Well, heyyy there! I know I promised to share regular updates about my post-surgery experience. I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to do after surgery, but I figured I’d be alert enough to type out a few sentences and hit publish every day or two.
And I WAS alert enough for that. What I didn’t take into account was whether I’d be physically capable of typing on my laptop or sitting at a desk. Now, that’s a whole different story.
Up until the last couple of days, I spent most of my rest time laying on my back or side. Sitting upright was not an option, and neither was typing while laying down. I’m now able to prop myself up pretty well, and I can even sit in a chair for a few minutes at a time. Still, laying down is by far the most comfortable – which is why I’m typing this blog post on my phone, from my bed.
Anyway, since writing on a phone pretty much sucks, I’m going to keep this short & sweet. I plan to share a more detailed account of the last 2 weeks when I’m feeling up for it. Also, I’ve been posting pretty regularly on Instagram and Facebook, so you can always check on me there if you’re wondering how I’m doing.
So, how am I? I’m pretty darn good – relatively speaking, of course. I mean, I did just get a bunch of rods & screws stuck in my back. I’m at least 1000 times better than I was when I came home from the hospital 12 days ago. My main post-surgery issue has been nerve pain in my left leg and hip. The pain was severe for about a week, but it’s slowly gotten more manageable.
When I first got home, I was more or less stuck in bed 24 hours a day. Even trips to the bathroom, which is about 10 steps from my bed, were an ordeal. My husband brought all my meals to me in bed. We moved a TV into the bedroom and watched House of Cards at night, but other than that I think I mostly just dozed off & on all day.
In contrast, at 13 days post-op, I can now:
- Walk around the house without a walker
- Walk up & down the stairs
- Shower by myself
- Shave my legs
- Eat meals with the family at the kitchen table
- Sleep most of the night with only a couple of wakings
- Write a blog post from my phone
My surgery & recovery have been much more difficult than I bargained for, but I I’ll elaborate on that in a future post. For now, I’ll just say that my pre-surgery back & hip pain is gone and my recovery seems to be going as expected (not necessarily as I expected it to go, but my doctors & physical therapist are pleased).
Stay tuned for future updates – and in the meantime, let’s connect on social media!