr. Love!  I've talked to him on the phone but never actually met him.  He was at the hospital and made a point of tracking Randy down in the waiting room to meet him!  Heehee!

So the anesthesia gave me the worst cotton mouth and my throat was sore from the breathing tube they'd given me.  It took a couple days to lose that soreness / gunky feeling.  It really hurt to cough. 

I drifted off & on all day, and they finally took the catheter out a little after 3 and took the cuffs off my legs (that inflated & deflated to prevent blood clots) around 5 so I could get up and use the bathroom.  They were really started to get annoying so I never put them back on, altho I was supposed to have them on while in bed.  Hell, once I went pee that first time, all the water I'd been drinking due to cotton mouth caught up to me so I was getting up plenty!  I was only woozy the first time standing, but the nurse's assistant was there to help me.  The second time, Randy was there to make sure I was OK, but I felt pretty steady and could toddle around on my own, with my trusty IV stand. 

Angel came up to visit and I was messing around with her about my socks.  I'd been wearing the usual grippy socks but had them off since my feet were getting warm.  I told her I wasn't able to do turns in second or my arabesque (dance moves) while wearing them.  So I had Randy take this picture of me later (wearing said socks, tho!) and sent to her. 

Man, I look rough, but I don't care!

Once I got to my room and got my initial pain meds, I never really felt actual pain.  They didn't give me enough to actually remove all the pain, it just dulled it down to mere discomfort (bloated belly, sore from the catheter, achy lower back, etc) and that's all I've felt until today.  I've even had a little bit today where I felt completely normal! 

I have learned that if I go anywhere in the car, I need to wear the belly binder they gave me in the hospital.  It's basically a wide elastic band that velcros to however tight I want it and helps hold everything in place.  Randy took me to Tim Horton's yesterday and I didn't have it on, so I felt every single bump on the road - and around here?  That's a LOT.  I told my sister I'd go to her house and check on her inside cats while she's gone for a few days, so Randy is taking me out there tonight.  I will have the binder on!  I cringe to think of bouncing down a dirt road!  Don't worry - the heaviest I will lift is a cup of cat food to refill their bowl.

I have my follow up visit with my doctor on the 25th and the gyn said that's when most people drive for the first time.  So we'll see what she says about going back to work.  I let my boss know all this and she said to keep her informed and if I'm not ready to come back, then I'm not allowed to!  She'd rather have me as close to 100% as possible so I don't hurt myself. 

I've been enjoying my impromptu naps.  I've been taking around 2 a day, plus sleeping all night.  Feeling no guilt at all!   Randy took sick days Monday & Tuesday (but the assholes from work still called him just as he settled in to nap with me!) and is working from home the rest of the week.  So between him & Angel, I'll be taken care of. 

I really appreciate all Randy has done for me.  He stayed at the hospital from 6am Monday until 10:30pm and was back again at 7:30am Tuesday morning.  I know he had to have been bored to tears just sitting there, but he never once acted like it! 

Nope, won't be doing Zumba for a while!

Feel free to send some prayers & good mojo to help with recovery, I'd appreciate all the help I can get!

Wow - has it been that long?

I knew it had been a while since I posted here, but it's been like 7 weeks!  Damn.  I apologize for that. 

So.  I've been pretty much staying even on the scale.  I was on vacation from 6/19-6/27 in Charleston with the girl and her dance team for Nationals - so it was only a quasi-vacation, but while I didn't go crazy with my eating, I wasn't 100% careful, either.  I did get to a point where I was craving veggies, so we went to Wendy's and I got one of their apple pecan chicken salads.  

I didn't go crazy on the 4th of July, either.  No alcohol even happened!  And we had steak one night, BBQ from a Bar & Grill one night, burgers last night.  We didn't go to any parties, so things were under control.  

FYI - a FitBit will set off an airport scanner!  I didn't even think about it, so when I went thru the thingy, they told me they needed to check my left shoulder.  Well, I wear it at the top of my left bra cup and it was indeed near my shoulder when my arms were raised!  They asked if I needed to have a private screening.  Umm, no.  All I had to do was reach into my shirt and unhook it.  It's not like I had to undress. 

We got home Monday and I went to the WW meeting Tuesday. I was up 3.3 lbs, but today (1 week later) I was down 3.7!  So I lost all that vacation baggage. Hooray!  

I'm having issues with my WW account right now.  While I was gone, they tried to take payment for my monthly pass, but I'd forgotten that someone had tried to use my credit card in another state and the bank shut my card off and issued me a new one!  So I was getting emails from WW to update my account, but I didn't see them until I got home. As soon as I did see them, I went in and updated my payment info, but now it appears my account is cancelled but only partially.  I can't track or see any plan info or even my WW profile, but I can go onto the message boards and see that profile.  The lady at the front desk couldn't help, so I have an email into tech support. 

I honestly haven't even been really trying a whole lot, since I go in next Monday for my hysterectomy!  There's a lot of stress in my life where sometimes I feel like I could get physically ill or just cry.  I don't know if it's residual from the trip, the drama we're currently having with the girl, work or the fact that in less than a week I'll be in the hospital for an overnight stay?  Probably a combination of everything. 

I already plan on missing next week's meeting, since I'll just be getting home from the hospital on Tuesday. I'm sure the last thing I'll be worried about is getting on a scale!  Although I am curious to find out how much everything they take out weighs.  I have multiple fibroids and polyps in there and I know some of them are golf-ball sized.   So it's scary, but I'm still looking forward to the procedure. 

Well, I think today's anxiety is wearing off (we went to grab some dinner, then I made Randy take me to "At Home" (a home goods store) because I knew they were starting to get Halloween stuff in, so I got me some Vitamin Orange!  Now I'm feeling a bit better and am ready to hit the sack.  

Later!