I’m back from the hospital. I’m a little bit sore, but feeling fine. I posted one update already, but tid disappeared. Hopefully, this will work better. Everything was uneventful. I’m taking Vicodin and trying to get lots of rest. Yesterday I felt great, but I’m starting to feel the bruising now.
I have no idea what my chest looks like, since they zipped me into the Shatner girdle while I was still unconscious. I won’t see it until at least my follow-up, which is in one week. The girdle won’t come off altogether for six weeks. No lifting, stooping, or bending for three weeks/month. (I didn’t know about the latter two, and they’re the most difficult restrictions.)
Thanks for the support and good wishes throughout, everyone.
Please take good care of yourself. Thanks for letting us know you’re doing okay.
No bending? I don’t think I’ve sat up straight since grade school. Good luck with that. Six weeks… it’s not that long. There’s a Good Eats marathon on the food network today. That’ll kill some time. =D
Please take good care of yourself.
The pain is helping with that. Yesterday I was all, “Fuck this shit! I want to go for a jog!” I was so restless I was actually pacing, and I didn’t take any Vicodin until eight hours post-op. Now, my entire chest hurts, especially my sternum and under my arms, and being laid up for a week is suddenly a much better prospect. I hope I didn’t accidentally damage anything yesterday–I was following the letter of the restrictions completely, even if I wasn’t completely immobile. I guess we’ll see.
No bending? I don’t think I’ve sat up straight since grade school. Good luck with that.
No bending over. I think I’m supposed to keep my torso upright, not inverted. Sitting hunched has got to be okay, since the binder makes straightening up a little painful.
There’s a Good Eats marathon on the food network today. That’ll kill some time. =D
Awesome! I also have Blue Velvet and Barton Fink courtesy of a friend. I’m hoping to buy another copy of Lolita–and see the movie as well as Mysterious Skin–as well.
Eek. I hope there are people around to pick things up for you.
I’m glad your surgery was uneventful. I hope your recovery is only eventful in ways that you want it to be eventful!
Hey piny! Glad to hear everything is going fine.
Those restrictions sound a bit, erm… restrictive. Maybe you can read lots of novels?
Best of luck with the recovery. If you need something long to read, check out Anthony Powell’s 12-volume Dance to the Music of Time; good stuff.
Wow. Uh, I gues don’t drop anything for the next three weeks?? Man, that is draconian.
Congratulations on the surgery part being over – happy to hear you made it to the recovery portion.
I’m glad things went well. Keep us updated.
And believe me, you don’t want to see your chest right now.
Glad to know it’s going well so far. Take care and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Someone IRL needs to go out and get you one of those grippers on a 2 foot long pole, the things used by old folks to reach and park litter cleaners.
I am glad you are as OK as can be expected.
#10 was me, pressed “enter” too soon.
I’m glad things went well. Keep us updated.
Will do.
And believe me, you don’t want to see your chest right now.
Yeah, I’m guessing not. At the moment, from this side of the binder, it looks almost exactly the same. I think the swelling is just that bad. I just hope it works. From what I’ve seen online, lipo offers no guarantees.
Oh, and the post you did last night (under the influence?) was a bit screwy — somehow it got posted under Lauren’s name, and it wasn’t allowing comments. It was also doing weird things to the site. Lauren may have removed it.
Hey, I was completely sober!
But I’m glad it got straightened out. I have no idea why it showed up under her name.
It was a little confusing. I was thinking that BlogHer had to be pretty stressful if she was taking drugs.
No bending or stooping? How on earth can you get dressed?
I dunno. It’s very easy to tell when I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing, though, so I’m just gonna move normally but slowly and stop when my incisions order me to.
Hope you have people to help you with day to day stuff. Good Luck
Hey, congratulations. Hope the recovery is quick and relatively painless.
I’ll add my congrats. Good luck with the next six weeks…i don’t envy the not being able to do anything.
Oh, so good to hear you’re home and working on the recovery part already!
Don’t watch the Lolita film before the book. I couldn’t get Jeremy Irons out of my head while reading and it made me more sympathetic for Humbert than I wanted to be. (Next up, I’ll see the Kubrick version.) Also, consider buying the annotated Lolita, which apparently had considerable input from Nabokov. It helped me understand Nabokov better, though it did make reading a more academic process.
Take care. And, surely ice cream or chocolate is part of the cure regimen, right?
Thinking of you and eager for updates. Rest well!
Wishing you as painless of a recovery as possible.
I could never decide if I hated pain or painkillers more. Hopefully it’s less of a conflict for you.
Take it easy. I can appreciate that you’re totally antsy right now, but you’ll feel much better sooner if you take it easy.
Ok, I’m done being your mom for now.
So glad to hear you’re doing all right. Take it easy, be well, and enjoy your reading!
Ah I haven’t said anything about this yet though I meant to on one of your pre-surgery posts… anyway I’m glad to hear you’re doing well, and since surgery sucks here’s some compliments just for kicks: you are hands-down one of my favorite bloggers, your writing is eloquent and smart and moderate not in terms of political views, but because it never seems reactionary or knee-jerk like some liberals (though not as many as conservatives) sometimes seem… like, I always get the sense you’ve thought things out very thoroughly, and I find it really impressive. I always feel like I learn from your blogging, not so much about the issues themselves because I tend to agree with you already, but about thinking things through rigorously.
So, good luck, and never underestimate the power of literature (or trashy trashy fiction, or nonfiction) to help along a recovery. Heh, when you finish Lolita, you should post for book recs. Forget abortion, forget gay rights–nothing gets blog commentors’ blood boiling more than arguing over book recs.
(I kid. But only somewhat).
Feel better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you get all not-sore quickly!
And *snicker* at Shatner-girdle. The Kirk impressions should lead ot whole minutes of entertainment!
Get well soon, and hopefully the results will be what you have been wanting. That Shatner girdle sounds none too comfortable…
Glad to hear surgery went well, and good luck with yr recovery. Are you supposed to sleep without lying down flat? If you are, 10,000 pillows — especially under the knees — can help.
Ack! I’m reading Lolita for the first time (thank you, blogosphere) and I don’t recommend it for people that feel yucky. Academic criticisms aside, it’s pretty gross.
Hope you’re feeling better soon.