Post-Op Thoughts

2/24 Today is day 8 after my surgery. All has gone well, or as well as expected. I have a bladder infection, which I was told was common. I don't mind being common, and I certainly don't want to develop anything uncommon.

I am very fortunate to be blessed with three caring sisters who have all taken good care of me during this recovery. They each have their own way of showing their love and compassion for my situation and each are irreplaceable. Thank you sisters!

2/26 Now it is day 10. Sue left on Day 9. I am feeling pretty good. The air bubble issues seem to be subsiding and at times I actually feel normal. But that is usually short-lived since then I do too much and subsequently collapse into "the chair".

The chair is the budget rocker/recliner we bought around the holidays for Amber to have in her room for rocking Teagan. Since then it served many nights as a bed for Todd following his shoulder surgery, and now it is my chair. We have it sitting out in the living room (rather close to the tv) with a tv tray/table beside it serving as my desk of sorts. When we bought that chair we had no idea how well it would be put to use. I remember both of us sitting in it up in Amber's room testing out the comfort and the mechanics. We thought we got a pretty good deal then, now we know we did!

I know one day I will look back on all of this and try to recall details of the days following the surgery. (Here it is already 3 years since Sue and Linda's procedures!) I hope the one thing I do remember is how thoughtful and caring my family and friends have been during all of this. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I have had to make, and their support and prayers have and continue to carry me through it all.

On a Wing and a Prayer

I told Patty I am going into my surgery next week on a wing and a prayer. I had to call the doctor's office today to light a fire under them. They still had not called me with the info about my upcoming surgery. I already knew to stop with the aspirin or Advil several days before, but what if I didn't know? They were also going to check my iron level "in plenty of time" in case I wanted to arrange for blood donations. I would venture a guess 4 days (including the weekend) is probably not going to be in plenty of time.

I am thinking, so am I going to have to stay awake and supervise the procedure too? Patty suggested Linda scrub in, but she is working that day.... It bugs me when details are not attended to. It also irks me when they promise to do one thing and forget it as soon as it is out of their mouths.

I guess it is true we need to take charge of our own health, and monitor/question the doctors and their staff. Who else is going to be our advocate? Pretty sad, but then again I don't want to rely on others to make my decisions, I want to be informed and make them myself if at all possible. But these details like scheduling and blood work, I can't do that. Frustrating.

So obviously I am a little anxious. When the nurse taking my information said, "no depression?, anxiety? mental health issues? I had to laugh. I said well I have anxiety. I am not under the care of a professional(unless you count my family who may or may not be qualified, depending on their state of mind at the time). I wanted to tell her that my family is very informed when it comes to health issues. We investigate, study and diagnose ourselves, each other, other people and even our pets. It has become a hobby of sorts, and we sometimes forget we are not actually qualified.

The Internet has made it so much easier to be your own diagnostician. When I told the nurse I had watched a hysterectomy being performed on YouTube, she looked at me at first like, you are kidding, right? But when I began asking some very detailed questions, she looked impressed, or maybe that look was pity. Either way she answered my questions.

I guess knowing too much can be a detriment at times (as well as not having access to the doctor's scheduling book). So we go on faith that God will be in control of it all and we surrender ourselves to whatever happens happens. I guess I am under the care of the professional afterall. I hope my angel has some strong wings and my prayers some clout!

Happy 18th Birthday Carter!