Human Again

Nine days post-op

Today is the first day that I really feel human again.  I had an early start this morning waking at 6am, then had the usual hospital interruptions each half hour as I tried to doze back to sleep to have a bit of a sleep in. I started off rough, though through the span of time between 6 and 9:30 the little naps seem to have done the trick.  I've just started to get a little weary (it's 2:30pm) which isn't too bad at all really considering that this is the first day I've really been awake and alert for five hours straight.  In that time I also went for a walk and had a small physio session, gotten up two other times, showered and had lunch which are activities that usually require nap time after them.  It looks like improvements are starting to come more quickly, so I hope that I'm on that upward swing with the strength in my legs as well.

Best of all, the depression waves seem to be staying away today.  I am still a little all over the place emotionally and this may well just be hormonal (yes - freaking unlucky I say), though a small amount of depression when things aren't working the way that they are supposed to would have to be quite normal I should think add the hormones in and hey presto, a recipe for a crazy woman.

The physios have been a really positive influence on my mood.  I wasn't expecting that.  Not that I have anything against physios - I love mine that I have been seeing for years, I was just wary about the hospital system and just how much support would be provided to me.  I think the biggest issue I've had so far is my own expectations and how these were influenced pre-operatively.  I really thought by day 9, I'd be learning crutches, not still how to get out of bed with one assist (rather than the two I was using yesterday or when tired and ready for meds at 6 this morning).  There is absolutely no way on earth that I was only going to be in here 7 - 10 days.  Maybe that was always just the rehab component and I got something wrong, but I don't know.  I'd over estimated it to two weeks, though in reality it will be three weeks or just over.

I'm having some visitors for a little while this afternoon and then hopefully I'll get a restful night sleep tonight.  I think that really is the big thing that is missing and causing most of the issues now - lack of good sleep.  The big issue is how difficult it is to move to get comfortable and not being able to sleep on my side which is how I have slept for the last twenty years.  Apparently the restrictions will reduce at some point, hopefully once I can actually get into that position as I'm not quite sure how to stop myself doing that in my sleep.  It's pretty easy right now as there isn't any way to get into that position without rolling assistance and I'm sure someone will tell me once it becomes a concern.