Shoulder surgery day 4

Could this possibly only be day 4? I think last night definitely counts as the worst yet. After some delicious tacos and two episodes of Reilly, Ace of Spies I was rudely awaken by serious nausea. Managed to throw up on my My Little Pony tray table but I was still hooked up to my ice machine so I couldn't run to the bathroom. This continued until I had thrown up a total of 6 times. It is at that point I decided no more meds until I felt stable. By noon I could keep some yogurt down so I took 5mg of oxycodone after taking nothing for 12 hours. Caffeine was also making me nauseous so I've been fighting a mean caffeine withdrawal headache.
Once I was able to keep some food in my stomach, I took a ciesta for the afternoon. Woke up, did more pt, more ice. Then I looked outside to see my best friend Claire dropping something off at the door. What a sweetie, a care package. She must have read my mind because in my shape im not much for conversation. But now I've got this little guy to keep me company. Thanks Beagles! Thank you everyone for your texts, love and prayers!

Shoulder surgery day 3

Couldn't sleep this morning from 4-6am. Tried to have some coffee with breakfast around noon but it made me nauseous. I've been soooo groggy all day I just keep falling asleep after everything I do. Guess its all catching up with me after all.
Kevin fashioned a hairtie clipped to a safety pin as a means of keeping track of my right sleeve. Nothing worse than waking up with your sleeve tightly wrapped around your bicep and no physical way of freeing it. I also feels bit silly wearing a cotton glove on my left hand but I need it ok. Hand Keeps losing circulation in the sling.
I'm learning to just be today. If I'm drinking tea, I can't read a book too. If I'm blogging, I can't eat or pet the dog. I just have to do one thing at a time. For anyone who knows me, you will understand how terrifying a notion it really is. I miss using a pen, weird as that is. I've been dreaming up new dresses and outfits to make but I can't draw so they're stuck in my brain for the time being.
Kevin had to go get more ice again. He picked up a Real Simple for me. I think I'll read it tomorrow when he takes Max for a bath. That should be an adventure.
Yes, in fact that is a leopard print blanket from Tijuana, what about it?

Shoulder surgery day 2

I woke up around 12:30 am to the ice maker again. Kev ran out last night to buy ice since our fridge ice maker is slow, but we forgot to turn it off. Slept till 3:45, lots of pain, then pills at 4 and turned on the gameready. Dog bothered me until I got kevin up to feed him. Please set an alarm tomorrow. Up again at 8, slept through till noon, nice! Took my first shower around 2:30. I only have 4 x shaped stitches which don't look too bad. More painful PT after and then resting while Kevin ran to the pharmacy again. Now I'm just browsing etsy for vintage buttons for one of my sweaters. Dog is asleep next to me. Husband is heating up some homemade pizza from our party last week. It's going to be a good night, I have a good feeling. I think we're both settling into our new roles. It's hard yo do nothing, but the pain is quite enough to discourage any unnecessary moving around.

Shoulder surgery day 1

The first official day after surgery started with a significant amount of pain at 4am. My pill schedule is 4-8-12 so we stayed up until midnight and try to sleep till 8. Max is used to being fed when my alarm goes off so He was significantly disappointed when I took my pills and went back to sleep. After realizing I only had enough pain meds to last through Sunday, I spent a while trying to get a refill and Kevin had to drive to the nearest office to pick it up in person. My first home PT was so painful I cried. I think that surprised me, though it shouldn't have.

Shoulder surgery D-day

I got up at 8:30 to finish some work and try to (partially successfully) set auto replies on my work webmail. I needed to be at the surgery center by 11:30, so we showered and left by 10:45. I brought with me the "gunslinger" sling and my mountain of paperwork. I was surprised at how quickly they called me in to undress and cozy up in my hospital bed. Soon after my nurse inserted the IV into my right hand, she called int husband to wait with me. That was about noon. Soon after another nurse came in to do a first wash on my arm. She even warmed the solution but it was still weird to have someone essentially exfoliating your skin and underarm. Then the rep from genesis gave us a rundown of the game ready ice machine we rented. After he left the anesthesiologist asked some questions and went over the procedures. He was really sincere and compassionate. I knew I was in good hands. Dr Colville showed up at about 1 to mark my arm with an x and explain the general procedure again. Once I was wheeled into the OR I movedyself onto the operating table, had a short conversation about my purple hair and don't remember anything until I woke u in the recovery room with my arm in the sling and the ice machine on. I was really groggy and could barely see anything. The nurse asked about my
Pain level and gave me 5 mg of oxycodone, then shortly after devouring some applesauce another 5. When asked about my pain again (it hadn't gone down at all) she gave me delaudid. Pain dropped to a tolerable level almost immediately but when the Dr tried to debrief me on the surgery I couldn't keep my eyes open. He understood and explained everything to my husband. About 20 minutes later after they knew I was stable they let me get dressed and wheeled me out to the parking garage. The delaudid was essential for getting home. Every you bump would have been miserable otherwise. I was surprised at the level of pain despite many warnings by the nurses and docs, and needed to take 10mg oxycodone every 4 hours. The nurses also recommend eating something bland the first night after anesthesia. We had Kevins delicious potato soup with kale.
So everyone in the hospital will tell you it's best to sleep in a recliner. What if you don't have one? We used pillows. 10-15 is probably the number. I can't see them but I know they are there. It's really only comfortable to sleep upright partially because you lose feeling in your fingers if your hand is tilted up at night....and partially because it just hurts to move period. Laying upright on the couch really limits your options for moving around.

Shoulder surgery day -1

Trying to wrap things up at work and with post - ASCE conference obligations was more work than I thought it would be. At the end of the day, though, you have to just hand things over and pick it back up when you return. I plan to be off for about a month, longer than I've ever missed work.
Evening came, not without a bit of tension. I think for all I tried to stay calm, my husband and I both felt a knot of anxiety about the unknowns. We realized what was at play quickly and were back on the same team. He made a big meal (can't eat or drink after midnight) and polished it off with some Pinot grigio and 2 episodes of Lost.

Thanksgiving is about being thankful

When I saw this message in my inbox from Michael's Craft stores, I felt ashamed for the nation.

Ashamed at our tolerance of corporate greed that would remove families from being together on our only National Holiday dedicated to giving thanks.

I fondly remember a community college professor who taught me United States History during the summer between my Junior and Senior years in high school. This man was a Lincoln fanatic. No other person on the earth seemed equally qualified as him to teach the importance of Lincoln's contributions to America. I remember distinctly what I learned about Thanksgiving:


In 1863 Lincoln made Thanksgiving a National Holiday. In the depths of the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed that the nation needs to be thankful for the "bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come..." Lincoln goes on to establish a day of giving thanks: "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, ..., to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." The purpose of Lincoln's Thanskgiving was to take a moment to ask God "...to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it... to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union." "Proclamation of Thanksgiving (October 3, 1863)". Abraham Lincoln Online. Retrieved 2010-11-24. 

Though Lincoln himself was clearly a follower of God,  his message resonates even if you aren't. Because whatever your faith, you can still probably give thanks for many things. Give thanks for the men who fought in the Civil War, or the men who are fighting current wars in the Middle East, far from their families, stuffed birds and delicious pie this weekend. Give thanks for your family, your friends, your job, your "bounties". Give thanks for pumpkin pie and a well deserved day off. 

Give thanks to whoever you want, for whatever you want, but take a moment to be grateful.

Secondly, don't shop this weekend. Be thankful for what you already have. Because the pre lit Christmas tree, the holiday ribbon Bow-Tique, the American Girl crafts and the Crayola activity kits you were going to buy, they can wait.