Are ya feeling "GREAT" yet?

It's been a month since my last surgery. I am struggling a bit with hydration and frequency. I am a bit miserable because I don't feel "GREAT" yet. I guess I expected to feel much better by now, but sadly I don't. I am stuck in the bathroom a lot, "adjustment period" the doctors say, but my butt hurts. I am managing to get around well. Doing everyday tasks is much easier since they closed up my belly incision. I am able to lift heavier things now. Before to carry a gallon of milk was a struggle, now my 35 pound niece is a relatively easy lift. I am good for "quick" lifting, like a boost into a car seat or a couple of bags of groceries, but no stamina. I can pick it up, but can't hold it for long.
Mike has been working looong hours so I am left to myself often. Mia and Talon have been keeping me occupied so that's a benefit of being home. Mia is incredibly understanding of my limitations and is ready with a laugh when I need it.
I am waiting for a break in this adjustment period so my bathroom trips can be more predictable and I can get out more. Me, Talon, Mia, and Jordan went to the beach last week for some sun and sand. That was a nice day. It was 80 degrees and sunny. A beautiful afternoon well spent in the outdoors at the Jersey Shore. I'm sure when Chloe reads this, she'll smirk a bit because it is still nearly winter in the Czech Republic compared to here, but she'll be home soon to enjoy the summer.




Me and Jordan in Ocean City.

Home

We're home now :-)
It feels good to be in my own house. Mezzi took care of the house and the dogs. The dogs were happy to see us, but I know that they'll be sad to see Mezzi go. She plays with them and gives them extra lovin so they won't think about missing us.
We drove from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, 2 hours, to save some money on airfaire. The drive was fine, all highway, nice and smooth, and the flight was good, a little rough on take off, but it got better once we reached altitude. Vinny came and picked us up as soon as we landed, good thing because I was exhausted. Between the car ride, flight, and walking through the airports, I was ready to just lay down a while.
So now I'm comfy on my couch sipping a chai tea waiting for some pain meds to kick in.

Let out and home plans

The doctor cut me loose yesterday afternoon. Everything is functioning well and no complications, so no need to keep me locked up. Of course the condition of my release is that I again stay in town for a few days post-op. Okay, no biggie. We're going to stay until Monday evening. We're gonna catch a flight from Pittsburgh to Philly for about 100 bucks a piece. Very inexpensive considering direct flights out of Cleveland are $500+ each... It's about a 2 hour car ride to Pittsburgh, straight line on highways so it should make for a comfortable ride. I'm a bit sore, but my pain meds are helping me. I didn't anticipate this much discomfort with this surgery. The anesthesiologist told me that GI patients consistently have more pain with surgery as the number of surgeries increases. More so than with any other type of surgery. I assume it has something to do with the neuro-receptors in the gut that cause this. I am slow walking and get intense pain when getting up from a sitting position. It goes away rather quickly after I get up, though. I am eating well. Just gotta keep my diet simple and well-cooked. No fresh fruits (except bananas) or veggies for a few weeks until the inflammation in my GI tract decreases. I have been instructed to eat only foods that can be chewed to a "mashed potato" consistency for the next 6 weeks. After that I can add in some other foods and see how well tolerated they are. I can eat ice cream with no problem. I have a pint of Edy's cookie dough in my room that I'm going to enjoy before bed :-).

post-op

I had surgery yesterday. It was pretty quick. I think I was only in for about 30 minutes. My hernia didn't need to be surgically repaired. The doctor says it's small enough to not be a bother long-term. I can get in shape and build my ab muscles up to keep it from hurting.
I might be getting discharged tomorrow, provided I stay in town a few days. I don't mind much since I'm a bit sore. That way if I have any complications I am close to the doctor. I'm bored already here. My roommate is pleasant. What a relief.

We're Hereeee

We're in Cleveland. We had a GREAT weekend in Michigan with Matt, Kristen, Logan, Gail, and Joe. We stayed at the Owen's new house. It is so cute and comfortable. We enjoyed lounging around, sleeping in late, and catching up. I went shopping downtown with Kris and Gail, while Mike played cards with Matt, Lo, and Joe. Me and Kris checked out Lake Michigan and I was shocked to see the amount of ice on it. You can barely see the free moving water behind the ice in this picture.



