So it's week 5 and I'm hanging in there. went back to work last week and worked 35 hours in 6 days- so much for going back very part time. The thing is I went back very part time to my regular pottery teaching job but every year from Nov - March I'm conference support for a non profit arts council and they need me every moment they can get me. I'm not working for them as much as I have in the past but I still am working for them.

So I'm going to set up some boundries and not work too too much. this week i'm going to take Wed off and have a princess day!

In the book The Artist's Way Julia Cameron has this thing called "Artist Dates" where you do something nurturing for your artist self. Well I'm changing it to "Princess Dates" for awhile where I do something for my Princess Self. So Wed after I get the Dentist out of the way I'll meet a girlfriend for lunch, get a pedicure and haircut, and then maybe go hang out in my favorite bookstore. Oh...and take a nap somewhere in there. Future Princess Dates will have to cost less as I am still an artist after all and have to save my pennies.

I have got to go on some sort of a diet. My body feels like mush. I'm going to cut back on the refined sugers and flours and focus on healthy stuff. I already do that mostly but the holiday season killed me!

big day. i walked three blocks to a restaurant to meet a friend for lunch. the walk felt so great! Oh - i'm having an ibuprofen free day. i really think the ibuprofen has been bothering my tummy.

anyway - lunch was fun except it's uncomfortable to sit up in chairs.

came home and a friend stopped by for a cup of tea and a visit.
I was pretty tired from the lunch adventure so just hung back in recliner.

it's great - no nausea today - i'm sure it's been the ibuprofen.

then Dh and I went to see the golden compass. we have a new theater in town with reclining chairs - it was great! The movie was pretty good as well.

then tonight after the movie we went out to eat AGAIN. really nice italian restaurant. the food was great and I had 2 glasses of wine - not exactly the best thing for surgery recovery I imagine but they were so good. now I'm home and I feel pretty tired and sore. tomorrow we do a little Christmas shopping - the last of it. just books for all the nieces and friend's kids. but nothing else on the agenda but rest!

i feel overall that i'm doing pretty well. not perfect but i'm happy with my recovery here on day 9. I'm trying so hard to restrain myself and take it easy but i'm ...well...just not very good at that.

i do feel soreness all the time which is of course a good reminder to take it easy.

i am tired alot - well i would describe it more as low energy. the thing is i'm having alot of trouble sleeping. i envy these others that seem to be able to take naps. i love naps but my body doesn't want to do a nap or sleep through the night.

I haven't really gotten out of bed yet. it's 10:23. Last night I took an ativan to help me sleep because I was tired of not sleeping longer than 2 -3 hours at a time. Well I slept at least 9 hours straight. Actually it could have been longer - I'm not sure because I read a little before going to bed and I'm not sure how long.

So sleeping that long means no taking any ibuprofen or vicodin for that long and I really woke up feeling it. So had to eat something right away to take some ibuprofen. I think it's really important to keep taking the ibuprofen at least. in a hour or so I'll take a vicodin as well.

Learned my lesson about overdoing it. I'm really going to take it easier now. I took 4 weeks off of work to heal and I'm going to do just that! Why am I wanting to rush things? I guess that's just my MO.

My discharge nurse said I should be back to normal activities in 3 days. Does that seem a little insane? Should I complain? I'm going to start a thread in the post op forum.

okay. so today i'm feeling a bit nauseous. I wonder why. It's a drag. I'm also feeling weak - like I did right after surgery. I am able to eat and I ate a little canned wild salmon and some crackers and they went down fine.

i know it's an odd combo but i felt like i really needed some animal protein and I don't really eat meat. no red meat for sure and very little chicken and turkey. I have no animal protein in the house except canned wild salmon and eggs. eggs just don't appeal to me. A friend dropped by yesterday who had a hyst a couple of years ago and she said that she lived on egg salad the week after surgery - she just craved it all the time.

So maybe I over did it yesterday. you know...i really don't think i did but maybe i did. so today I'll take it easy. I did post a thread regarding this in the post op forum. we'll see what people think.

The pain level is quite low. The incision at my belly button is a little sore - the other 3 are fine. I made it through the night without any extra pain meds. Took an ibuprofen with some crackers upon waking at 7 and then 1 (not 2!) vicodin around 9 with the salmon.

So I have this big project to work on that i mentioned in an earlier post. I really should spent several hours on it today but I am just too tired to put that much brain power towards any one thing. I'll check in with myself about it around 2.

Tonight is my DH's department Holiday party. It's at one of my favorite restaurants but there is no way I can make it. bummer!

It's remarkable how it has gotten so much easier for me to get in and out of bed. That's some fast healing!

I can't believe I haven't written in my journal since I've been back from the castle.

