Healing and Recovery

Well here it is almost 4 weeks out from my surgery and 3 weeks from my hospital release. I'm back on a regular diet or as regular as I can handle at this point. Restrictions on driving have been lifted so I am getting out and about. The reality is though that the recovery is slow or at least slower then I want. Probably true for most patients. We always seem to want to do more, more quickly then we can or should. Anyway I have lots of people who keep reminding me that this was major surgery. I don't really need the reminder but it's good to hear from other people.

Our bodies are certainly resilient. It's amazing what they can go through and what we can put them through. But they do need time to heal and rebound. I find myself getting tired with little exertion. Some of it seems to be just the effort that I have to put into things. So naps have become a welcome part of my recovery. Pain really isn't and hasn't been an issue. It's more of a discomfort or just the knowledge that something isn't right and I should take it easy.

I saw my surgeon earlier this week and staples were removed without incident. By incident I mean everything coming apart. In our normal lives and use of the word, staples hold things together and when you remove them, everything comes apart. Well that doesn't seem to happen with the surgical kind or at least didn't happen to me.

The next phase of this journey is a referral and visit to an Oncologist. I'm in the process of making those arrangements. Have the Dr. chosen and working through the insurance check, referral, etc. Things get complicated every once in awhile but you keep moving with one foot in front of the other.

It's interesting that even with good news from the surgery and pathology report, worries don't go away. That's part of the problem with this disease called Cancer. It sticks with you, plays with your head. You try to shake it, stay positive and so forth but it's always there gnawing at you in the background. At least that's my expierience and I have a feeling I'm not alone. On top of that, everything takes time - research, referrals, permissions, transfer of records - and time seems to be the enemy of a healthy attitude. That's another reason you just need to keep moving forward.

So that's my latest update. I'm slowly going to get back into writing about things that interest me and hopefully you. Things that strike me from the news or from life in general. I'll also continue these updates as things move along.