Things I Can Do Today... that I couldn't do 3 weeks ago.

Tuesday afternoon and I'm sitting here eating chocolate Nelson's Frozen Custard with banana slices (mmmmm... thanks Debbie) and feeling pretty good.  The kids are all off with friends being kids and I realized it is 3 weeks ago when I had surgery.  (In fact probably about the exact time they wheeled me out of the O.R.)


I keep feeling like I should have been back to my routine by now -- driving -- exercising -- cooking -- not being a burden on everyone.  They told me 4-6 weeks until I would start being able to do this stuff again, but I assumed I was healthy and young (ish) and I could do it in two or three max.  In order to not be hard on myself I started thinking of all of the progress I really have made.


1.  I can sit up by myself.  And from any positions.  For the first 2 weeks I could only sit up following the way my PT taught me.  You never know how much your core abdominal muscles do for you until you have none.
2.  I can roll over in bed.  And this is amazing!!  And it just happened last night.  I can move any way I want in bed, by myself.  Last week one night I woke up and couldn't get back in bed so I finally flopped myself horizontally on the bed and Dave found me the next morning with my feet hanging off the side.
3.  I can lay on my sides and stomach (for a second).  Oh my back is loving this one!!!!
4.  I can breath without oxygen.
5.  I can go to the bathroom.  Catheters have their place in life, but so glad that is over. 
6.  I don't have a gross tube pumping all kinds of colored "stuff" out of my stomach, through my throat and out my nose.
7.  I don't have a JP drain -- yeah!!!!!  Super gross watching that get pulled out, but fabulous nonetheless.
8.  I don't have any IVs.  I drink on my own, I eat on my own!
9.  I don't have an epidural and I can feel my nerves regenerating.  I touched my stomach and felt a tingly down my spine.  I hadn't even realized my stomach was numb.
10.  I can walk on my own -- I don't need a walker and I can almost stand up straight today.  (And today is really the only day that is the case.)
12.  I only need very few pain meds -- ibuprofen and Tylenol will do it.  I don't have to hallucenate about spiders or markers or any other weird things. 
13.  I can shower!  And I can shower without sitting in a shower chair!  (Although since they won't let me take a bath I do sometimes just sit in the chair during the shower to pretend I'm in the bath).  I took one shower in the hospital and it took everything out of me.  For the first two weeks my favorite daily activity was to sit in the shower chair Becksteads loaned me and just let the water run until the 50 gallon tank was empty.  Kenzi would usually line up everything next to the chair so I could reach it.  But today I dropped my razor and bent down to get it!  By myself!!!
14.  I only woke up 2x last night.  The first night in the hospital they had to take my vitals every hour... so this is a big improvement.
15.  I get to watch the kids go off to school and be here when they come home.  I know Dave is so happy for  that because it means he isn't driving out to the hospital two times a day -- once to hang out with me and once to bring the kids out at night. 
16.  And I can't forget my body is regenerating.  I feel like my colon that was removed is now healing and my bowels are back to normal.  I feel like everything is finding its place in my new "uterine-less" body.


I'm sure there are tons of other things that have improved -- but just these feel so good!

Hesitate putting this in -- but it is a good reminder of how miserable I felt and apparently looked -- didn't see a mirror for about 6 days I was kind of shocked when I finally saw myself.  My brother took this I think the Thursday after surgery.  My two hospital walking partners -- Andy the best PT and the modesty patrol Lolo.

And me three weeks later with my two photo happy friends Wendy and Becca ( a long standing tradition with us) and two or our cute girlies.  Although I look in the mirror and look not so lovely, they assured me I have made significant improvements since the hospital days.