Healing, healing!
So I'm now a week and 2 days post surgery. Here's a bit of a timeline with key events! Surgery was on Monday, so...
Tuesday (day 1 PO) Home from hospital in evening, pain kinda controlled by 2 percocet every 4 hours.
Wednesday not very swollen, need to lie down with lots of propping up, hard to move because it hurts. Zonked out by percocet. Percocet wears off = pain.
Thursday swelling begins. Go to bathroom for #2 for the first time since surgery. It was a triumph. Still on lots of percocet. Moving still quite painful. Still can't stand up straight.
Friday had first guest, still zonked from percocet. Dose every 5 hours. Able to move a bit more.
Saturday decided to stop taking percocet because my caretakers said I was moving around too much for healing, so the pain could tell me what to do. Caved after 4 hours and took some ibuprofin. Found it to provide decent pain control without the fuzzy headedness of the percocet.
Sunday went to Costco! Rode around on one of the wheelchair thingies, and had a lot of fun. Felt tired and hurty by end of shopping trip, but it was going out of house, and that was great! Left side of wound had one open spot that is a bit oozy still. It had oozed into the gauze I wore under the binder and made something hard that was hurting me. Bandaged that up with a nonstick dressing, life improved.
Monday (1 week PO) got my drains out!!! Movement was a lot less constrained, and I found that I could sit in a lot more positions. And I took my first shower! It was short and careful, and I put waterproof bandages over belly button and the left side of the incision, but the hot water was heavenly!
Tuesday moved around more, cooked my first serious cooking since surgery. Walked about 1/2 mile to Whole Foods to pick up some stuff for the cooking. Went out twice for shopping. Bending down and getting stuff from floor is challenging. Standing up straight still doesn't happen.
Tuesday (day 1 PO) Home from hospital in evening, pain kinda controlled by 2 percocet every 4 hours.
Wednesday not very swollen, need to lie down with lots of propping up, hard to move because it hurts. Zonked out by percocet. Percocet wears off = pain.
Thursday swelling begins. Go to bathroom for #2 for the first time since surgery. It was a triumph. Still on lots of percocet. Moving still quite painful. Still can't stand up straight.
Friday had first guest, still zonked from percocet. Dose every 5 hours. Able to move a bit more.
Saturday decided to stop taking percocet because my caretakers said I was moving around too much for healing, so the pain could tell me what to do. Caved after 4 hours and took some ibuprofin. Found it to provide decent pain control without the fuzzy headedness of the percocet.
Sunday went to Costco! Rode around on one of the wheelchair thingies, and had a lot of fun. Felt tired and hurty by end of shopping trip, but it was going out of house, and that was great! Left side of wound had one open spot that is a bit oozy still. It had oozed into the gauze I wore under the binder and made something hard that was hurting me. Bandaged that up with a nonstick dressing, life improved.
Monday (1 week PO) got my drains out!!! Movement was a lot less constrained, and I found that I could sit in a lot more positions. And I took my first shower! It was short and careful, and I put waterproof bandages over belly button and the left side of the incision, but the hot water was heavenly!
Tuesday moved around more, cooked my first serious cooking since surgery. Walked about 1/2 mile to Whole Foods to pick up some stuff for the cooking. Went out twice for shopping. Bending down and getting stuff from floor is challenging. Standing up straight still doesn't happen.