Recovery

It's been a week since they did after away with my gallbladder. I'm still sore, but I guess that's to be expected. (Did I tell you that I asked if I could see the gallstones after the surgery? One doctor looked at me a little strange and said that, no, they didn't allow that any more. Something about health and safety.. contamination something or other... the other doctor just shook his head and told me I wouldn't want to see it.) Mark was allowed five days of dependant leave to stay home and take care of me and the babybear. Luckily, he has the kind of job that allows him a certain degree of flexibility and he's been able to work from home the rest of this week. We're hoping that if I take it easy this weekend it will be okay for him to go back to work on Monday.

I'm doing pretty well. The pain isn't too bad, so a couple paracetamol every now and then seem to be doing the trick, nothing stronger required. (Which is great because the co-codamol dosage they had me on makes me itch!) It mostly hurts when I've been sitting for a while and I decide to get up... insides getting all squished up and complaining I guess. The bruising is still evident but it's only one set of the stitches that gives me any grief. They checked everything over on Tuesday and I'll be going back to the Treatment Room on Saturday to have them glance over everything again just to make sure things are healing properly. The big reason Mark needs to be home is baby lifting. I can hold her to a degree but I can't pick her up and carrying her up the stairs is a big off-limits. It's frustrating standing at the bottom calling up to him, "We need up the stairs!" but that's why he's home and if I were to try, I'd probably be in a lot more pain. I just have to remember to be patient and give my body time. From pregnancy to post-natal recovery, to gallstones to laparoscopic cholecystectomys, it feels like forever since my body has been whole. I feel squidgy, out of shape, weak and blah. I actually have these mini-fantasies where I'm at the gym. Me. Dreaming of the gym. Yup. Hell has frozen over. :)

I'm sure my liver and and my stomach are both looking at each other now with confused expressions. I don't think they like each other. At least not yet anyway. From what I've read it might take at least three weeks for them to decide to be friends. At least it seems that all the gas they pumped into me during surgery is gone and my midsection doesn't look or feel so much like a balloon!