Hey… it’s Anna. 🖤
Well…
I’m officially home.
And let me tell you…
Recovering at home is very different from recovering in the hospital.
I don’t know why I thought I’d walk through my front door and magically feel better.
Apparently my body didn’t get that memo.
The first night home definitely had me saying, “Oh… so this is what recovery is really like.”
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m still incredibly grateful the surgery is behind me.
Every ache and every uncomfortable moment is another step toward healing.
But wow…
Nobody prepares you for the difference between hospital pain and home pain.
🏡 There’s No Place Like Home…
The hospital was wonderful.
The nurses were amazing.
The doctors took great care of me.
But there really is something special about sleeping in your own bed.
The funny thing is, I didn’t realize just how uncomfortable those hospital beds were until I got home.
The minute I sat on my mattress, my entire body relaxed.
Even my butt seemed relieved.
Seriously.
I think I bruised my tailbone lying on that hospital bed for three days.
Every time I turn over, I can still feel that tenderness.
My backside has filed its own complaint now.
Apparently my joints weren’t enough.
💊 The Pain Is Different
The hospital sent me home with some pretty strong pain medication.
They also sent me home with stool softeners, and I think another dissolvable powder that’s supposed to help keep everything moving. I’ll double-check exactly what it is because, honestly, once you’re discharged they hand you so many papers and medications that it’s hard to keep track.
So far, though, I’ve been trying to avoid the stronger painkillers.
Not because I’m trying to be a hero.
I just don’t like how they make me feel.
I’ve been taking Tylenol and ibuprofen instead, and for the most part they’ve been doing a pretty good job controlling the incision pain.
The incision definitely hurts more now that I’m home.
I expected that.
But surprisingly…
It’s still not the worst pain.
Nope.
The award for Most Annoying Pain still goes to…
Gas.
Again.
💨 Can We Talk About The Gas?
Listen.
If you’ve never had abdominal surgery before, let me save you a Google search.
The gas pain is real.
Very real.
During surgery, they spend hours working around your pelvic organs. Then there’s the anesthesia, which basically tells your bowels to take a nap for a while. Add swelling, trapped gas, and your body trying to wake everything back up, and it’s the perfect recipe for some truly impressive discomfort.
It’s the kind of pain that seems to travel wherever it feels like.
One minute it’s in your stomach.
The next minute it’s somewhere else entirely.
It’s honestly rude.
Walking definitely helps.
Everyone tells you to walk.
And they’re right.
It does help move the gas around.
The problem is…
I also don’t want to overdo it.
I’m only a few days out from an eight-hour surgery.
So I’m trying to find that sweet spot between walking enough to help my recovery and not walking so much that my body starts protesting.
It’s a balancing act.
One I’m still figuring out.
😅 My Left Arm Decided To Clock Out Too
Here’s something I wasn’t expecting.
When I woke up after surgery, my left arm was completely numb.
I couldn’t really feel it.
Apparently, after being asleep for eight hours, my arm wasn’t very happy with how it had been positioned.
Right now it feels like it’s asleep.
You know that pins-and-needles feeling when blood flow starts coming back?
That’s exactly what it feels like.
The feeling is slowly improving.
Which is encouraging.
But I still don’t have full control over it.
Simple things like feeding myself or picking something up have been surprisingly difficult.
Hopefully it’s just temporary.
My arm is just taking its sweet time waking up.
Kind of like the rest of me.
🚽 Things Nobody Warns You About
Can we talk about toilets?
Because apparently that’s my life now.
At the hospital, the bathrooms had those wonderful grab bars beside the toilet.
I didn’t appreciate them nearly enough.
Now I’m home…
And guess what?
My bathroom doesn’t have them.
So every trip to the bathroom has become a tiny puzzle.
How do I sit down without using my stomach?
How do I stand back up without using my stomach?
It’s amazing how many muscles you use without ever thinking about it.
Thankfully, I’m able to pee normally.
I’m also able to do number two on my own.
And honestly?
After abdominal surgery, that’s a reason to celebrate.
Recovery has a funny way of making you appreciate things you used to take for granted.
🤧 Whatever You Do…
Don’t Cough.
Or sneeze.
Or laugh too hard.
Or gag while brushing your teeth.
Actually…
Just don’t do anything that makes your abdominal muscles suddenly contract.
Easier said than done.
Especially when you’re asthmatic.
The anesthesia has left me with quite a bit of mucus, so unfortunately coughing has become part of the recovery process.
Thankfully one of the nurses taught me a little trick.
I grab a pillow.
Hold it firmly against my stomach.
Lean forward a little, almost like I’m doing the world’s tiniest crunch…
Then I cough.
It still isn’t fun.
But it hurts a whole lot less.
That pillow has officially become my emotional support pillow.
It’s going everywhere with me.
🍲 Dinner Was… Fancy
By fancy, I mean Campbell’s soup.
That’s it.
No gourmet meals over here.
No one is cooking for me.
So soup it is.
I tried the new grilled cheese and tomato soup.
It wasn’t bad.
Although…
It tasted a little too much like ketchup for my liking.
And if you know me, you already know…
I’m just not a ketchup girl.
Still, it was warm.
It was comforting.
And I noticed something interesting.
The less I eat at one time, the less gas I seem to have afterward.
So for now, small meals seem to be working much better than trying to eat a big plate of food.
My stomach seems to appreciate that.
One Day At A Time, Lovelies
So that’s where I am.
Home.
Healing.
Learning something new every single day.
Some moments are uncomfortable.
Some moments are frustrating.
Some moments make me laugh because they’re just so ridiculous.
Who knew I’d be this excited about sitting on my own mattress?
Or this thankful for a successful trip to the bathroom?
Recovery really changes your perspective.
I’ll keep sharing everything I learn along the way.
The good.
The uncomfortable.
The unexpected.
Because if my experience helps another woman feel a little more prepared for her own surgery someday, then sharing it is worth it.
For now, I’m going to keep resting.
Keep walking.
Keep hugging my emotional support pillow every time I cough.
And keep reminding myself that healing isn’t a race.
It’s one slow step at a time.
Until next time, lovelies.
Anna out. 🖤💋
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