Day 63 - Solo

My sister returned to Chicago this morning, which means that I'm flying solo for the time being.  That's fine.  I may not be as efficient doing things around the house as when I'm 100%, but I can do most things okay.  I can tell that I'm not ready to lift or drive yet--just enough pain in the incision points to say "Hey, Dummy! Knock it off!"

Before she left this morning, my sister threw a couple of loads in the laundry and hit the grocery store one last time.  I should be good into early next week.

A friend from work stopped by this afternoon for the first time, and we got caught up on my story and what's been happening while I've been away.

A group that I work with sent me a get well card that included 20 things to do while recuperating.  I just may start working on that list to entertain myself.

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GRAPHIC BIOLOGY AHEAD:

My systems seem to be getting back to their normal selves again (nearly clear urine, regular BMs); my incision points are healing without infection (although one has a nice bruise around it); the pain is steadily decreasing; and I'm more than ready for the catheter to come out.

I did call the nurse at the surgeon's office this morning to confirm what I needed to do in preparation for the catheter removal, as well as what I needed to bring for after it was removed (i.e., Depends).

Interestingly, she said that most guys can leave after having the catheter removed with just a pad in place to catch any leakage.  Given that I have an hour ride back from the office, I think I may be a bit more cautious and go the full Depends route till I figure out what's going to happen and how much bladder control I'll have in those first hours/days.

One other thing that I was forewarned about before the surgery was the fact that blood will leak out the urethra outside the catheter tube when I strain to pass gas or have a bowel movement.  I wasn't sure if that would be a controlling factor as to whether the catheter can come out or not, and apparently it's not.  (The volume of blood is down from what it was a few days ago, but it's still there.)

So one chapter on this story is coming to a close (the surgery) and the next is about to start (life after surgery).  Let's hope it's well-written with a happy outcome.  Being significantly incontinent could really make for a lessened quality of life.