I was wondering why my doctor thought I should work from home this week. Well, today I had back to back meetings and figured I’d go to the office for them, pick up some paperwork, and head back home. Not so. I ended up staying for the entire day and I was exhausted. Not my normal work tired, but I could tell I was worn out. I guess my doctor knew what he was talking about. I’ll be happy and grateful to work from home tomorrow.

I’m thankful for making it through my first full day at work, for not needing pain meds, and for cleaning up some bookshelves. Not bad for a Monday.

I’m thankful for a day of not doing a whole lot and an evening of doing even less. That’s totally against my norm, but I’m ok with it, knowing I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Back when I thought I’d recover quickly from my surgery, I bought a ticket to a women’s conference for this weekend at our church. I have been feeling like I should get more connected there than I have been, and I thought this conference, which they hold every year, would be a chance to do that. It was an all day event today, but I figured I could go for as long or as short of a time as I wanted. After all, it was mostly sitting and watching. I made it through lunchtime.

There were so many people there, and I didn’t make a connection with anyone. In fact, I’m lucky I found a seat. But I am glad I went. I heard a couple of messages that really resonated with me and bought a couple interesting books (that I’ll probably never get around to reading). No matter, I’m thankful for inspiring women and positive messages. They help balance out the negativity that’s constantly around us these days.

Today I was officially back at work, albeit from home and not all day. Almost though. I worked about 6 hours, and I’m glad I stopped when I did. My chest got a bit achy from being at the computer that long. I’m grateful to be somewhat caught up, though. It will make next week a little easier (hopefully).

This afternoon I met my colleague, who is on medical leave for treatment of a brain tumor, for coffee and a chat. We spent several hours talking about almost everything but work. His lovely wife joined us for a bit and shared ultrasound photos of their son, who should make his appearance in the next couple of months. They have so much going on, and their strength and positive attitude during this difficult time is really inspiring. I’m so thankful his prognosis is good, he has an amazing team of doctors, and both he and his wife are doing well. I’m also grateful they spent some time with me today.

I had a follow up with my surgeon today, and since it was over an hour away, Patrick came with and we had lunch at a yummy barbecue place.

The appointment went well. They took the drain out of my side, which makes everything easier and feels so much better. They also trimmed some long stitches and said they should dissolve in the next week or so. My doctor was pleased with how things are healing but cautioned me not to overdo it. I have to wear the stomach binder and support bra for another 4 weeks. He also said I could do light exercise like walking but nothing strenuous enough to make me sweat. Still no heavy lifting and push/pulling. And he approved working from home for the next week. I have a return appointment a month from now.

I’m thankful the appointment went well and thankful that I’m feeling less sore today, finally. I’m not looking forward to wearing the compression stuff for another month, but I will, knowing it will help with the swelling.

I’m thankful today for chatting with friends and family, for easing myself back to work with a few emails, for finding a way to make the stomach binder feel more comfortable, and for making future plans.

I’m not sure what was different today, but I was probably the most uncomfortable I’ve been since my surgery. Maybe I shouldn’t have backed off the pain meds last night. It appears all of the bruising has come to the surface because my hip bones remained tender to the touch all day. And my stomach felt like it was getting a rash from the binder rubbing my skin. Since the binder is mostly nylon, it’s not comfortable. At any rate, I was tired and cranky most of the day.

I was also starting to worry about work, so I spent a little time going through my emails, even though no one expected me to and I probably shouldn’t have. In fact, yesterday my boss sent me this message, which I’m grateful for…or maybe he’s anxious to have me return! Ha!

I am hoping you are not checking work stuff – but just in case – just wanted to let you know you are on my mind and I am hoping you are recovering as expected.  I have a whole new appreciation for what you do after just a few days with you out.

At the end of the day, I am thankful that I’ve been able to have some recovery time. Again. Maybe today is the turning point and things will get better from here.

My doctor told me it would be a couple weeks for recovery, and it already feels that long. Once again, I’m not supposed to be doing any push/pull movements or heavy lifting. It’s also not super comfortable bending over too far, so I’m a bit limited on what I can accomplish. I guess that’s the point. But as we all know by now, I’m not good at feeling unproductive. So…I worked with my clay figures for a while, and did some laundry. When I felt some sore twinges in my chest, I stopped using my arms so much and watched a movie instead.

I reminded myself that as frustrated as I get with the idea of taking it easy, I’m just about there. I’ve come this far with the reconstruction and I’m not going to screw it up at this point by pushing it. I want a good result.

Although they are still really tender to the touch, my bruises are starting to lighten up. The swelling has already gone down some, and I was able to cut back on pain meds tonight. Yay! I’m thankful that things seem to be healing well.

I’m thankful for a beautiful, warm, sunny day. It felt like summer! I was able to sit outside for quite a while, reading and enjoying the backyard.