Monday, March 05, 2012

30 Days

As I write this very, very late on Sunday night (although many would call this Monday morning), it has been 30 days since my surgery. I have often bemoaned the ridiculously quick passage of time that happens after one reaches a certain age, but when it comes to post-surgery, I'm all for it.
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There are stages that you go through in post-surgery and that worst one was horrible but, it too, passed after a decent night's sleep. That very worst stage is a feeling of deep depression, but because my whole system is anti-THAT, it lasted just a few hours before I fell asleep. Plus I think I had some mild insanity from stopping the heavy pain killers, which I did pretty early. I remember one night, mashed into my pillow, on my back, of course, and feeling like my hair was attacking my head and was going to swallow my face. It was so overwhelming I was thinking I should get a buzz cut.
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Last Tuesday, I tied my shoes and was so proud like a four-year-old and was telling everyone, "I tied my shoes today!" Speaking of Tuesdays, that's when I do my physical therapy. The girl was working on turning my arm out and I told her my arm didn't do that much turning out to begin with and that I was far more interested in turning my arm in. I will never be fully independent again until I can hook my bra. My neighbor hooks my bra for me on Tuesdays (Thanks Carole!). And My Sweetie does it on the weekend when we go out.
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And we have gone out the last two weekends and it was nice to get out. I even got new shoes. It felt good to do normal stuff. I still have a long way to go to get full function in my left arm, but I can aways do a little bit more every day and I like that. Life is good and time passes and right now, time passing is not a bad thing.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe you should get a front hook bra, then you wouldn't have to do the arm turning.

VioletSky said...

I was going to suggest that.
Healing takes time, don't rush it. But I'd loved to have seen you excitedly tell people you tied your shoes all by yourself!

Anonymous said...

I was going to say "why wear a bra at all?" but the front hook bra that the others suggested sounds like a better suggestion. Squirrels really aren't very good at these things.

Anonymous said...

I think post surgery and post trauma depression is something the medical profession devotes too little time to. You have been 'violated' when you've had surgery, after all.
Anyway, glad you are doing well.

geewits said...

Jazz, Violet and LGS,
~~Funny you guys were all thinking about the bra. I figured out a way to put it on. As for buying a front hook? It took me thirty years to find a bra I love, and I bought FIVE. I imagine it would take me another thirty years to find a front hook bra I like. And VioletSky, "don't rush it" is almost exactly what the physical therapist said to me today.

Ian,
~No kidding! I should have been in some sort of Post Traumatic Care after my father died.