Day 2 of surgery recovery

Yesterday morning I had my "trigonum excision" surgery. It was not bad all around. The pre-op stuff was efficient but handled with care and kindness. I was in the operating room at the time I was slated to be there and the surgery took less time than expected. The surgeon told Andy that the bone practically popped right out of my ankle, which was surprising because there's usually more stuff to cut it away from.

While I did have to get fanned by the nurse when she stuck my IV needle in, I didn't faint. I tolerated the anesthesia itself in my usual way - meaning that I had to say "thank you!" with a big smile to every doctor, nurse or assistant who so much as looked at me. I woke up twice during the surgery - I didn't feel anything because they put a pain block in my leg - and I remember saying in my best drunk-voice, "You guys are doing a great job! Thanks!" I'm such a nerd.

We got home yesterday at 12:30 pm and I got settled on the couch with my leg up and then we had some lunch. We both napped after that and when Kevin came home from school, he visited with our neighbors for a couple of hours.

Last night I slept in bed (I thought I might stay on the couch) with my leg on a pillow and I was able to sleep on my sides as well as my back. I felt quite comfortable! Andy had to use earplugs as I snore when I sleep on my back, but he was ok with that.

This morning I woke up feeling pretty good. That's always a kicker, though, because when you feel good, you do more. When you do more, you feel worse. Feeling better leads to feeling worse! But I knew that would happen so I tried to remain laying down with my foot up as much as I could. A nurse from the hospital called me to see how I'm doing with the pain, the medication, eating and drinking, etc. She also warned me about the "feel good -> do too much - feel worse" cycle which is always good to reminded of.

I ate lunch outside with my foot up on a stool but it turns out that if I'm sitting up, my leg isn't high enough to thwart the pain. I'm best laying flat with my leg higher than the rest of me and I will do my best to stay that way for another day, or until it doesn't hurt so much more to be out of that position. I guess I should get off the computer and go do that now.

Good company

On Friday I'm having surgery to remove the trigonum bone ("os trigonum") from my ankle because of pain and swelling it's caused me for the past year. Seems I'm in good company as I just found this blog post from a couple of weeks ago about a professional soccer player, Dean Ashton, who is out because of os trigonum syndrome. Then I checked out his website and found a recent post that says he had the surgery and is recovering well.

iPod Nation

Andy gave me an iPod for Christmas and we've loaded our CDs plus some new tunes on it and it's really great to have all of that music at my finger tips. I can walk (someday jog again) while listening to music. I can do housework while listening to music. I can mow the lawn listening to music.

I've come to realize that although music is always available now in a very convenient form, I don't always want to hear it.

I have various genres of music as I'm sure we all do - from classical to reggae, heavy metal to country. I can listen according to my mood and activity. Sometimes, though, what I want to listen to is nothing. Or just the normal sounds of life.

When I listen to music all the time, I disengage from my inner thought life. It turns out that my inner thought life is an important part of who I am. I need that time to think. I need that blank space to allow my thoughts to wander. I need the chance to be at peace with nobody talking at me, even when the talk is melodic and has a good beat.

I wonder whether the youth of today will miss out on knowing how to be alone with their thoughts when they have grown up knowing all music, all the time. I wonder whether the adults of yesterday wondered the same thing about people my age when we grew up with televisions in every home and FM radios with cassette players in every car?

The Favorite

All my life I've felt like someone's favorite. The favorite child, the favorite grandchild, the favorite student, the favorite niece... By no means do I feel like everyone's favorite everything. But there is always a group of people that I can think of and feel truly loved by; not by what they do for me but by how much they seem to enjoy my presence.

Maybe I've just been so self-centered and egotistical that it's obvious to me that people would like me best. But it's clear that in most parts of my life, I'm not the favorite, so I don't think that's it.

I wonder how different my life would be if I didn't think that people saw me as their favorite? Who would I be if I didn't feel that adoration (real or perceived?)

How important is it to let the people in my life feel that they are my favorite? Who could they become if they were made to feel that special?

Touching

I rarely listen to "Christian" music and "Christian radio" and I don't get along. But there is one song that I feel each time I hear it.

"Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus - or in awe of you be still?
Will I stand in your presence - or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine."

 
 

Birthday CD

Andy has been buying songs from iTunes and burning them onto CDs for one of his coworkers whose tape deck just broke. Kevin now wants Andy to make a CD for him. So far, he's asked for "Who Let the Dogs Out?" as sung by Baha Men, "Stop! In the Name of Love," performed by Diana Ross and The Supremes, "Love Lockdown" by Kanye West and "Mambo Italiano" as sung by Rosemary Clooney. Is this a normal birthday present for a 7-year old?

Where have all the deer gone?

 
 
 

We usually don't get such a nice showing of crocuses in our yard. More often, we get giddy at the sight of the first bloom and then the deer and rabbits come along and chomp down that flower and all of its buddies before they get a chance to grace our yard with their color. We never knew we had so many crocuses as we've seen this year.

My husband loves me

Most nights, Andy has to annoy me before he can rest. It is usually something simple like ripping my pillow out from under my head as I'm about to lay me down to sleep or flicking his fingers in my frizzy hair poking out from my head while I'm trying to read. There were a few weeks recently when, every night, I came to bed to find this - reindeer butt - welcoming me to slumber.