On Tuesday, I wrote this in my prayer journal:
“Lord, please help me to find the line between rest and lazy.”
The next day, I received a card from one of the ladies in my circle. In it she wrote:
“I pray you continue to feel stronger and better every day! Be extra gentle with yourself . . . and don’t push too hard. It seems a lot of surgeries are more involved than imagined. Give yourself permission to rest without guilt. Soon you’ll be ready for the beach!
Yesterday, I went for my second plastic surgery post-op, put away a few things on the back porch (while FirstHusband filled two garbage bags from even more stuff on the back porch) and went to PinkGirl’s 1/2 hour Cheer Camp performance.
Then? I laid down for a few minutes and woke up 3 hours later. When I woke up, FirstHusband told me that FavoriteSon’s Middle School State Track Meet would be webcast this morning. We decided that I should stay home and watch it on the internet instead of spend the day at a track meet, over an hour from home.
I was disappointed and told him so. I said,
“I just thought I’d be a little more active by now. It’s been two weeks. I spend a few hours out of the house and need a three hour nap? What’s that about?”
FirstHusband picked up my friend’s card and read,
“Be extra gentle with yourself . . . and don’t push too hard. It seems a lot of surgeries are more involved than imagined.”
sigh.
So, I’m home this morning, watching a webcast of FavoriteSon’s track meet. Isn’t the internet cool?
In other news:
My GYN post-op was Wednesday. Turns out my uterus was 138 grams and filled with polyps and fibroid tumors. A normal uterus weighs 70 grams. My friend wins, though, her uterus was FOUR times as large as normal. She had her hysterectomy the month before I did and I saw her yesterday. She looks and feels GREAT. I’ll catch up.
But the BIG news for me?
I got the second drain out yesterday!!!!! YEAAHHHHHHH!
I am SOOOOO happy about this. REALLY happy! REALLY, REALLY HAPPY!!!!
and
I can now take a shower using TWO hands instead of one! (no more holding the drain)
I get to drive my van for the first time this Monday!
I can’t do ANY strength training for another month.
I CAN walk – no restrictions on that, so I’ll soon be updating my exercise log again.
I still have to wear a compression binder for another month.
My stitches look really good. I’m starting Mederma and Vitamin E moisturizer.
I’ve lost at least 10 pounds since the day before my surgery and I still have a lot of swelling.
Baby steps, baby steps.
Yes, BE PATIENT!! There’s a lot going on “behind the scenes”, so to speak, in your body. It takes a lot of energy for the body to heal itself. If you’re using up the energy doing stuff, it’s going to make it more difficult. Rest, walk, rest, walk, rest. Do not go running all over town. And even when you’re cleared to drive, that doesn’t mean full speed ahead and go back to being Taxi Mom. It uses more internally than you realize.
Glad things are going well – please be patient 🙂
Yeah for healing and having more freedom!! I totally agree with the card–it’s only been two weeks! They CUT INTO MAJOR MUSCLES, woman!! After my c-section, which is pretty darn close to what you had, I wasn’t up to regular speed for 3-4 weeks….so please, cut you and your body a break! And yeah, when you overdo your body will very quickly let you know!
Giving M & M sorters like ourselves permission to rest is the greatest gift. M & M sorters like ourselves learning to receive such a gift is priceless.
So glad you’re feeling a little better–and extra glad you’re listening to your body. It’s one of the hardest things to do. We place such expectations on ourselves, more than we would on our children if they’d had surgery, and don’t understand why we seem to never feel quite up to par.
Lazy shouldn’t even be a part of your vocabulary for at least 6 weeks.