- so... in the interest of having all the life-changing drama I could pack into one week, I underwent Operation Girl Parts Be Gone on Tuesday. Because it wasn't stressful enough to lose my Dad, go through all the family drama & emotion of a funeral & scattering of ashes AND come back home with Mom in tow... I had to add to the fun by having somewhat major surgery. Well, go big or go home, right? Isn't that the motto around here anyway?
- The surgery to remove my uterus & Fallopian tubes went really well, and was done laparascopically, so there are minimal external incisions, and those that I have are sealed with superglue or somesuch. Pretty groovy. Much easier to recover from than big scars, and hey, I'll get back in a bikini in no time!! (HA!! yeah, not...).
- Apparently, they removed several pedunculated fibroids the size of golf balls along with my uterus and the numerous internal fibroids within. The doctor said they weren't able to get a good photo of all that mess before they started cutting and I didn't think to ask her to take a photo afterward like Runner Susan (careful, that link is awesomely gory!! don't say I didn't warn you!). Oh well, I guess I'm just happy all that mess is gone.
- They let me keep my ovaries, which supposedly saves me the hassle of being thrown into immediate menopause by keeping my hormones stable. So I'm still subject to hormonal swings, like the ones that resulted in me chopping off 6 inches of my hair 2 weeks ago. Um, yay?
- For what it's worth, don't let a woman with known hormonal issues, a boatload of stress, and an inability to french-braid her own hair keep a salon appointment in the middle of a Texas June without supervision. Just don't...
- I walked down the hallway yesterday before they released me and logged it on DailyMile. Because that's how I roll.
- I walked a mile around my neighborhood last night when I got home. The weather was 90 degrees at 7 PM, which for us in June, after the spell we've been through is stupid cool. Arctic, nearly. So I couldn't stay inside and not enjoy it. I took my mom & aunt along too. I would have done 2 miles but they got tired. Rookies.
- I did not get my prescription for painkillers filled before the surgery. I lied to the hospital nurse and the doctor when they asked if I had. I don't like the way those make me feel - sluggish and loopy-headed. I have enough loopy-headedness without pharmaceutical assistance, thank you very much. I've taken a couple of ibuprofen here and there since I got released. That's it. That's all. And that's not me being superwoman or anything. It just doesn't hurt. I really don't hurt. Compared to feeling like my guts were being ripped out for 2 weeks a month for the last, oh, 27 years, recovering from this is cake.
- Speaking of cake... mmmm, cake... yeah, i don't get to have cake for a while. Since my running volume is down significantly while I recover and am limited to walking only for a month, I am cleaning up the intake significantly. I hate to use the word "diet" so I won't here, but I am closely monitoring what goes into my body, knowing that I won't be able to burn it off as readily as I could when I could pound out a half-marathon's worth of mileage on a Saturday morning. Wheee.
- I hate having to restrict calories, but this is a chance to reset my metabolism. My body has gotten used to hammering out the miles I demanded from it and the food intake I was giving it. So now we get to hit the reset button. I'm not cutting out any particular food groups but am focusing on more protein and fewer carbs for this recovery period. We'll see how it goes. Will still be taking in lots of fresh fruits and vegetables though so I will get carbs, just adjusting the ratios since I'm not doing high mileage.
- I have recovery walking built into the plan for the 50-miler in November, which has already started. Just because I have to walk doesn't mean I can't put in miles. But it will definitely be a gradual build-up back to running a half distance easily like I've been used to. And even more to pounding out the back-to-back long runs that will be the staple of the Wild Hare training plan come September and October. wheeee!
- For now, I just want to be able to keep off the major painkillers and work up to walking around Disney comfortably when we go in mid-July. Those are going to be long days - the boys are older than they were last time we went five years ago, and they are going to be in charge of more of the agenda this time, which means they will want to move faster and see more sights. Help!!
- I have the most amazing friends. They know who they are. The phone calls, text messages, emails, chats have all been so wonderful and I'm pretty sure I couldn't have made it through the last three weeks without them. Or the next three months. Stay by the phone, I'll be calling soon, I'm sure!
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| Yes, I look 4 months pregnant in this picture. Thank you golf-ball-sized fibroids for that. All gone now! Woot & Squee!! Oh, and the hair is REALLY that short. Really. Looks much better before 9 sweaty miles. Trust me. |
4 comments:
You continue to amaze me. Such a fast recovery after your surgery this winter, and now this. I'd still be on the sofa nursing it for all I was worth. : )
So sorry about your dad. Glad the surgery went well, and you have such a positive outlook. Love it, and look forward to what you plan while you have some down time. ;-)
Happy to hear the surgery went well!!
hugs,
and get well wishes,
and more hugs!
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