surgery update

This surgery deceived me. I was told that it was a super simple procedure, and compared to others that is probably true, but nobody warned me that although simple, it would still be tough. Post-surgery, in the hospital and on the way home, I felt pretty queasy. To be honest, I don't even remember what I did that night, but I know it involved plenty of pain medication. I was feeling pretty good and even woke up at 4am to write a blog. I spent the first half of the next day alone until my sweet friend Julia came over to hang with me. Let me just take this moment to say that there is something really nice about having a friend you're close enough with to be able come right out and tell them what you need. Initially, Julia said she was tired on Friday after work and wasn't sure. She works for OHSU and has a very busy, fast-paced job. After asking a couple other people to come sit with me that night, I told Julia that I was sorry she'd be tired but that I really did need her, and she came right over. Oh, how I love her!

Julia ordered pizza for us and we laid in my bed together watching trashy TV. She helped me get through my first set of physical therapy exercises and made sure I was as comfortable as possible. At some point in the evening, my pain level shot through the roof so intensely that we had to call the doctor on call. Being that I was already drugged up and couldn't remember anything, Julia wrote down everything he said. He told me to double my dosage on the pain medication, which sounded like a good idea at the time so I did it. Because my husband got home late and we were both really tired, Julia stayed the night. She is great!

Hours after taking a double dose of prescription pain medication, I woke up vomiting so hard I thought my eyes would pop out of my head. Seriously, it was that bad. This continued for several hours, which in the moment felt more like several days. Julia left in the morning and my husband sat with me until he had to leave for work at 1. The sickness never stopped. Without me even realizing what was happening, Julia arranged for one of our friend's moms to come stay with me. I got a call from Amy minutes after Julia left saying, "Are you okay? My mom is coming over!" Thank God for all these amazing people in my life. Lauri arrived right before Keith had to leave for work and I looked like death. I had no color in my face and my eyes looked empty. As awful as I felt, Lauri made me feel calm and taken care of. She made me peppermint tea to help with the nausea, and straightened up my bed every time I had to get out of it so it was always clean and fresh. She also swept my floors and opened my windows to let some fresh energy in. My primary care doctor called, seemingly out the of blue, because he said he had seen that I'd just had surgery and he wanted to see how I was feeling. After 24 hours of feeling like I'd been hit by a truck, I didn't hold back. He called in an anti-nausea drug for me and Lauri went to pick it up. Shortly after taking it, I was starting to feel a bit better. I was able to finally finish my tea and also eat some carrots. The vomit throwing hell ride had finally ended. I only took two of the pills, but I'd say the $17 I paid for that medicine was some of the best money I've ever spent.

After things had calmed down, Holly, a yoga student of mine, brought me some delicious food. Lauri pointed out that the food came from someone who really knew me. It was this glorious dish of quinoa, rainbow chard, black beans and corn, in addition to a bowl of yummy greens with baked yams, onions, sweet bell peppers, avocado, and pine nuts. Also, a package of plain greek yogurt (which I use as a sour cream substitute) and some dressing for the salad. It tasted like heaven it was so nice to not have to think about food. She also brought tulips, which look beautiful on my coffee table and make me smile every time I hobble in there.

Today I woke up with what I would easily classify as the worst headache I have ever had in my life, but midway through the day, it seemed to ease up. My brain still feels foggy and I'm still feeling a bit of pain, but I feel like I am finally starting to feel like a normal human again. I still can't walk without crutches, but I am super thankful to not be feeling nauseous or dealing with a massive headache.

The point of this blog is not to whine about how crappy this has been (although it did feel pretty good to let some of that out), but more to emphasize the importance of having good people in your life. I have wondered several times through this process what I would have done without certain people. Even friends and family from far away comforted me with super sweet and loving texts and phone calls. This experience has also been a great reminder for me to slow down, take a step back and realize all the wonderful things my body does for me on a daily basis. I have been so hard on myself, asking myself questions like "Why am I not walking yet?!" and "Why does it still hurt?!". Even though it was a relatively simple surgery, it is still a surgery. Surgeries are not simple and painless. I actually thought I would be walking the day after the surgery, when in reality, I hadn't even experienced the worst part by then. I can now officially say, I think, that I am glad to be over the hump. I look forward to returning to my yoga practice and teaching, but I am also taking sufficient time off to rest. I will return to my normal teaching schedule on Tuesday, April 24th. 

Here I am in the hospital pre-surgery, naively thinking I would be all better in 24 hours.

Love,
Tami