Days 4 & 5

So Monday and Tuesday brought the return of my kids and their first time seeing me since the surgery.  They were hesitant at first, as we expected they would.  I explained what all the doctor did and showed them the X-rays and photos.  My 10 year old son wasn't too interested, but my 7 year old daughter was very interested, we think she will be a doctor or nurse.  I tried to be as active as possible as I wanted to do things with them, but I was limited to what I could do and was tired.  We got them to swim practice on Monday and to cross country practice on Tuesday.  They swam a couple of times as I napped and Sara worked.  We played lots of board and card games and watched TV.  Other than that, pretty uneventful.

Still no real pain as I was continuing to take the pain meds.  Again, appetite was difficult to gauge so many meals were last minute runs to Subway or just a PB&J.  Water and sweet tea continued to be my favorite drink.  Below are some more tips on things I felt helped me out:

• Naps -they are your best friend.  You will get tired, and are probably more in need of one than you think.  I tried to take two a day, but I pushed it some days like I knew I would.
• Showers -getting a fresh shower each day, even though you aren't doing anything, does wonders for you.  It is well worth the energy expended to take one for the feeling you have after.
• Breakfast -eat it, right away when you wake up.  The anesthesia and pain meds they administered during surgey are completely out of your system by the third day, so your body may feel a little off and getting food in right away helped me.
• Pain meds and bathroom routine -they say the pain meds can clog you up, and to be prepared to take a laxative...a good friend of ours who is a nurse suggested trying Senna...nonprescription laxative...worked great!
• Exercise -I know, I know, I know...I'm supposed to be resting as much as possible, but what I mean by this is passive motion.  I made sure that I as I was lying down on the couch, I was very cautiously and easily bringing my knee up causing hip flexion, but not beyond a right angle, I was also gently rotating, or abducting, my leg outward as I was lying on my back with my feet flat and knees bent.  All of this was done VERY softly and carefully, just to keep motion going and blood flowing.