We just got back from dinner. There is a Lebanese restaurant right next to our hotel, and the owner ordered our food for us. We told him what we liked..Mike likes MEAT, and I like everything else, LOL. He brought us a yummy salad, some hummus, baba ganooj, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, chicken & steak kebabs, and a meat roll called kafta. We loved everything. Even Mike tried all of the food, yeah, Mike, the guy who never tries anything different. He was surprised to find that he likes Lebanese food.
Right now we're hanging out in the hotel lounge. Mike's having a beer and playing a video game, and I'm chilling online having a ... cranberry juice. No drinking the night before surgery. I got delightfully comfortable indulging in Bailey's and coffee and Mimosa's in Michigan. Yummmm.

I passed all of my tests today, so I am set to have surgery tomorrow. We report at 7:15 am to the surgery department.
We met Dr. Dietz for the first time. He is quite young but well respected at CCF. Mike got a good vibe from him. He's easy to look at so I of course got a good vibe, LOL. I am a little nervous for tomorrow. Even though this surgery is a bit less involved, I still get anxious.
I tried to tune out my anxiety today by knitting. It worked. I knit a hat. Good thing cause it's a bit chilly here right now.
Gail taught me a pattern for knit slippers. It's a fun knit and quick, too. I like "instant gratification" projects. The slippers I can probably knit in 2 days in my size. "Normal" sized slippers would probably take just a few hours, LOL.

I think Mike and I are going to retire to our room and watch a movie. Keeps our mind off things, and there's cake up there...te he he.

I will likely update in a few days when the drugs wear off a bit after surgery.

back on track...for now

We are making the effort to go out to Cleveland again at the beginning of April. We are both recovered now and are ready to move forward. Fingers and toes are crossed.
Sooo, we had a fun day yesterday. Mike and I invited our nieces and nephews over for an easter egg hunt and brunch. A good time was had by all :)
We ate yummy food, searched for eggs, had an egg race, and enjoyed the day. Only disappointment..... it was terribly overcast and cold :( ... , but no rain to soak the day :)

rescheduled trip

My trip has been rescheduled. Sadly, there are no openings until April. We have to wait more than a month. It's for the better, though. I would be miserable going sick and with Mike sick also. At least the weather will be better by the Lakes and we're not likely to be stuck in a snowstorm.

CANCELLED

CANCELLED the trip. We are both too sick to go. I'd bet by the way we feel, this is more than just a respiratory illness, but maybe, dare I say... the FLU. I had a flu shot, but the effectiveness is over-rated as the current strains aren't discoverable at the time of vaccine manufacture. I may have exposed myself to aborted chick embryos, mercury, formaldehyde, and other toxins for no good reason. Mike is equally as sick and did not have the shot. It is day 5 on the couch with my aching head, stuffy nose, fever, and general misery. Even if I did feel better by tomorrow, somehow I don't think I will be strong enough for surgery and recovery. I am mostly afraid of flying with congestion. I've heard it can cause your eardrum(s) to rupture... Oww. Not risking that. With any luck I can reschedule for as early as next week.

Set-back...maybe?

Ugh, Mike and I both are sick with Upper Respiratory Infections. I am not sure if this will prevent us from going to Cleveland at this point. I spoke with the surgeons office and they said to get on antibiotics, but if we're not better by Monday, no surgery next week. I have gathered all of my available strength to type this far, but I will now lapse back into my coma, lol. Fingers crossed for fast working meds!

Back to Cleveland, OH

We are on our way back to Cleveland for a follow-up surgery. It won't be major, but I'll have to stay in the hospital for a few days, ugh. I really hate being in the hospital. It wouldn't be so bad if I had a private room. I don't like sharing my personal space with strangers and their visitors. I have never, in my many hospital stays, been lucky enough to have a roommate that is compatible. They SNORE, have annoying visitors, and complain a lot. What really sucks is being NPO (nothing per oral) and having a roommate chomping down fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Blah. Turns my stomach. My last stay I had 2 different roommates and both of them sucked. The first one- a snorer, the second one- a snorer and complainer, plus she slept nearly around the clock. There must be a trick to getting a private room. I've heard that if you have ever had MRSA you get a private room for life, but I don' t want MRSA. Shame I can't fake it.
I plan on wearing my snow boots the whole time. I'm not even gonna bring other shoes. There seems to be lake-effect snowstorms in Cleveland daily. Hopefully the snow won't impede our travel plans at all. I don't wanna stay any longer than I have to.
I am looking forward to Spring and Summer, and getting away from this weather for awhile. We didn't get any snow here, just cold, but some nice warmish days too. I guess skiing will have to wait until next year.