1/24/23

 Day 5 - I went ” back to work” today. Let’s be clear what this looks like. I still lay flat for the majority of the day. I do get up to let the dogs out and to eat. I did take one of my meetings in the sitting position, but about 7 minutes in, I laid back down. I have lost my core muscles to sit for any real length of time. Little bits each day will help. 

I did notice small signs of progress. I am able to stand up from the toilet without making a horrible groaning noise and bracing myself on the wall and counter top. Progress! I also was able to stand up just a bit easier from the sitting position.

So while it sounds impressive that I am “back to work”, it really looks the same as the past month I have been at work. So, it’s really not that impressive. I am happy to report I didn’t take any pain medication today. 2 days in a row. I am amazed with how the human body can heal. 

I keep thinking about when Ethan sat up for the first time after so many weeks of being intubated and how difficult it was for him to sit for 2 minutes. Each day he would add on to his time. I am just doing small bits at a time.

I got a cheap Fitbit to measure my steps and gauge where my exercise use level is at. I am not really paying too much attention to it, but look at it because I find it interesting to see how I slept. Here are my steps from the past couple of days. Each day is just a little bit more. Anyone want to be my Fitbit buddy? Now is your chance to kick my ass. Pretty soon I will be far more capable to kick your butt. 

I decided tonight I was going to sleep in my own bed. We will see how it compares to the couch. I still can’t lay on my side comfortably so my weight has been on my incision each night. It is sore in the morning, but I have noticed that the small gap between one cushion to the next had placed more pressure on the top part of the incision than the bottom. I am hoping the bed will eliminate this.

Avery went and picked up groceries. I was able to put some stuff away. Only stuff that weighed less than a gallon of milk. Ethan helped her carry the groceries in from the car. I didn’t do any bending or lifting. I had Avery elevate the bags and I unpacked what I could. She took care of the rest. She is quite the helpful kid. She has done everything asked of her.

Ethan was working in the garage today, banging away on his racing car. I don’t really know what he was doing but he was making all sorts of noise. 

I am hoping my bright spot is that my bed welcomes me back in a pleasant way.