Cancer Files: Surgery #3 - A Week Later

 I will admit, I haven't been in the mood to talk or blog about anything over the last week.  I was pretty busy up until surgery last Thursday afternoon.  Since then, I have not been feeling like doing much except for getting better.  Every way you look at it, this recovery business is getting old - I have been recovering for 98 days!

Doctor went in last week and took the two gaping holes in my tummy and left breast, cleaned them out and stitched it up tight.  The last couple days I have come to the point that I have come to during the other two recoveries I have had recently.  What point is that?  The point where I realize that I have been doing too much.  I was surprised after this surgery to find out that it is more painful to move around with two stitched up incisions than it does to move around with two packed open gaping wounds.  That has been a little disappointing.  It seems a good deal more painful, even with the pain meds than it did the last time around.

There are a lot of other things going on in our house right now too, and a few things that are slipping through the cracks with only one driver and five kids in activities.  It is interesting that every recovery period has gone the same way so far.  I accept the fact that I am not going to be able to do the things I normally do and am fine with that for a few days (or weeks, depending on the intensity of the surgery), then I start moving around a bit and feel a little bit encouraged.  After that stage, I reach the "I really DON'T feel as good as I hoped I was feeling and now I have gone and done too much!"  And that leads into the "Will I EVER get better?" question which is where I find myself now.  I do always hit the day when I feel myself stronger and able to move better, it is just a mystery when that day hits every single time I am recovering!

So, in the waiting I try to find ways of looking on the bright side.  I do have a lot of things to be looking forward to this fall. Here is my happy list to dwell on for today:

1. I am CANCER FREE!
2. Everyone is currently snuggled up cozy in their beds for the night (David under the afghan on the couch enjoying a little "control of the remote" time)
3. Tomorrow is Bible study morning...I get to spend a couple hours with some of my favorite godly women!
4. I have a doctor's appointment after that which I HOPE means the drain from surgery will get removed and it won't look like I have a third breast sticking out from underneath my left one!
5. Tomorrow JUST MIGHT be the day that I will be able to sit up at my desk and get more than 15 minutes of work done!  (This household is falling down all around me!)
6. Tomorrow at the doctor I get to find out when physical therapy can start so I can wake these atrophied muscles in my back and midsection!
7. His mercies are new every morning - for that I am so thankful!