10. Day 4 post op

I find myself waking up about 3 times a night.  Not in pain,  just waking up.  I set my alarm in the early AM to take a pain pill and my wife changes the ice packs in my cold therapy machine.   Hoping the constipation ends today.  If nothing happens by 1pm I will try a laxative.

On a separate note,  my daughter loves laying in bed watching episode after episode of Caillou on Hulu.  I think we watched 7 in a row last night and we're back at it again this morning.  If I'll miss anything when this is all over it will be moments like this.

I catch myself trying to move my operated leg but usually remember in time that it should be all passive so I switch to my leg grabber/mover (that's the technical term of course).

My wife is back to work today so my mother is over to help me and the munchkin.  I say back to work, but I know she sees it as a break.  The child is an adorable genius with a heart of gold,  but she is her own special kind of tornado.

9:45am: Finally had a small bowel movement,  given the circumstances it was probably the closest thing I've had to a workout in the last week haha.   I sat on the couch for a little while and a rush of nausea came over me,  just as it did last night before going to bed.   I took a zofran then and again now and I'm going to try and nap the nausea away.  Not sure which I dislike more,  pain or the feeling of maybe having to vomit. .. That's a tough one.

Before my surgery, I spoke to co-workers about surgeries they've had, mostly shoulder surgeries, which stemmed from impingement, so I guess kind of the same thing, just in a different part of the body.  I was told about sweating profusely, especially at night, and waking up soaked.  I was not looking forward to that.  However, so far, I havn't had to experience sweating, or burning up or anything like that.  The worst so far is still the nausea. 

5:45pm:  Took my first shower since the surgery.  Holy hell was that refreshing,,,, and a ton of work!  I had help but still, I feel like I was using muscles I didn't know I had.  I could stand on my surgery leg, which my doctor directed me to do when showering and using the bathroom, but I still tried to not rely on it in case it gave out for some reason.  I took my bandages off, leaving the steri-strips (per doctors orders) and it just feels good to let everything air out.  I'll put my compression sock back on, but for now, time to let things air out.