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.