I continue the slow slog to complete recovery. It is not glamorous or exciting or fun, it's just day-in-day-out get through the day with the knowledge that tomorrow will be a little bit better.
Nothing hurts anymore. I can move around easily, bend over, cough and laugh without pain. I'm still a little sore or tender in places. I am uncomfortable because of the scar away strips and the compression garments. I start my work days in my spanx garment and my belly aches by the end of the day because of swelling. I strap the compression garment on over the spanx garment, which applies pressure directly on my lower belly and that helps a lot.
My massage therapist (Jack) says he can't see any change in my scars from day to day, but I feel like they are improving. He does think the hard spot below my navel that I talked about in my last post is getting softer, so that's good.
I am following doctor's order as precisely as possible. I do 20 - 30 minutes of scar massage each morning and apply the scar away strips to all scars after my shower. I wear the scar away strips until about 8:30 at night (the box instructs you to wear them at least 12 hours a day) and then we do another 30 minutes of massage. I wear my compression garments as instructed. I keep looking for a bra that fits well, doesn't rub against my incisions, and doesn't cut across the top of my breasts. What I want is something that is comfortable, has no underwire, and is supportive. I bought several new bras on Sunday and am trying different ones each day. They all seem comfortable when I put them on in the morning, but by the end of the day they are rubbing me in ways that I couldn't predict. The one I wore yesterday wasn't too bad. Sooner or later, I will find the perfect bra. Of course, this is just for recovery. Once my recovery is complete, it opens up the world of underwire bras, of which there are many more than there are bras with no underwire.
What I did find on Sunday is the perfect light bra to sleep in. With that light bra and my light spanx on, I am sleeping more comfortably than I have since surgery. It seems like the perfect combination. Now if I could just stop having hot flashes, perhaps I would sleep through the night!! I notice when I don't exercise I get a lot more hot flashes, so maybe once I can start exercising again they will go away.
I feel like I will be starting at ground zero when it comes to exercise. Jack and I spent a couple of hours Sunday at the RV show and another couple of hours at the mall. I still walk fairly slowly and I get tired easily. It is going to be a slow process getting my endurance and strength back. In spite of that, I am looking forward to how much better it will make me feel.
Now, it's off to work for me.
Have a beautiful day!
No comments:
Post a Comment