26 August 2014

Getting Back On Track

My recovery has had a bit of a derailment over the last few weeks. Apparently what we thought was an urinary tract infection was actually a massive infection at the site of my surgery. I'll spare you the gory details, but I was knocked totally back in bed. My doctor said my recovery time table had me looking more like I was at the 2 week mark than the 5 week mark when he saw me. Eeep! I have sooo much to do. To catch up on. I have spent the last week asleep almost the entire time. Yesterday, I really saw things starting to turn around for better though. Today, I am feeling much, much better. Not as well as I was hoping or even expecting to feel 5 1/2 weeks after my surgery, but leaps and bounds better than any day last week. My recovery was timed perfectly for the kids to start back to school today. More on that later.

11 August 2014

Feeling Blah

It's been 3 weeks and 3 days since my hysterectomy. This last week has been a little harder.  I really thought that with as well as I felt the 1st week and the 2nd, I would be even better now. Last weekend things took a slight turn in the opposite direction though. The Thursday before I thought I might be feeling a urinary tract infection (UTI) coming on, which is common after a big surgery. I went in to the doctor's office, they ran a test, and everything came back fine. By Sunday afternoon, I was in so much pain I thought I might pass out. John took me to convenient care and my pulse had dropped to 28 and my blood pressure was a little elevated (my pulse and blood pressure go a bit psycho when I have any kind of infection). That low pulse got me sent straight to the ER... in a wheel chair. My test there for a UTI also came back normal. The ER doctor asked how much water I had been drinking and if I had done things like drink cranberry juice for the UTI. I proceeded to tell her that I had done any and everything I could find online to treat a UTI at home, which I started Thursday morning before going to see my doctor. Then she explained to me that the home remedies I had tried probably killed enough of the bacteria in me to make my urine clean enough not to show signs of a UTI, but the actual infection is in the tissue and home remedies are not strong enough. Often home remedies are just strong enough to mask what is going on when doctors run medical test, but are not generally strong enough to really treat series conditions. My lesson to be learned: No more home remediates for anything bigger than a mosquito bite for this family.

This week my hormones have also been a little out of whack. I was warned about, and was expecting this. It's made me tired, have hot flashes, and moody. Knowing why I'm having these issues has made it easier though. It takes some women up to 6 months to get the hormone thing sorted after a hysterectomy. My issues don't seem as severe as some of the stories I've heard others talk about, so I'm hoping it won't take quiet that long for me.

Other family news updates:
-We have had 2 people close to our family pass away in this last month. Austin was 18 and friends with Nia. Will volunteered with the youth. So, it seems to be hitting Nia the hardest. Although, it wasn't a shock when Austin died, he had been very sick for quiet some time, it's hard anytime someone so young dies. Will's death was very unexpected and learning about it was one of those moments when your heart drops to your stomach and you have no words to describe your exact thoughts.
-Cameron and Ember have both been sick with pneumonia this last week. Cameron seems to be all better now. However, although Ember has gotten better, he is still sick but will be back to the doctor tomorrow for a 15 month check up.
-Ember has decided that he will walk on carpet, but not elsewhere. Not on grass or wood floor. Not on linoleum or tile. Maybe it's the lack of softness incase he falls or the missing squishiness between his toes. On carpet, he is only walking now, otherwise he crawls or demands to be carried.
-Our 10 day bathroom renovation is now at the 2 and half month mark and the demo part of job finally got done this week! Hopes are not too high on the bathrooms getting done ever at this point. While the renovation has been going on, we have been living with my mother-in-law. Cameron still throws at least one fit a day about wanting to go home, otherwise the kids seem to have adjusted ok to the situation.


01 August 2014

2 Week Post-op Update

It's been 2 weeks since my surgery and I can never remember feeling better. Ever. This however, does make it a challenge to stay in bed. I start feeling pain when I've sat up for more than maybe half an hour at a time and I'm finding my daily limit right now is about 2 hours. Pass that amount and I'm not getting out of bed the next day. I was told that I should see a significant difference in this timing in another 2 or 3 weeks. I can also tell when my pain medication has worn off. I'm not in horrendous pain at that point, but I definitely want my next dose. John takes me on short drives about once a day and I can go on short walks.

What's hard for me right now...
1. My head is having a hard time processing feeling so much better than I have in years, but still needing rest and recover. I still have 6 weeks of recovery before the doctor said I should feel, "like a normal person." I'm really excited about that point in time. When I woke up from surgery, I felt better than I have felt in a long time and each day I get a little better.
2. I hear my babies crying and not being able to fix them and not being an active parent in general. It's tough listening to someone else put Ember to bed every night and  listening to him scream about it. Em has gone from only taking a step or two every few days to becoming a toddler that almost always walks in these last two weeks, and I've missed almost every moment of it. Cameron is being completely spoiled and getting away with murder. Cameron has jumped on my stomach twice (really painful, and could have been really serious) so I can't really be alone with him.
3. The girls, I am able to parent a little easier, but it's still tough. I can call for them, and they will come to me, but that's not really the same.
4. John's off work to take care of things at home. He has been able to pick up some side stuff, but it's a lot less money than if he were working his job.
5. Cabin fever.

What's awesome...
1. I have got more planning done for school this year than I have probably had done communicatively for the last 3 years.
2. I haven't had to cook a thing in 2 weeks, and I won't for another 6. I HATE cooking, but with a family of 6 I spend more time in the kitchen than anywhere else.
3. I've got to watch a lot of TV that I have picked myself. I don't usually get to do that.
4. The most awesome thing is the amount of time I've been able to spend with John just talking.