Fatigue has been a real bitch, if you will allow me to vent. Walking around the house is such a pain. nausea was really bad for a while, but it got much better after I stopped the pain meds. Those were awful. Hallucinations...omg.
Why don't the doctor's remember to tell you about constipation? It was so tough using the bathroom after surgery.
The worst has been the back pain and the nerve pain. Neuropathy kicked in with a vengeance since the surgery. You cannot imagine the difficulty to walk sometimes. I have a cane and a walker, but at times it makes sense to just stay seated that try to walk even the shortest distance to the bathroom. I guess it must be because of all the lupus issues. It must be exacerbating the recovery period.
I finally feel strong enough to take frequent showers . The first few days after the surgery was the most challenging when it came to walking much less taking a shower. I remember how thrilling it was to get into the shower, with a little help and take a shower without being dizzy or nauseous. I am so grateful to my daughter who was there to help with my exit from the shower.
I long for those pain free days...and nights when I can sleep for more than a couple of hours. The last few weeks sleep comes easily but does not last. Getting comfortable at night for sleep is challenging. The pain from this surgery is unimaginable. Why did I do it, you may be asking yourself. It was a last resort. I had no choice. It was either to continue to bleed continuously with a rapidly growing fibroid or have my interiors removed and solve the issue, plus reduce the amount of iron infusions I was receiving.
No symptoms of menopause have started yet, and I wonder if and when those dreaded hot flashes will start. I am in no rush. Maybe I won't have them. Wishful thinking.
Some days I overdid it, because I was feeling so well. I keep forgetting that my interiors are still healing. I keep forgetting that my surgeon has removed so much of my insides that organs are shifting around to fill in those gaps. I guess that is one reason there is so much restriction placed on me....on top of it having to deal with other health issues.
Some days I still can't feel when I need to urinate. I've even had accidents or realize that I hadn't used the bathroom all day.
There are days when I look 6 months pregnant. There are days when my tummy looks somewhat normal. I anticipate the day when I don't have to choose my clothes based on whether they will constrict my still healing abdomen.
Boredom hasn't really kicked in because I have a lot to keep me busy. I home-school my youngest son, so I am back in a position to where I can get up out of bed for a bit to help my fairly self-motivated 10 year old.
I managed to get some decorations up with the help of my kids. I decided to start early this year because I want to drag out this time of year as much as possible. This has been a tough year and I will be enjoying the decorations and the Holidays way past New Year. :-)
Now I know what my doctor was talking about when he said not to lift anything over 5 pounds...including laundry. I guess those dust bunnies are going to have to wait for another week since I'm not supposed to even be vacuuming.
Writing is challenging, so I am appreciative of Dragon Naturally Speaking software. However, I am getting tired. Even talking seems to be exhausting.
More updates soon....
