3rd cycle post-op shows promise
Friday when I woke up, I debated staying home from work. My whole body was seized up from the pain. I did light, gentle stretches to work out the kinks. I ate breakfast. The pain hovered around 6.5 on the pain scale.
I waited til the absolute last minute, then said ‘screw it’, got dressed, took 600mg Ibuprofen, and went to work. While walking from my car, I saw the director, still sitting in her car. She rolled down the window and with a jaw-dropping grin said, “HEY! YOU’RE HERE!!!” I stopped and smiled back. I said, “I’m doin it! I’m gonna do this!” And she gave me the thumbs up.
Friday was the heavy flow day, but I did it, dammit. I worked a full day. It took 1,000mg of ibuprofen to get through the day, and the pain was much worse after lunch again (sitting on the hard floor, rubbing backs for naptime. I need a zafu because the flat chair cushions we have aren’t cutting it for me).
But I did it. I went to work on the first, second and third days of my cycle. This is unheard of pre-surgery. So there HAS been benefit. It is showing.
After work on Friday, my husband took me to get a rental car, because my car is on its last leg and I needed to get to a teacher seminar over the weekend.
On Saturday, I woke up before dawn and prepared for the teacher seminar (second Saturday of every month, until June 2011, during my internship). The bleeding was still heavy, but the cramps were not so bad. To my dismay, I discovered I was already out of Ibuprofen, or at least I thought I was. I just couldn’t find the spare bottles anywhere at that moment (I have since found not one but three spare bottles, LOL). I drove off to pick up a classmate and fellow endo sister, and watched the sun rise from the Bay Bridge. We made it to class on time and got the seats I needed (right by the door in case someone’s fragrance is overpowering for me).
I have to say, Saturday and today have been my worst pain days this cycle, and if it would have fallen on a weekday, I would have missed two days of work just like usual. :(
However, that said, the pain did not get really bad until Day 4 of my cycle.
I consumed four half Tylenol 3s throughout the day, and 1,000mg Ibuprofen as well yesterday, but I made it through the teacher seminar, got my friend safely back home, and I came home and I drove my husband and I to get Indian food for dinner. The pain ramped up again during dinner, and I was antsy to leave and just be in bed. I really did go to bed right after dinner. The bleeding subsided that afternoon, even though I was still experiencing pain. The flow stopped overnight, only to return heavy and painful this morning around 9:30am. I got to about a 7.5 on the pain scale, complete with nausea this morning.
I have consumed a whole Tylenol 3 so far today, and now I’m off to visit my father-in-law in physical rehab while he works on trying to walk again after having his second big toe amputated due to complications of diabetes.