Non Sequitur Box

Today is exactly two weeks post-op! I am able to telework, but I haven’t tried driving yet. I am completely off the oxycodone, but I take Tylenol and ice regularly. My weight today was back to 105.8lbs (pre-op range)! I poop regularly again (anyone who has been backed up knows the relief and joy of this simple function). I have been cleared to walk and bike, but I’m not supposed to lift or do any exercise that could put my repair at risk. My white steri-strips are now off, and I have four tiny scars. I’m so happy I can bike and walk. I usually either walk 3-7 miles at a 3.0-4.0 mph pace or walk a mile to the gym, bike for 30-45 min, and walk home. I miss lifting, but Bam threatened that he wouldn’t take care of me if I messed up my repair. I won’t lift until I’m cleared to do so!  Mentally, I’m telling all the food intake to help repair my shoulder. In my previous experience with injuries, it always helps to fuel myself for recovery. If I don’t, then I risk a longer recovery time o...

Day 6: First Walk/Bike After my post-op, I walked a mile to the gym to bike for a really easy 44 mins (10 mins at level 1, 30 mins at level 5, 4 mins at level 1–all light). It was very pretty outside, so walking a mile to/fro the gym was actually very pleasant. I was happy to finally move more. Day 7: Miralax Took an oxycodone this morning, answered emails, did some light telework. Buying a 100ft Ethernet cable was a bit overkill, but I don’t have to worry about where I want to work in the condo. Bam got another desk, so we can both work from home. I iced a few times. I couldn’t get a bowel movement this morning, and I was still feeling really blocked up/bloated/painful, so I walked to the gym, biked 40 mins, walked to Target, bought some Powderlax (Up and Up brand of Miralax/polyethylene glycol), and walked home. I was hoping the return to activity would make me more regular, but, alas, no. The Powderlax did wonders at home! 💩💩💩 Day 8: Walk Took another oxycodone last night while I...

I was lucky enough to be able to eat right after surgery. I started with water and applesauce, and I progressed from there. The below is not an all-encompassing list of what I ate, but it is the major points of what I’ve been eating (trying to eat mostly healthy, going off memory below). I hear that what you eat can help you heal faster. Surgery day: Water, applesauce, cauliflower pizza [106-113 lbs] Day 1: Water, pita bread with egg, Factor meal (chicken with veggies), salmon with quinoa and asparagus [111-113 lbs] Day 2: Water, pita bread with hummus, Factor meal (pork with veggies), fresh fruit, salad (and pizza) [111-113 lbs] Day 3: Water, fruit, espresso, Special K protein cereal, Factor meal (salmon)  [110-112 lbs] Day 4: Water, saltines, oatmeal with berries, Special K protein cereal, grilled cheese sandwich [108-111 lbs] Day 5: Water, oatmeal with berries, Special K protein cereal, grilled cheese sandwich, chicken noodle soup with saltines [107-110 lbs] Day 6: Water, Cliff...

Day 4: Begin the Belly Massages I took another short walk with Duke and Bam. Bam helped me get undressed and wrapped in plastic wrap for my first shower. It felt amazing to shower. I like being clean. It was the first time I also saw myself naked since surgery. I feel huge, bloated, and fat. The old eating disorder part of me needs to quiet down. My neighbors brought us food, which was awesome. I feel bad for Bam doing all the work lately. I’m glad he was able to have someone take care of him just a little bit. I felt really bloated all day, and 3 tablets of laxative had done nothing. I decided to massage my belly that night ( https://www.wikihow.com/Relieve-Constipation-with-Abdominal-Massage ), but I went to bed feeling blah. Bam was great; he set up the ice machine and tucked me into bed as usual. Day 5: First Bowel Movement! I sat on the toilet with my poop stoop (a little stool I prop my feet on when I need to poop; the squat is best for a great steamy dump) for a while, and I fin...

Nerve block is the best. When it wears off, you’ll appreciate your ice machine and pain relievers so much. Some people say the first 48 hours post-op are the worst. In my experience, days 2 and 3 were both really rough. On day two post-op, I thought I could get by with no oxycodone. I took Tylenol and used the ice machine, but I realized that was a mistake. Take the drugs prescribed! I took one laxative (5mg) with no result. I wasn’t very hungry this day, but Dave made me eat some saltines and drink water. My old eating disorder thoughts started to rise again. With post-op weight, my clothes, and my sling, I was weighing 111-113lbs. I had gone into surgery at a (heavy for me) 106 lbs. Luckily, Dave is a more sane person than me and convinced me to eat one of my Factor meals for dinner and some fruit. I was able to remove the large outer bandage today! On day three post-op, I made it a goal to walk. It was more a series of slow, deliberate steps while Duke and Dave walked nearby. The fr...

In February, I went to iFly to get my progression on so I can rip with my boyfriend in the tunnel one day, or the sky. Since I dislocated/subluxed my shoulder while skiing last year, I was apprehensive. My boyfriend argued that it would be low speeds, like a good stretch. He witnessed all my ski falls this year, and nothing terrible happened. I had done 4 months of physical therapy last year and was back to lifting heavy, doing pull-ups, and practicing yoga. I went for two minutes and did fine, then I went for five minutes. I felt great, working on basics of belly flying—I could turn left and right, go forward and back, and go up and down. I could do some high fives and fly toward numbers on direction. Then, on my final minute, I did practice parachute pulls with my left arm (my right shoulder had been acting up from lifting, so I used my left). The first two felt fine, but the last one did not. It felt slightly painful, but not extremely so. I had 20 seconds left, so I did one more ma...