Recovery Update

It's been a week now since I came home from the hospital and I am feeling much better. The pain medication they gave me was great for relieving the surgery pain (at least my abdomen wasn't throbbing anymore) but it made my stomach really upset and made me feel really dizzy and light-headed. I even got sick to my stomach because of it. Definitely not one of the more pleasant experiences in life, but at least I had my mother-in-law here to distract the boys (she stayed for 6 days and was a WONDERFUL help) while Scott held my hair and rubbed my back for me..... Fortunately the pain from the incisions has subsided enough to only have to take ibuprofen now, which I'm happy about.

Unfortunately, after I stopped taking the narcotics I realized that they were not the cause of my dizziness and light-headedness. Now that the pain has subsided considerably, it's the dizziness that is the toughest to deal with. I get dizzy even sitting down and I have to lie down to feel better. When I stand up I have to make sure I have something to hold onto until the head rush passes. Fortunately I haven't fainted because of it (yet, at least) but it's bothersome and makes caring for the boys really difficult.

The help I've had since I've been home from the hospital has been amazing. I have had people bringing our family meals every night from the night I got home from the hospital until last night, and this week I've had people offering to take care of the boys for me at their houses so I can continue to recover and relax. Even getting the boys lunch and down for a nap/quiet time is very draining, so I have really appreciated all the support and offers of help that have come pouring in. Really, between my mother-in-law coming to stay with us, my parents just minutes away, my aunt who's in town, Scott and our friends, our burden has been eased so much, I can't even believe it! Thank goodness we have such a wonderful support system or this would've been a much more difficult recovery.

I went in to see the doctor today for my post-op checkup. He said my dizziness is because of all the blood I lost before the surgery and the blood transfusion. He said it will take another 4-5 weeks (!) to get back to normal so I don't feel dizzy anymore but in the meantime he gave me a prescription for some iron tablets that are supposed to ease the symptoms a bit. I'll take whatever help I can get! I had to have another blood test today and will have to continue to go in until my hormones are back to my pre-pregnancy levels. Fortunately my blood count came back as an improvement over what it was when I was discharged from the hospital so I escaped having to undergo another blood transfusion. Thank heaven. My blood pressure is still much lower than it should be (hence the dizziness) but the levels (of what exactly, I'm not sure) were an improvement so despite the abnormally low blood pressure the doctor is satisfied with my progress. And I'm allowed to lift my baby again! Yay!

Well, I'm off to watch some episodes of Rick Steves' Europe and eat some cupcakes that Scott baked me. I love travel shows and as a "I'm so glad you're still alive and I love you so much" present, Scott bought me the entire library of Rick Steves' episodes for me to enjoy while I continue to take it easy around here. Woohoo! Thank you for all your kind wishes and prayers. I have really felt them and I'm on the road to recovery.