Day 58 - Getting Better

So it's near the end of my first full day at home, and things have been going well so far...

It's still difficult for me to sit up normally--the pain in my belly gets intensified--so I spend most of the day in bed.  The new plumbing makes that an adventure, too.  Normally, I like to roll around in my sleep, and now I can't without risking pulling on the catheter.

During the day, I do get up and wander around the house for 30 minutes or so every 3-4 hours.  That helps prevent blood clots and pneumonia, plus it really does make me feel better.

My appetite has been slower coming back than I expected, and I've been eating a little more each meal.  I'll have to wait a week or two to get to that ribeye that I asked for in post-op.

Earlier today, I brought my laptop into my bed and tried using it off to my side.  (Putting it on my lap with five incisions and additional plumbing isn't an option right now.)  As I rolled onto my side to get better access to the keyboard, I sprung a leak.

That's the side that my drainage hole was on--a hole in my abdomen to allow fluids to drain while in the hospital--leaked fluid onto the gauze covering it.  No signs of infection--just the geometry allowed it to leak, I guess.  I was told to expect that to happen.

I'm getting back into a more normal sleep pattern, even though I was wide awake around 3 AM today.  A little catnap this afternoon helped me get caught up on some much needed rest.

It is good to be back home.  The hospital was not a place for rest.

It's funny how the universe puts things in perspective.  There's always someone with a worse situation than yourself, and that was the case with my roommate.  From what I could tell, he had advanced lung cancer that was to the point where his body couldn't prevent the food or drink that he ate from entering his lungs.  Of course, that made him cough, moan, and gurgle day and night, and the nurses were in the room nearly every hour attending to his needs.  That made my getting the rest that I needed for my own recovery next to impossible.  I know that's a selfish perspective, and I really tried to direct my frustration more at the hospital and nurses than at my roommate.

As far as upcoming events are concerned, the pathology report is scheduled to be available on Monday.  We'll know whether the cancer was confined to the prostate or if it has spread beyond.  The catheter will come out a week from today.  Lori and I will have to figure out how long she's going to need to remain here, but having her here has been a great help.

So that's about as much typing as I can do for now.