Just another day in J-Town

After a night of strange dreams and occasional wake ups, I finally got up around noon. I hate it when I sleep later than I had planned. I feel like I've wasted the day. Regardless, I woke up and walked around a bit. Then I ate lunch that Dad was nice enough to go get for us. Today was pretty uneventful. At any point in time I was either walking, taking a TV break, eating a bite, or laying down to rest. The biggest portion of my day was spent working on applications. Although the process may be monotonous and repetitive, it keeps my mind busy thinking about something other than my back. Hopefully I can kick out some more applications and feel satisfied with my productivity this week. Tomorrow will be the three-week mark after my surgery. I'll take a picture to compare it with the past two. Additionally, my birthday is a week from tomorrow. Celebrations for that will probably end up being a meal of my choice and (bet you couldn't guess) some walking and resting. I applaud anyone who has gone through a surgery that takes a long time to heal from, because it is not the most interesting thing in the world. I never thought I'd get stir crazy, but I think it's coming. I just want to go eat at El Torero or something. Go somewhere in public and feel somewhat normal for a bit. However, I'm not quite sure I can make the excursion. I've been having quite a bit of nausea lately and I'm not sure why. It's more annoying than painful, but it puts me in a bad mood. That probably explains my current melancholy mood. I'm not necessarily upset or sad, I'm just ready for a change. Who knows what the coming weeks will bring. I'm excited for some more independence. Not that I don't appreciate every single bit of what my parents are doing to help me. I guess I just want to lighten their load and see what I'm capable of after being "basically cut in half" in the words of Nathaniel. I can't begin to imagine what life is like for people whose healing process is more intense and lasts longer than mine. I give you all gold stars for sure. I can at least get satisfaction in knowing that my pain is temporary. As for any interesting new information from today, I suggest scoliosis surgery patients to get a pedometer. They definitely help you track your walking progress since walking is the best therapy you can do. Also, don't forget to stretch the parts of your body that you may forget about. For example, stretch your neck up and down. It might pull or push your back muscles in an uncomfortable way, but it's good to maintain flexibility. On that note, raise your arms above your head. It will pull on your lower back (at least it does on mine), but it makes you feel better. Additionally, you may wake up in the middle of the night with your heels aching. Whenever I sleep on my back, I usually have a point in the middle of the night where my heels hurt. They burn pretty bad and feel very bruised. It takes me getting out of bed and walking around a little bit before the sensation goes away. Oh, and be sure to have lots of blankets. Bernie said it's normal for patients to get cold easier after surgery. Tonight I've been very cold, and even a huge blanket doesn't help much. I just hope I can fall asleep and wake up at a reasonable time tomorrow. I apologize that tonight's blog was pretty uninteresting. Some days just don't have a lot of action, and that is to be expected. I guess I'm settling in and taking it all one day at a time. Thank you to those of you who are following me as I go through this process. I appreciate your support and encouragement. :) Goodnight.