I'm Stir Crazy! Help!

Well, I should be hauled up before the king for this one but...

I almost stole the truck today. Yep, I almost got away. My husband had a sudden business training that he had to go to in Houston this morning. We had known about it before my surgery and with all the hussle and bussle before during and immediately after the surgery we had forgotten. Yesterday was his fist day back to work and when he got there he was reminded of the training. He called me immediately and we talked about it. He did not want to go but I told him that I was now able to get to the bathroom and kitchen all by myself and I'd be fine. Hey, I'm even having regular bm's. So I talked him into it and he got a coworker (also scheduled for the training) to pick him up this morning so that he'd have some company for the long drive.

I was doing my usual watching t.v, t.v's watching me, I'm watching t.v., t.v's watching me, you know the drill. Well, I got up to have the glorious morning bm and I saw that the keys to the truck were on the nightstand. I haven't seen my keys to my car since the surgery so I suspect my dh hid them from me. But, anyway, I see the keys so I say to myself, I say "Self, you should get out, get some fresh air, drive down the short short short two blocks to the park and just sit there for a while. Once the thought entered my head there was no one to stop me and so I put on a sun dress and picked up the keys and headed for the door. There is someone at the door knocking . The sundress has no pockets, and no one must see me with the keys so I drop them on the wine cabinet on the way to the door. It's Mrs. Leblanc and her houseman from across the street. She's nearly 80 and her houseman ( at least 60 himself)helps her to get around. She comes inside and I invite him in but he won't come is so I leave the door open. She tells me that my dh came over last night and let her know that I was home due to surgery and he had to go out of town and that he asked her to keep and eye on me while he was gone and also he didn't want her to be alarmed if she saw someone in our house in the middle of the day. After the explanation of why she was there, she uncovered a dish and she had made a sandwich, a salad, and soup for me. Yes, she stayed and watched me eat it all. I ate while she told me all about her great-grand-daughters aweful pink wedding. When I was done, she wrapped the dirty dishes and I insisted on washing them but she wouldn't hear of it. She walked me back to my bedroom (more like I was helping her to my bedroom) we both looked 90, and I crawled in bed. She left me with an "I'm going to leave my front door open so that I can keep a good eye out for you o.k sugar?" I said O.K. All day she has been sitting on her porch like a guard dog and I can't leave the house which was probably a blessing but now I am her personal project.

Can anyone help. I know I can't leave the house. I even put the keys away so that they'd be out of site-out of mind. What can I do about this go bug that I have. I'm tired of watching t.v., reading, and sleeping. Does anyone have anything creative that is helping them pass the time away. I still have five more weeks to go.

Mspittmang

dear mspittmang
I am not sure what some of your interests are. Have you tried any crafts or write a letter. See if a friend can come over to play a simple game. Hope this helps somewhat sk8ter

Girl - Go back to bed!!! lol

Get some rest - you are not even that far out yet!!! Just wait for that 1st dr. appt.... you will see that it is not all that it is cracked up to be riding in the car! At least for me it wasn't!!!

I wish someone would have brought me luch!!! I just slept the first few weeks of recovery!!!!

Good Luck!!!!

Hi Stircrazy! I had my surgery Aug 10th and I am feeling terrific and ready to jump in the car and go back to work. I see my surgeon next Tuesday and will beg to go back to my desk job on Wednesday!

TV is a drag and I am sick of my computer! What else is there to do????

I don't really have any suggestions.....I was going stir crazy also. I felt like I was on "house arrest" and I was about to climb the walls.
Later in my recovery, I did work on a jigsaw puzzle that took up alot of my time.

But I had to reply to let you know that I loved your story. It made me laugh.
You see, most of my neighbors are older, retired, and at home all day. They see EVERYTHING that goes on in the neighborhood. So I know exactly how you feel. (But that's also good for times when we aren't home.)

Hang in there. Before you know it you'll be at 6 weeks post-op and wonder where all the time went. I felt like I would never get there. Now I look back and it seems like time flew by.

Good luck with your recovery,
Cheryl

I also did a jigsaw puzzle and it's amazing how much time you can pass with puzzles. I also found a couple of good puzzle games on the computer and it not only passed the time but also put my mind to work a bit and helped clear the brain fog I seemed to have after surgery. By the time I got up, had a shower, had a nap and worked on my puzzle it was lunchtime. Then a nap, a walk outside and watching Dr. Phil and Oprah. Then suppertime, a warm bath and crawled into bed with my book for an early night. That was the extent of my days for almost four weeks. It's worth it to take it easy and rest, it pays dividends in the end. I am 5 weeks post op today and feel fantastic so have patience. Happy recovery!!

The phone was my best friend. I usually hate to talk on the phone as I'm on the phone all day at work. But being confined, it was my connection to the world. I talked to my former roommate in Hawaii for 3 hours. I talked to friends in Denver and Milwaukee, I talked to my sister in Texas almost daily. I talked and talked and when I got tired, I would say "I'm tired, got to go". I didn't drive until 3 weeks, cause I was sort of afraid of getting behind the wheel of the mammouth SUV.

First of all, hilarious story! Secondly...sisters, find a way to keep your hands busy! The following is a list of things I tried in my stir-crazy moments! Inexpensive hobbies to take up while you are laid up...
1. teach yourself to knit. I did that after my first ovary was removed at xmas time and although you can tell in my stitches just how strong vicadin is...well, let's just say that I gave the scarf to my mother because I knew she would love it just because her baby girl made it for her
2. if you have access, or a family member has access...teach yourself to play an instrument. (This is inexpensive if you can borrow stuff...not inexpensive if you send your SO out to buy one!) Have someone rent an instructional dvd/vhs for you and learn to play a guitar, flute, xylophone, kazoo...whatever! (just not a drum set or an alto sax....they're heavy!)
3. Get a needle and thread and darn your SO's socks...
4. Make pop-up invitations/cards for friends and family to come to your 'hey! i'm all better now and you need to come visit the new me party!"
5. Call your child/grandchild's school and ask them if they have envelopes to be stuffed. During back to school month, they have TONS of stuff they need to have mailed out. TRUST ME...they will find someone to drop off and pick up if you will just stuff it!
6. Catalogue your CD collection. (Did you even remember that you bought the greatest hits of Bread?!?) Have someone else carry the CDs to a good work space for you.
7. Surf the internet for great recipes for healthy living during menopause/surgical menopause. Compile your own, personalized cookbook.
K...I'm out of ideas now...
Good Luck. Don't rush it too much. In no time at all, you'll be able to drive, expected to go get the groceries, and to keep all of the laundry clean!!!

Thanks to all of you for the advice. I will call my mother in the morning and ask her to pick me up a couple of puzzles. Until I read your suggestions tonight, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed puzzles. Also I think I will take up cross stitching. I remember that I wanted to learn that a few years back. I bought all the stuff but never did anything with it. When I wake up in the morning, I'll dig in the closet to find that stuff.

I promise not to go AWOL. I won't even think it. I confessed to my dh when he called to check on me tonght. My Mom will be picking up the keys in the morning on her way to work. My husband will get them back from her when he comes home on Thursday.

Again, thank you all for being my sisters
mspittmang

I found this great bingo site that give you $20 to play on. It lasts for along time. The people are great and caring. I have met so many good friends there.

If you want the link to the site, contact me through my address on my profile.

It keeps my mind busy and trust me, I need it.

Love all you ladies,

You're the best,

Nina