Speech to Text: Progress

 

Yesterday the drain was taken out! What a relief! The other piece of good news was that I could discontinue the antibiotics I have been taking since my surgery on September 4.

Before I got any crazy ideas of resuming a normal life, the nurse quickly informed me of remaining restrictions. I am still under the rest, eat, and self-care rule. By the way I am doing very well on the resting and eating part. Surprisingly, I have lost a little weight, despite the scrumptious meals that Hopestone Cancer Support Center provides for me. The self-care rule is that I may use my right arm just for personal hygiene. (That’s good, because I’ve never been successful at brushing my teeth left-handed.) There have been a few times I try to use my right arm without thinking—like reaching for something in the cupboard--but usually a sharp pang in my chest stops me. When I asked about taking a short walk down the block to enjoy the fall weather, she said, “no, but you can sit outside.”

The best good news of all, however, is that I get to take showers again, starting tonight. I wonder what my hair will look like with all the grease removed. Using no rinse shampoo like they do in hospitals or dry shampoo just doesn't cut it.

Next week I will see my surgeon. Besides taking the steri-strips off the surgical incision, hopefully she will clear me for more activity. I will also see the physical therapist to learn exercises for my arm.

It is nice to be making progress. This recovery from surgery is taking much longer than I had anticipated. Having so many restrictions has been hard, even though I know they are for my own good.

Many years ago, when I was suddenly faced with chronic illness that robbed me of my energy and heaped on what I called “traveling pain,” I wrote a brief poem that included the following line: “life narrows to the marrow.” I discovered then that the loss of stamina and energy as well as the presence of pain forced me to make choices every day about what I could and could not do. I also found out that when life became more restricted, I leaned on Jesus more. He is my hope and my strength.