The last few days have marked some exciting recovery milestones!
- I drove a car.
- I wore pants.
Drove a Car
Okay, I hear you thinking, “What, is she 16?” I know, I know; it’s been almost two decades since I’ve gotten excited about driving. But on Friday I drove for the first time since my surgery, and I did feel excited: It marked my farthest excursion from home since we got back from California!
Unfortunately, my incision sites are right where the lap-belt part of a car seatbelt goes. Add in the bulk of a jacket or two, and you’ve got a recipe for some incision discomfort. Which I did, indeed, experience. Not as uncomfortable as before, but not such that I’d want to go for a nice long car drive any time soon, either.
Still, expanded mobility achievement: unlocked!
Wore Pants
No, I’m not a toddler anymore… But yes, on the occasions when I wore pants at all, I have exclusively worn sweat pants with super-loose waist bands since November 22. Again, the exegency of my incision location has driven my sweat pants-wearing habit, not any particular passion for baggy, shapeless garments.
But on Saturday we went Christmas tree hunting for our family, and on Sunday I went to church and then joined Benji and Dad to hunt a Christmas tree for my parents on Dad’s Snohomish forest land. Although I suppose I could’ve worn sweat pants and even gotten away with it, I felt my self-worth demanded I try to wear real jeans or slacks (as the occasion demanded).
Saturday went not great. The jeans waistband rubbed my incision site and not only exacerbated the itchiness, but hurt it, too.
Sunday I wore slacks to church and they felt okay, since they had a gentler waistband… although the tightness indicated I need to reduce my calorie intake or up my walking mileage if I don’t want to haul an extra 20 lbs around when I resume biking again. I wore jeans for the Christmas tree hunting, and although still uncomfortable, I coped better. Maybe I just need to get used to how they feel on the incision site.
What’s Next?
Who knows? Every day I feel better, but some days I also nap for several hours in the afternoon still.
I’m working from home on flex time through the end of the month, getting online when I have energy and resting when I’m tired. I hope to work a full 40 hours the week of December 16, just in time to take a week off for Christmas.
I know the timing of this surgery wasn’t ideal for lots of reasons, but actually with the holidays I’m probably missing less work than I would have under other circumstances. So that’s one silver lining.