Surgery #2 and an Unexpected Surprise

I am happy to report that surgery #2 was a success!!!! This time I felt so much more prepared and at least I knew what to expect, except for the delay. Unfortunately Dr. Feldman's 1st surgery ran late and mine didn't start until 3 hours later...needless to say, I was STARVING!!!! I saw a lot of old faces from the first one too and that made me feel even more comfortable.

The days that followed were very similar, A LOT of pain on the first day, a lot of itching (as a result of the meds), drowsiness, dizziness and all that good stuff. But there were also a lot of the great things from the first one, visitors that brought me yummy food and TLC...Thanks Jess for my Mexican food, Dorothy for Crumbs' cupcakes, Vero for my Get Well Teddy Bear...and also all the beautiful flowers from other wonderful friends...

At home, the first few days were really tough too, just getting used to my strong meds again, the dizziness, and how much they affect your belly. Oh man, getting up the stairs coming home was hard again, how easily the body forgets LOL. After 3 pretty crappy days, today has been a much better day!!! Feel like myself again, just with a cast at the end of my right leg. And my left foot is behaving so nicely, all new and strong, supporting the weight of my body with no complaints.

I feel like a weight has been lifted, like I pulled the band-aid. The surgery is done and now it's just my way to recovery. I already go see Dr. Feldman to remove the first cast and the stitches next Thursday and before I know it, I'll be walking again.

And in the midst of all this craziness, I got the best news...I got the job!!! I cannot even start to describe how excited I am! Things were really meant to be!!!! My original surgery date was September 20 and then Dr. Feldman's office changed it to the 22nd. And instead, I had a first interview on the 20th and a second interview on the 21st. And they loved me (Why wouldn't they? I am pretty fabulous!)! They're going to wait until I recover so my start date is December 1. I am so so happy that I don't have to look for a job as I start to get better, that I have an even better commute than I had before, I get my own office, and most importantly, I get to do what I really really enjoy.

So I guess the lesson here is to keep your head up, just as you are struggling in life (i.e. pain), God has a plan for you and he might surprise you at the end of the day with something totally unexpected :)

My aunt, visiting from Brazil, got tired of the waiting too and decided to take a nap LOL

Week 2: So far so good!

Time flies...I can't believe it has already been 2 weeks since my surgery. Since I've been home, I've only been outside once, last Saturday when it was nice and sunny out. But it was such a hassle to get me and the wheelchair outside that I haven't really bothered to go back. I guess the fact that I am a homebody comes in really handy right now...I definitely don't have cabin fever yet, I'm actually still enjoying myself (knock on wood this lasts). I'm staying in my parents' room where I get to see the backyard, an apple tree (and the blue bird that visits it everyday), and most importantly, sunlight. This may be a huge reason as to why I don't feel so caged in.

It's also been pretty busy for me that I haven't really looked at the pile of gossip magazines in the corner, or read my books, or watched the DVD's I made sure to have, or listen to the CD's many friends have given me. Most of my time consists of emailing or talking on the phone with my sisters in Brazil (which happens to be very entertaining) or hanging out, emailing and talking to friends and family who come to visit me. The house is constantly decorated with beautiful flowers I've received, which I am so grateful for.

There are definitely a few things that I have had to get used to, like sleeping on my back, which I have never been able to do until now, or what a process showering has become (I can't just walk in and do it on my own). I also need to get used to keeping my foot up at all times...before the surgery, I would never do that because I would always feel numbness on my left foot and that is something that is still bothering me a lot now. At least before I could try stretching my foot or my toes, now I can only adjust the pillows I rest my foot on or let my foot drop for a couple of minutes.

The itching all over my body that I started to feel in the hospital is still bothering me. So much so that my mom started to give me water with vinegar and sugar (an old recipe from when she was a kid) to help and I've started to feel better. Right now, the thing that is definitely the most uncomfortable (TMI ALERT) is just how hard it is to regulate my stomach. The medication I am on is so strong that it "blocks" me so I have to take Milk of Magnesia and eat lots of fiber to "release" me...anyway, making a long story short, it's just hard to find a balance.

The nurse and physical therapist were back this week and I was assigned my first set of homework that I need to do twice a day. While the therapy seems pretty simple, it's crazy how tired I can get from so little exercise.Thankfully, the pain is still under control with taking the meds every 6 hours. I have felt some annoying tingling sensation on the back of my foot, the part that rests on the pillow.

I am truly fortunate to have my parents who help me so much and are doing everything for me. I don't even know how I would be able to go through with this process without their help. As thankful as I am, I also miss my home and most importantly, I miss being with John. We dated long distance for 4 years before we moved in and now we're kind of back to that again. I know it's only temporary but I just wish CT and NJ were closer.