DAY TRIP

Two weeks post surgery! I've made it this far and went even further today than I have in two weeks. My follow-up with the surgeon was this afternoon. I was a bit apprehensive about the car trip, as it is a forty mile ride. It was quite difficult getting into the car and took me a few minutes to properly adjust the seat and my 'quilted blankie' that I use to support my back while traveling. But, we made it with minimal pain, even though they are doing major road work on the highway out to the hospital....and you know what that means; lots of bad road to bridge transitions and rough paved detours. Yeah, those little bumps that the rest of you take in stride are like lightning bolts in the backs of those of us who have had back surgery.

Three x-rays were taken of the newly installed hardware. All looks quite good according to the surgeon. I trust him implicitly, as he's been doing this for thirty some years. The only thing I could discern from the x-rays was a 'lump of coal' in my intestines. Anyway, he was pleased with the results. We showed him and his assistant the blisters and the areas that had blisters that already burst and were healing. They both agreed that I reacted to the Dermabond and the full skin adhesive that was applied. Otherwise there is no sign of infection and he was pleased at the healing advancement of the incisions. I can say that the swelling has gone down significantly and very light bruising is all that remains. I showed his assistant the photo of the bloodied gauze post surgery and she stated that that is normal is some circumstances. The pain in my right hip should go away in time according to the surgeon. I know that it did last year, but I am always on alert and state the problems so they are notated in my medical records. He stated the obvious, which is there is a whole lot of internal swelling and pinching going on all over and near the surgical area and it takes time for all of this to slowly go down, hence pressure will back off certain nerves/muscles and pain will be relieved. This photo was taken this morning and does show improvement, don't you think? The best news I heard, though, was he cleared me for riding the stationary bike and for swimming. And he said I could also walk as much as I like..which I've been doing anyway, pain/discomfort allowing. That is my early Christmas present and the only one I need this year.

I did ask for another prescription of Percocet and the doctor stated that I can now switch to extra strength Tylenol, saving the remaining Percocet to aid in sleeping on those nights when the pain might be elevated. I actually felt good enough to stop and eat lunch with my husband at Panera and I did a bit of walking across the parking lot to the Best Buy to purchase some laptop accessories. This is the first full day out for me since surgery November 17. I did get a bit achy on the way home and was nearly out of energy upon arriving home around 4:00 p.m. It was a long day for sure and did reinforce the fact that I am still recovering and my energy level is still not near 100%. I should sleep well tonight.