So I actually slept all through the night last night while laying on my back. Good thing because I needed rest? Yes. Bad thing because I woke up incredibly stiff? Yes. Basically, I'm supposed to change my sleeping position throughout the night to make sure my spine doesn't lock up. However, I've found that sleeping on either side is ridiculously uncomfortable. Which is weird, because pre-op I always slept on my side. I guess I'm just scared that my spine will twist or turn while I'm on my side. I tend to always think of the worst possible thing that could happen, though. For example, I could lay on my side too long with a twisted spine and turn into a human twizzler as my spine solidifies. My pessimism gets the best of me at times. However, I'm slowly thinking more clearly with a level head about the situation. I know I get that strength from Him who promised to never leave me. :)
Today I woke up, said bye to the kiddos as they went to school, ate a bagel, then laid back down for a bit. Ended up falling asleep...That tends to happen quite often lol. Ate some lunch while sitting in the chair and talking to dad. Made a stupid mistake and got up out of the chair incorrectly. For those of you reading this who are having the surgery in the future, you must use only your legs and arms to stand up from a seated position. The doctors call it "exploding with your legs" so that you don't arch your back, pull up with the wrong muscles, or jerk your back into a spasm. Well, I unfortunately didn't push with my legs enough and it felt like some muscle separated from the hardware in my back. I tried walking it off, hobbling around a bit, but it didn't help much. So what did I do? I took some more meds and fell asleep lol.
When the kiddos came home we ate some Bandana's for dinner. Yum! I'm finally getting an appetite back, so food makes me happy now lol. Afterwards I tried walking some more and checking my email to see if there are any updates on my job search process. As I am typing this, I'm thinking that it would be good to make a list of random things that people may not think about when preparing for scoliosis surgery. If this operation is not in your future, you may cease reading at this point if you so desire hehe.
1. You may not remember very much of your hospital stay. Be prepared to be swollen, achy, sore, and generally uncomfortable for the first few days. Family and friends may come to visit, but you may not be in the best state of mind to converse with them. They don't mind if you randomly fall asleep and forget you came. :)
2. This one is for the girls who are about to undergo surgery. Forewarning for any males who are about to read this...haha. The stress of the surgery may cause you to start menstruating. Even if you just stopped, aren't scheduled to have one for a few weeks, or even are past menopause, the trauma of the surgery causes your body to start this process for some reason. It was completely random and I was totally caught off guard. Thought I would warn you just in case. :)
3. Make sure you have the right char to sit in when you get back home. It is SO uncomfortable to sit in almost any chair. Everyone's preferences are different, but make sure you have some place to sit that you can endure being there for longer than five minutes.
4. If you are incredibly modest (like I was before surgery), you will lose that. You have no choice but to be completely at the mercy of the hospital staff. Don't worry, they are so considerate and calming and know just what to say to make you feel comfortable. However, it is still ridiculously embarrassing/unnerving when you have no control over who sees what. Just breathe, relax, and understand that if I can get over it, you can too. :)
5. Be patient with your body. You are not going to be the same after surgery, so don't expect to return to life as expected. You will hurt, you will get sad, tasks are more difficult, you lose some independence. But guess what? It's only temporary. You will get better, you will heal, and you will have a better quality of life once this has all passed. I know I was meant to have this surgery for a reason, and I hope the pain brings me closer to the strength I have in Christ. It's humbling to see how frail we really are, and how endless and infinite and wonderfully patient our God is to carry us through life's "ugh" moments.
I suppose that's all of the tips I am going to share tonight. I'm going to go brush my teeth and get ready for bed. Sleep well everyone! :)
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