So I've been an immovable lump on my couch for the past six days, and for good reason - tonsilectemies hurt like a bitch. Thinking back to the dread I felt sitting in the waiting room joking with my mom and Chris (the ultimate support group) it wasn't silly at all. I am so glad I mentally prepared myself for the worst, because on the fourth day of recovery, I just about reached it.
Surgery Day: Joked with Chris and my Mom far too much about getting a new outfit and jewelry for surgery - the paper-thin gown, incredibly attractive cap, non-slip beige socks, and my spiffy hospital ID bracelet. I neurotically explained to the nurse that I have the most uncooperative veins in the world (and related my horrific heart ct scan story) and she assured me she'd been a pediatric nurse for twenty years- but I didn't believe her until she got the IV in me the first time (hallelujah). They piled me high with warm blankets and I wiggled my toes in my non-skid socks until they wheeled me into a really small operating room with three gowned people I didn't know and the blissfully familiar face of Dr. Blazen. The last thing I said was, "Am I supposed to feel drowsy?" I woke up very very slowly... like not being able to come out of sleep but still being able to hear everyone's conversations. Apparently the surgery only took twenty minutes- my doctor is now my hero. Every time I spoke or smiled or took a sip of water three nurses exclaimed at how well I was recovering. Nothing really hurt too much, it just was puffy and swollen and achy. I was on so much medication, I don't remember much of the rest of that day.
Day 1: Movies, hydrocodone= my best friend, soup broth and vast amounts of water. I also ran into a wall trying to get to the bathroom. Didn't really sleep, woke up every hour or so to keep hydrated and to keep my meds up so I didn't accidentally sleep more than four hours and wake up in excruciating pain.
Day 2: Movies, hydrocodone = still my best friend, eggs and vast amounts of water. Didn't really sleep again, but I'm getting really tired of being so tired and disoriented constantly from the medication.
Day 3: rinse and repeat
Day 4: Everything hurts. Ears, throat, head, stomach. Have to keep totally on top of taking the codine so there aren't any time lapses to fall into, and keep an ice pack on my neck all day. I'm sure my throat will rip open and I'll have to get re-cotorized like everyone warned me might happen.
Day 5: Nausea starts up. What fun. A little more aware of myself, can go without meds for short periods of time, I think I've burned through all my movies. I start on books and keep HGTV on for the day.
Day 6: Still Nauseous. Chris Redboxes me more movies :) what an awesome dude. Switch to liquid tylenol but... that stuff is all kinds of icky. I think it just made things worse.
Day 7: Saw doctor... she said in not so many words that I am a wuss and that my digestive system is backed up because I've been a big couch potato. And she said everything was "healing nicely" and I could take aspirin now (sweet).
And I'm at today, dreading school tomorrow after so long on my couch. I'm used to planning and stocking binders with fresh lined paper and plugging my schedule into excel and my computer calendar... but I'm not quite up to it. Well.. I thought I slacked off last semester and I got three As and a B, so maybe I'm not a total loss.
I can't help but feel like this is an omen for this semester: painful but necessary.
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