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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Post-Op Update

Sorry it took me almost a week to update you on my surgery. It was just so NICE taking a break. From dirty diapers, from baby wrangling, and yes, even from blogging.

So here's the low-down: I'm home, I'm recovering wonderfully, and my arms ache to carry around my babies again. Jacob has been back to nursing since Saturday afternoon - about 27 hours after I went into surgery, and a good 3 hours past the 24-hour wait-time instructed by the hospital to get the drugs and anesthesia outta my system. He was just in agony without me and absolutely would not take a bottle.

Stubborn German much?

Somehow I knew I would be back to nursing him quickly, and would not need the prescription narcotic painkillers (anybody want a prescription for Percoset?). If I can have two kids naturally without any drugs - including Lily's 31.5 hour labor - I can certainly recover from gall bladder surgery with just a few Tylenol.

Ryan and my mom and Aunt Ilse and Ryan's mom have been on baby lifting duty since last week. At the beginning, I enjoyed getting waited on and hardly noticed when little bottoms stunk to high heaven, but now I strangely find myself eager to get back to my quiet little life with my sweet little stinkers (Ryan included). It seems I don't have a very high, "Can you please do this?" and, "Can you please get that?" threshold, and have been secretly doing more than I'm supposed to when no one's looking. Ssshh don't tell Aunt Ilse.

Stubborn German much?

I have four small sets of stitches on my belly: one just beneath my belly button, one about four inches higher, and two to the right of those. The largest, most bruised incision where they actually removed my gall bladder hurts the most. And when I sneeze, cough, or laugh, the area where my gall bladder used to be hurts like crazy and feels like it's going to come flying out through my Steri-strips.

I still can't pick up anything heavy or reach my right arm high to get things, but I'm walking around fine, albeit slowly, and am recovering quite nicely. I'm not allowed to drive for another week, and have no idea how I'm going to manage next week when all my helpers leave and I have to lift and carry and wipe little tushies and manage the household all by myself.

Think the surgeon will yell at me for driving myself to my post-op appointment next week and carrying both kids into the office? Yeah, maybe I should think that one through a little more...

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

ssshhhh....don't tell aunt ilse. how funny is that? so you think i didn't know without you telling me and without my being there that you were doing too much?? hey - us germans may be stubborn but we are quite smart. love auntie ilse

Brent and Abigail said...

so glad you're recovering quickly. how nice to have all that help. hope you can carry around two kids next week and not feel any pain.

Amanda said...

Glad you are feeling much better - just take it easy - I would be milkin' it if I were you...hehe ;) Oh, and your Aunt Ilse CRACKS ME UP.!!! Miss you! :)

Bethany Erber said...

umm... I actually WOULD like that percoset because sometimes I sleep on my neck wrong and it is SO PAINFUL that I feel paralyzed and I can't move without being in terrible pain.. it doesn't happen often, but when it does.. wow.. last time it happened I had some leftover meds from when I had my wisdom teeth out.. but used it up with the neck "injury". ha... glad you're feeling better though!! =)