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I've been home for a bit more than 24 hours now. Patrick brought me home, we got back around 7pm I think. He was swell: bought me some foam wedges for my bed so I could sleep on my back. Brought some pillows along for the ride. Basically babied me the whole way. Dropped of my Rxs so mother could get them later. Because not only am I recovering from thoracic surgery, I am apparently
"homebound" — I can't drive at all. I can't lift anything heavier than 8-10 pounds. I have to learn how to roll out of bed and into bed because I can't use my arms for anything. I had NO IDEA that recovery was going to be like this. None.
So I've decided that I'm taking short-term disability. If I can't freaking drive, I'm not going to hunker over my laptop if I don't have to. I will do my very best to baby my chest. The thing I am the most worried about is getting in and out of bed, and of coughing. I keep picturing John Hurt in Alien:
I really would like to keep my sternum intact, thanks!
Anyway, I have moderate pain. I've been mostly taking Tylenol in the daytime, and oxycodone and lidocaine patches at night. I haven't really slept well. Even here at home I think I got five hours between 10pm and 8am. I keep coughing and waking myself up (because coughing really freaking hurts and because John Hurt). The bed wedges are great, but I still haven't found a way to be comfortable on my back. I suppose I will figure it out. I'm probably not to the point where I need to buy a recliner so I can sleep. Really wish I already had one, though! Would probably have done so had I known.
Because I am homebound, I have a visiting nurse and visiting physical therapist. They both came for initial eval today. They both thought I was doing great, and that I probably wouldn't need much by way of follow-up. I have two follow-up appointments with my surgeons. I probably need to set up a primary care doctor's appointment.
Mostly I need to figure out something productive I can do with the next couple of weeks. I need to start walking while I'm recovering; it's the number one recommended activity. But I won't be able to do a ton at first. SO that's going to leave a lot of free time where I can't do anything really productive. I mean, I can't wash floors, vacuum, do laundry, grocery shop, anything. So it needs to be quiet and sedentary but engrossing.
Probably I'll read. Sigh!
Here it is, although not all of it. It's about 9 inches long. With the bruising it kind of looks like a gekko right now. It's got dermabond all over it so it looks pretty angry.
Patrick thinks I should get a fab tattoo. Maybe I'll finally develop a scarf-wearing habit! The disease that's killing all the vamps in True Blood gives them a pretty little veiny-looking structure when they get exposed to the disease. Maybe I can think of it like that.
"homebound" — I can't drive at all. I can't lift anything heavier than 8-10 pounds. I have to learn how to roll out of bed and into bed because I can't use my arms for anything. I had NO IDEA that recovery was going to be like this. None.
So I've decided that I'm taking short-term disability. If I can't freaking drive, I'm not going to hunker over my laptop if I don't have to. I will do my very best to baby my chest. The thing I am the most worried about is getting in and out of bed, and of coughing. I keep picturing John Hurt in Alien:
I really would like to keep my sternum intact, thanks!
Anyway, I have moderate pain. I've been mostly taking Tylenol in the daytime, and oxycodone and lidocaine patches at night. I haven't really slept well. Even here at home I think I got five hours between 10pm and 8am. I keep coughing and waking myself up (because coughing really freaking hurts and because John Hurt). The bed wedges are great, but I still haven't found a way to be comfortable on my back. I suppose I will figure it out. I'm probably not to the point where I need to buy a recliner so I can sleep. Really wish I already had one, though! Would probably have done so had I known.
Because I am homebound, I have a visiting nurse and visiting physical therapist. They both came for initial eval today. They both thought I was doing great, and that I probably wouldn't need much by way of follow-up. I have two follow-up appointments with my surgeons. I probably need to set up a primary care doctor's appointment.
Mostly I need to figure out something productive I can do with the next couple of weeks. I need to start walking while I'm recovering; it's the number one recommended activity. But I won't be able to do a ton at first. SO that's going to leave a lot of free time where I can't do anything really productive. I mean, I can't wash floors, vacuum, do laundry, grocery shop, anything. So it needs to be quiet and sedentary but engrossing.
Probably I'll read. Sigh!
Here it is, although not all of it. It's about 9 inches long. With the bruising it kind of looks like a gekko right now. It's got dermabond all over it so it looks pretty angry.
Patrick thinks I should get a fab tattoo. Maybe I'll finally develop a scarf-wearing habit! The disease that's killing all the vamps in True Blood gives them a pretty little veiny-looking structure when they get exposed to the disease. Maybe I can think of it like that.
