Health Update

I left the house today after five whole days of being indoors - talk about cabin fever! It was such a relief to get out of the house, even if it was just to go to the doctor's office.

My stitches came out today. I had no idea what to expect in terms of how it feels to get stitches removed - it wasn't painful. Kinda just like a scratch. She said the wound is healing nicely, but I've got to wait another week to ten days before I can move about more and things like going up and down the stairs will become easier. In about five days I should be able to get back into somewhat of a regular routine -- to do household chores she said, like ironing, cooking, and cleaning ... geez, why do those things have to be the first things I'm allowed to do? Who wants to recover from surgery just to iron clothes and dust countertops? ;)

I've got some muscle bruising which she said is to be expected. It's such a pain (literally) because it makes simple movements like getting in and out of bed/a chair etc. difficult. Still, I do feel stronger each day thank goodness. It's just about being patient.

In terms of food I need to stick to a high fiber diet and she stressed (a number of times - does she not believe I'll listen to her advice?) that this was not the time to count calories or restrict calorie intake because I need the nutrients to heal and regain strength. She told me that the abdominal distention should subside within ten to fourteen days. I can't wait for that to happen. I feel like a freaking whale!

It's deceiving how much time and energy it takes to actually heal ... I thought the short trip to and from the doctor's would be fine. Although it was definitely easier to climb up and down the stairs as compared to last Wednesday when I got home from the hospital, the whole trip did leave me a bit winded and tired (the potholes and bumps in the road did not help at all!) ... so I am getting stronger each day, but I still have a ways to go.