Posted on Monday, April 23 2007

By the fourth day after my abdominal intrusion by sharp instruments and loving care by a OB/GYN Surgeon, things were looking up. I was out of the hospital on Friday, and did a lot of resting that evening. The next day I was awake, aching, hobbling around, and if I weren’t me I would have found myself getting bored with all the sofa sitting and friendly doting, fussing, mussing, and generally post-op care-giving by my loved ones. The good thing is I don’t get bored. My home is everything I need, even for days and days and days in isolation from the world, which is fine with me.

I had a steady supply of Darvocet, which might sound good, but to be honest I think I’m immune to these kinds of pain killers to some degree. I haven’t had a pain free moment from the first slice of the knife. The medication must do something or I would most likely have been in unbearable hurt. As it has been it’s been just the kind of suffering that makes sitting on the toilet a three step operation and laying flat into a deep breathing exercise.
Back to the fourth day of recovery. I was incredibly lucky to have my mother and husband around to take amazing fantastic care of me, but listen to this….. First Shaun of the Dead was on TV, followed by the arrival of European Extended Version of Dawn of the Dead (you know, the one in the mall) in the mail. For those particular few hours the Darvocet might have been quite an asset. I was so entertained and distracted from my own selfish bodily complications it was the best few hours I had had since waking up from my lovely operation.

I highly recommend saturating your mind and time with movies, TV, and other non-physical activity after an Abdominal Hysterectomy. Feeling ripped, torn, and pummeled is part of the process and it doesn’t do much for morale. I wouldn’t suggest something very funny however, a laugh every few minutes at Shaun of the Dead and now for this whole week, at my nearly full collection of M*A*S*H DVD’s has been a personal choice I might have to rethink for my next major organ removal.