February 2, 2005

Tomorrow marks six months since my surgery.

Things that are good:

I can lay on my stomach without feeling pressure on my bladder.

I can sleep through the night without getting up to go to the bathroom

I can go more than three hours without going to the bathroom

My cyclical IBS has gone away completely

My energy has returned

My weight has not changed

Things that are not as good:

I still get cyclical acne (I had that before)

I still bleed (though certainly not nearly as much as I used to)

I now need lubrication for sex

What really makes me feel like I'm through my recovery period is that I've had lots more energy. It's not like I bounce out of bed in the morning (I've never felt like that, I'm not a morning person), but these past two weeks have been really jam-packed and I made it through without feeling exhuasted and cranky. That's a huge step forward for me. Between the work pressures (I've been working from home at night for the past few weeks), my dog has been sick and back and forth to the vet, my weekend volunteer work, and just plain no chance to sleep in or go to bed early I've managed to keep a handle on everything.

Now things, I think, are going to calm down. And I'll get back to my regular schedule. Very cool.

Posted by Elizabeth M. at 7:13 PM

February 10, 2005

Yup, got my period this morning.

It's barely a period, really.

In other news, I feel just fine. I'm starting to do all those things I'd limited before. Like carrying things. Grocery bags, dog food bags and of course laundry baskets.

I'm getting all dressed up this weekend to go to a formal cocktail/dinner thing for my husband's work. I went through my dresses to find something appropriate and found a black velvet and chiffon number I wore for the millenium. Good news ... it still fits! It's a size 6 too. Not my normal size, I think I really wear an 8 because I have huge shoulders, but it's sleeveless, so I can fit into the smaller size.

Posted by Elizabeth M. at 2:56 PM

February 16, 2005

I've come across a nasty disease. I haven't the foggiest what it is but I've got it.

It seems to be going around, several friends I saw last weekend socially have the same malady at the moment.

It started on Friday night with a sore throat. So I had some tea and I went to bed early.

I woke up in the morning with a tight chest, full of fluid. Sometimes this is caused by a bad allergy attack in the night that gives me asthma. So I carried on and went off on my social engagements. That evening I got a few little twinges that it was not a mere asthma attack. My lungs did not clear and a flush came over me several times.

I took my temperature, but it was normal, but I went to bed anyway around eleven.

The next morning it was obvious I was sick. The chest congestion was now productive and bright orange, foul tasting and giving me a frightful wheeze. So I got up early, showered and called my doctor's office. I'm fortunate to have a primary care doctor who has weekend hours. They're probably not the best doctors in the world but they see lots of patients and are reasonable and of course so accommodating to fit me in when I'm sick.

So, I went in when they opened and they confirmed that I had a fever (only 100 at the time) and some light congestion in my upper airways.

A bunch of prescriptions - zithromax for the lungs (though no confirmation that it is bacterial but with people with compromised lungs, we weren't willing to take a chance). Some advair for my lungs to ease the irritation and swelling. Some allergy pills. Some cough suppresant (phenergan).

The fever seemed to peak on Tuesday early morning at 102.4. I've been alternating between ibuprofen and tylenol for the fever and aches.

I have no idea what this is. It started in the lungs, which is quite unlike a cold. Maybe it's a flu, so the antibiotics will only keep me from getting worse, and the rest of it is up to my own system.

This, of course, has nothing to do with my hysterectomy. I get bronchitis usually every other year, but I did have it last year around this time. The only bearing it has on my recovery is that I've been coughing so hard and working my abdominal muscles so much that my belly is swollen and tender again. But I hardly notice that pain on top of the way the fever makes my hands arthritic and my back ache with every inhale.

I've been off work the whole week so far. I'm hoping to feel well enough to go in tomorrow. I have relatives coming to visit tomorrow for the long weekend, so I must get myself feeling better.

For now I'm bound to couch and bed, drinking a gallon of water a day.

Posted by Elizabeth M. at 12:18 PM

February 21, 2005

Now that the bronchitis is just about gone I'm feeling pretty much normal.

Yesterday I drove up to Ojai to see my mother for lunch and I wore jeans. I know, it seems a little silly to even mention such things, but I wore jeans, knowing full well that I'd be in the car for 90 minutes each way. And it wasn't an issue in the slightest. I can now wear jeans without worrying about my incision site getting irritated.

The coughing has abated enough that my belly is returning nearly to normal, though there's still a little tenderness because I was coughing a lot. The big change I made this year with my bronchitis over last year was that I made special efforts to cough and support my belly and to be aligned properly. I blame last year's problem with the torn intercostals with trying to be polite and turn away from people when I coughed. This time I just turn around completely instead of contorting my chest.

Today was a holiday from work and I'm grateful for that. I spent the day lazily making efforts to clean up the spare room in the house which is supposed to be my office. I filed about a year and a half's worth of bank statements. That's a huge accomplishment right there. I even made a folder for my hysterectomy. Not that there's much in there, just the paperwork from the hospital and my HR department's forms.

Tomorrow it's back to work.

Posted by Elizabeth M. at 10:12 PM