I guess since I've posted alot of what happened in the progress report in the post op forum i haven't had the desire to write here

But it's day 2 and I feel pretty darn good. i am staying on top of pain meds plus taking a ton of supplements and homeopathics remedies.

Drinking alot of liquids and with the help of colace and miralax had a first bm today that was completely pain free.

I think I'll try to taper off pain meds tomorrow and also try to go for a walk outside.

I have so much to do today and I shouldn't even be on the computer. we had a snowstorm over the weekend and are expecting more tonight. i have to check in at the hospital at 4 am and it's usually an hour drive. but at least 3 more inches are expected and there already is a bunch of snow on the ground so it looks like we'll probably have to leave the house at 2 am!

so my car is at the shop having the snow tires put on. everyone in town is having this done so i dropped the car off at 8:30 and it's now 1 and it's not ready yet. kinda messes up my errand day! So i should at least be cleaning right now. guess i will and will write more later.

i'm doing okay though. not too nervous and on my clear liquid diet. fun fun.

I can't believe it's happening on Tues!

I have been so busy doing this work for a nonprofit arts council on the side in addition to my studio and teaching work. It's really fun work but I have a deadline to have this project done by Dec20th. I hope that I'm only in my vicodin haze for 2 days post op because I need to set up this spreadsheet for about 100 art shows. I waiting to hear back from the curators. I can do all this work at home on my laptop in my bed. I have no choice - I am committed with a publication deadline. So that's a little stressful.

Plus a show of my own work this weekend. I set up tonight at 5 and take down Sunday night at 5. Nothing like really packing my schedule and staying busy.

Tomorrow night I have agreed to stay overnight at a local hotel to help a fellow artist friend (single mom) throw a slumber/birthday party for her 11 year old daughter and 6 of her friends. why haven't i learned to use the word NO. Yea right ...like that will be a good night sleep...not! okay... I'm going to look on the bright side and have fun with it.

So i'm eating little things that i love as a treat to myself pre-surgery yet still trying to remain healthy and high fiber. Chocolate is good for you! Falafel...maybe only a little bit good for you. Chipotle burrito...too much white rice but yum-my! At least I went vegie.

did acupuncture last night...one more treatment monday afternoon. would love to squeeze a massage in this weekend but don't know when. too much!

My acupuncturist insists on coming to my house post-op to treat me. How lucky am i? She charges me $25 a visit (starving artist fee). I need to give her some work of mine.

It's snowing here in the foothills of the rocky mountains I love the snow - bring it on!

it went really well. i'm just thrilled that i don't have to do a bowel prep or enema. just a clear liquid fast the day before. and i can have liquids up to 2 hours before check in.

he's planning on sending me home the same day. i can stay overnight if i wish but he thinks women heal faster when they can get home right away and not be constantly woken up.

what else...i can drive in one week and no problem flying on the 25th since the flight is only 1.5 hours. that will be exactly 2 weeks post-op.

he said that since i'm having a TLH I'll heal faster than most other types of hysts. He still may have to open me up if there are alot of adhesions. I hope not!

He's really a great doctor. he's also very attractive. late 30's. very kind and personable.

So I feel pretty good. ran into a friend who had her hyst this summer. she feels sooo great. she is so thrilled that she had one and is so excited for me. she said that she is so excited that i get to start a brand new life. i am too. i really want to get back in shape after i'm healed. i hoping that i will have much more energy. i can commit to backpacking trips and do yoga pain free. no more vicodin. no more pads.

So I just made up my list of questions for my pre-op. I hope I'm not missing any. Basically the same ones suggested in the pre-op section here. I want to be clear on pain management and lifting restrictions. I also want to see if they can give me something for nerves right away. I tend to get really cold when I'm nervous and then I get the shakes. I want some valium right away!

My DH is coming to the pre-op with me. That's good. He's great at asking questions and getting docs to clarify what they are saying. Then we are going out to eat at my favorite restaurant. But no vino for me! I already know that I'm having blackened tofu with coconut cream sauce on top. Yum!

I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed with all the things I want to accomplish before surgery and I need to relax and accept that it won't all get done. But tomorrow morning I think I'll make up a list of things and figure out priorities. Like yes - I will do laundry and no I won't re-pot my plants. Yes to grocery shopping and no to painting the living room!

I plan to share what happens in pre-op here or at least start a thread. I find it so comforting to hear what everyone's pre-op has been like - hopefully I can help others.

Wow - I can't believe it's finally going to happen. I have to admit that I'm having increased feelings of anxiety. Like little twinges. I wish i could just stay on ativan all week or something like that. Got to stay busy - i don't think that will be a problem!

