Day 2

Tonight is Sat night. There's no wi-fi for patients so I'm thumbing out an update on Erinn's Blackberry.

When I awoke from the surgery around 2pm I was freezing cold.  Apparently it's the epidural.  Erinn got three warm blankets for me every 20 mins.  My teeth were chattering uncontrollably, both hands were asleep, both arms in great pain like I just had a big workout and I was numb from my bellybutton on down.

Erinn had to move my hands for me to be in a position of least pain.  I slept like a vampire with my hands crossed on my chest for the next six daytime hours.  When I awoke, my right hand was regaining feeling but I couldn't move either arm without lactic acid pain.  At 11pm I lied in my least painful vampire position and tried to sleep. By 6am when the sun came up, I was able to fall asleep.

My surgeon woke me at 7am and explained that it was lactic acid in my arms and my hands were asleep due to positioning on the operating table.  Weird. My right hand came to life that day but here it is 3.5 days later and I can only feel my left pinky.  

Ice chips.  No food allowed since Tues night. Not even breakfast on Cleansing Wednesday.  So when the ice chips were offered after surgery nap, they rivalled the best ice creams known to man. I love ice chips. And nothing says hospital food like a styrofoam cup full of ice chips accented with a plastic spoon.

This sucks.  I've been lying on my back since Thurs.  I was supposed to stand on Friday but it's clear I can't handle my drugs. My legs were like dead logs. The nurse struggled to get me to sit up just as Erinn showed up for a visit.  I sat up for two seconds with the nurse pulling on my burning arm then I fainted into a 1 hour nap.  Erinn went out to get herself some supper and let me sleep.

Today, third day in the hospital, the feeling in my legs is slowly coming back.  They trimmed back the epidural around 2pm and I could start to move my feet later in the day. I could wiggle my knees but Erinn had to bend them for me. She showed up again at sit up time. This time I sat up for 60 seconds with trembling arms while the nurse washed my back.  I collapsed into a semi-sleep state for the rest of Erinn's visit.  What a trooper.

I'm in good spirits otherwise.  I have one good arm and I can reach everything.  I feel like Bart Simpson washing himself with a rag on a stick.  Tomorrow will mark Day 4 of lying on my ass and I've had it. I've got to stand tomorrow.  Alana is the nurse tomorrow and that doesn't sound like a weightlifter's name. I need Nurse Brutus.