Recovery Daze

 Recovery Day 1

I should not be doing anything, much less writing in this blog as I recover from the general anesthesia from this morning's ear surgery. I was delighted to wake up alive in the recovery room! I asked a million questions which seemed to amuse the nurse. My dear friend Dale kept me company through everything except the actual surgery. The surgeon remembered Dale as my former teaching colleague, having met her six months ago for ten minutes - I was just amazed at his memory. 

The 1.5 hour surgery went well, I have a new piece of titanium in my ear, it's full of packing, and I can't hear a thing for now. Six weeks of healing should reveal its degree of success or failure. My other ear is doing all the hearing thank goodness. As I sit here researching the recovery process, it seems my post surgery behavior was a bit cavalier with the December surgery. I intend to take this one much more seriously to ensure a positive outcome. I also noted that a resident participated and/or performed(?)  the December surgery, but just my surgeon today, hmmm.

From what the surgeon told Dale, my original implant (B) was removed and replaced with the 
partial implant (A). I wish I had asked if I could keep the replaced one just so I could appreciate how tiny these bionic bones really are. MyChart listed 1 and 3 mm as measurements, so very tiny.

I have eaten nothing today and don't feel hungry at all. I think a protein smoothie should make a fine meal of the day, and it will ease my sore throat caused by the intubation. Garden walks, BritBox, puzzles, sleep, and healthy food are my plan for the next two weeks. Watching my garden and not working in it will be my challenge!

Recovery Day 2

The first thing I did this morning was my garden walk with coffee. I just couldn't resist pulling up a few weeds and watering a new shrub (watering can only half full - 10 lb lifting restriction). My ear began to hurt a bit and that was all the reminder I needed to stop and sit awhile. It's going to be a long two weeks!

Over the winter I noticed a little house spider in my kitchen near my blender. Every time I made a smoothie, she would scurry out from behind it and run for cover. I usually kill or remove any spiders, but since I had seedlings in the house, I thought it wise to just let her live her life and help keep the house free of pesky bugs. I also read that if you put a house spider outside, it will likely die. They are meant to live along side us and cause no harm to humans. So I named her June and said hello when I saw her.

I hadn't seen her in a month or two until today - and,  if it is June, she has grown a bit. I know full well that this could be a different spider, but in my fanciful brain, it's little Junie back to visit. (Yes, I do wonder about my sanity a bit.) 😆 

June the house spider. She paused for a photo, then hurried off on spider business.

Today I have plans to fill an EarthBox (slowly) with soil and compost and plant a tomato seedling and a few onions in it. That is it for my projects today. Annette is coming for tea later on and I have a bunch of prepared ahead foods for my dinner. I will be watching The Other Bennet Sister on BritBox and contemplating upgrading my subscription so I won't have to wait a week between episodes. 

The full body muscle pain has really set in - another anesthesia side effect. It hurts my core muscles just to stand up. It should pass by tomorrow along with the dizziness. Propofol really messes with all my body systems. I really should have gotten a few books to read, but I'll do that tomorrow when driving seems safe for me.

Another little trip with friends has taken shape for early September. Three nights at Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks with Peggy, AJ, Susan, and Jill. It's a 5 bedroom house rental on the lake for a very reasonable price when split 5 ways. We plan to kayak, bike, and just enjoy the time together. I love our little friend trips!

Recovery Day 3

Sleeping on my back with several pillows is manageable, though not preferable. I'm not eating much since I'm doing very little and imagine I'll have to get my muscles back in shape when I can lift weights again. I keep reminding myself that this is my time to heal, move slowly, and try to appreciate this downtime. It is not easy as I'm usually doing some activity all the time. "Embrace your inner sloth" is my mantra. 🦥

Today has been rough and my main activity was napping on the couch. My body hurts, half my tongue is numb, and post surgery fatigue is a real thing. I have read all about my symptoms, and they are normal so I'm not too worried. Apparently 48-72 hrs post surgery is the worst and I agree with that. Hopefully I'll feel more myself tomorrow.

Recovery Day 4

A rainy day and my seedlings waiting to be planted out.

Yes! I feel much better than yesterday, which was a very rough day. I felt old and feeble and did not like it one bit. Today is very cool and rainy so I won't be tempted to overdo it in the garden. 

Patty gave me this sweet basket to thank me for organizing the Cape Cod trip. I have never cared for succulents before, so this will be a learning experience.

I made an early trip to the Food Co-op to replenish a few staples in my pantry. I had to go early because it's Saturday and I didn't want to deal with crowds. I am out of my favorite Copper Horse decaf, so a Saturday trip it was. I picked up a couple six packs of nastertium seedlings because I've been wanting to try them along the brick walkway. Now I'm tired again, so I'm going to read our next book club pick,  The Burgess Boys, another Elizabeth Strout story. We try to read three from each author to get a good sense of their writing style.  

I'm doing pretty well with this recovery so far and I'm hoping to stay away from medical procedures for the a good long while.