So only one more week. I just feel like i have so much to get done before i'm away from here for 4 weeks. I teach at a ceramics studio and the work is pretty physical. so starting today I'm going to focus on not only catching up but getting ahead.

I slept well last night. i think one of the keys to not being so worried and stressed about this hyst is to have utmost confidence and faith in your surgeon. i mean i really feel this guy is on top of his game and that puts me so at ease. I'm a relatively healthy person as far as my immune system and fitness level goes. I think about people who go in for triple bypass surgery who are very overweight and smoke a pack or two of cigarettes a day and they make it through just fine. There are plenty of examples and plenty of reasons why I shouldn't worry about not waking up after surgery. I'm borderline overweight - like the average american women - but I feel pretty good besides all the stuff going on in my pelvic region.

I think the only worry I have is that this hyst doesn't work...that for some reason I still have pain. i guess it's important to stay in the moment and not let my thoughts go there. That's a problem of mine - to obsess about stuff in the future or stuff I don't have much control over. it's something i'm continually working on.

i'm actually feeling better than usual. i think this no drinking alcohol and very little coffee is a good thing for me...imagine that! My energy levels are pretty high for a change.

Oh and I got new shoes. I'm a fanatic when it comes to shoes and shoes that are super comfortable can be better than sex for me. I know that sounds lame. The thing is that these shoes are kinda ugly. they are Merrell mocs. It seems like every other person wears them where I live and I just think they are so ugly. but i wanted a pair of shoes that were slip on and comfortable to walk longer distances in like after the surgery when i'm recovering and want to walk downtown to a coffe shop or something - slip on being the key. i twist my ankles in danskos and i don't do running shoes/sneakers unless i'm actually running or at the gym - it's this thing with me. i like to wear shoes that are a little funky and hip yet well made and comfy. so just for the heck of it i tried a pair of these merrells on and i didn't want to take them off. they are awesome but ugly. I got black because i really needed some black shoes - the brown are better looking.

so i'm trying to get over myself and revel in how comfortable these shoes are.

I have a fear of frumpy - that's the thing. it used to be a fear of looking like a soccer mom (i don't have kids).

The pathetic thing is that i obsess about shoes - there is more to life than shoes! Right?

Thought I'd give this blog thing a try.. I've had a morning writing practice for years but write in spiral notebooks that i NEVER show anyone. My handwriting,spelling,and grammar is atrocious but i figure that it is for me and no one one is going to see it anyway.

well...i think i will approach this blog in somewhat the same manner. sometimes i will capitalize and sometimes i won't. sometimes i'll go back and check my spelling and stuff but most of the time i won't. hope it won't be too hard for others to read!

I've had problems with my uterus only for the last 7 years (I'm 42 now). I had easy periods my whole life and no real pelvic pain. i was on bcps for most of my adult life but went off in my earlier 30's. Mid thirties is when my trouble started. oh the pain! and migraines...and low thyroid diagnosis. But the pelvic pain has been shocking. twice to the er because after having so many painless periods in my life i could not believe this pain could be related to my period!

So a lap last year because i and my docs were convinced i had endometriosis and results that were negative for endo. what we did find was an enlarged and boggy uterus and all symptoms point to adenomyosis and a hyst. well i decided to wait a year and see if i could treat this naturally. diet change, supplements, acupuncture etc. no luck. so in 11 days i'm having my uterus and cervix removed. TLH.

I feel very ready for the most part - both emotionally and physically. Anesthesia does scare me. I have had good experiences and bad ones. At it's worse I just felt like crap after coming out. One time I had an acupuncture treatment the morning of surgery and I came out feeling like I had just had the best sleep of my life. I woke up ready to run a marathon - I kid you not! But my acupuncturist and that specific anesthesiologist had moved out of the state. bummer. I am seeing a new acupuncturist who has been treating me once a week the past few weeks to help build up my constitution - get that qi moving and strengthen my liver. she is going to stick me the night before surgery. hopefully it will help as i respond strongly to chinese medicine.

I've stopped drinking wine for these 2 weeks prior - i tend to drink a bit of the red stuff - at least a glass with dinner most nights but sometimes a bit more and i love margaritas. so no booze for 2 weeks prior. trying to get good sleep. taking a whole host of vitamins and supplements though I sure when i see the doc on monday for post op - one week prior to surgery, he'll have me stop alot of those.

also getting off the caffeine. i've been working on this for 2 months now and by monday i plan to be caffeine free.

eating lots of fiber and plan to right up until i have to fast for surgery and then start back up when i can have solid food. going to get me some of that miralax as well.

Yes- so I think this blog will be me writing about my approach to this hyst, pre and post surgery both physically and emotionally. May not be the most interesting thing for people to read - maybe a little (alot) narcisstic - but maybe it will be helpful to some.

Tammy