Day #4 Post-Op: Permanent Couch Imprint Forming

I broke a sweat today. Well, sort of...I sat in our steam shower for 10 minutes at 105 degrees just to feel the heat, to feel my heart rate beat a little faster, to sweat out the toxins from the last few days, to feel alive. Certainly not the workout I'm accustomed to, but I'll take it. Of course, I also look like a complete idiot because I have to wrap a trash bag around my hip/leg/butt to not get the bandages too wet. So, yeah, I look like a creepy naked adult wearing an abnormally large plastic diaper. Sexy, no?

In the 3 1/2 years we've lived in this house, I don't think I've been on the couch as long as I have since coming home from the surgery center on Wednesday. I'm trying to enjoy the downtime, but I'm not enjoying the bloating, distended belly and constipation that has also come as a result of the surgery. As if I don't feel crappy enough (pun intended), now I have to look in the mirror at a somewhat swollen version of myself. I certainly hope that lovely little side effect goes away soon because it is doing nothing for my self-esteem right now.

I still keep waiting for the major pain to kick in, but it hasn't. I'd say at Day four, that's a good sign. In fact, I totally feel like I could put weight on this leg, but I dare NOT! The most pain I feel happens to be from the blisters that have formed on the palms of my hands from the handles on the crutches. I'm actually using a pair of cycling gloves now. I prefer to call them my "driving gloves" because it makes me feel fancy and decadent--not pathetic and useless. I also walk around the house with a backpack in case I need to transport books, water, phone to different rooms. Basically, I'm sporting the barefoot hiker look.

Cooking is a bit of a chore, but that's no different than it was when I had use of both legs and arms! God Bless Whole Foods and their vast array of options. I've probably been overdoing it a bit the last couple of days. Lots of trips up and down the stairs, in and out of cars, getting up and sitting down, etc. Almost laughable that these little things are considered "overdoing" it. Damn, I have a birthday and fall to pieces in one week.  I said "goodbye" to my Mom and Dad this morning. I'm sure this wasn't their ideal vacation, but it was a huge help having my Mama nearby to help shower me, dress me and do laundry for the first couple of days until I got it all figured out. Hubster is, as per usual, a saint and master of patience. And my kitties...what would I do without their love and mounds of fur? I spent the first two nights on the couch and they were right there with me. I think they're loving my couch time more than I am!

Let the fun continue and the bloating cease. Next up? A little vino with my girl Michelle. She knows how to lift my spirits!