Two Weeks Post-Op

Two weeks ago tomorrow I had major surgery. Somehow I hadn’t thought of it as “major” until after it was over. When my surgeon, Dr. Rowena DeSouza, visited me in the hospital room the next day and we discussed what she had done and what my recovery would look like, she used the term “major” to describe the surgery. She had done pelvic organ prolapse surgery, using the da Vinci surgical robot for the minimally invasive procedure.

It’s been a long two weeks, but this morning I was allowed to drive for the first time, and I drove myself to my follow-up visit at Dr. De Souza’s office. She was all smiles and encouraged me that the surgery went well and I seem to be recovering nicely. Nicely, although it’s been a rough couple of weeks, but nothing unusual, according to Dr. De Souza. Our systems experience quite a bit of trauma during a surgical procedure, including the time it takes to “recover” from the anesthesia itself. So, the nausea, slight pain, and constipation were normal. But the bright red rash I broke out with one week after being on an antibiotic wasn’t “normal” . . . . now we know I’m allergic to sulfur and/or bactrim. It took almost a week of benadryl to get rid of the rash. Fortunately my schedule was clear and sleeping ten hours/night and taking 1-2 hour naps every day was part of the cure.

The next four weeks will be trying in a different way, as I’m now allowed to drive but still not allowed to lift anything over 8 pounds, or to bend over at the waist to pick up something off the floor. (I love my grabber, which my husband actually got for me after my car wreck and surgeries six years ago!) So, as my energy level returns and I’m “mobile,” it will be tempting to act “normal,” but I’ll have to remember that I’m still healing. I can’t go grocery shopping, for example. My sweet husband is learning his way around Kroger. And sadly, I can’t go swimming for another four weeks. I’m thankful for air-conditioning, good books, and television–especially the Women’s World Cup Soccer and Wimbledon!

Stay tuned for some book reviews soon. And while you’re here, please hop over to my EVENTS page and check out the 30 events I’ve got scheduled so far for my FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY book tour this fall and into next year! And if you haven’t yet signed up for my newsletter and notifications of my blog posts, please take a moment to do that, too.