Post-op.

I am home and not doing too bad at all. I was feeling pretty awful when I came out of surgery, and in recovery, and on the drive home, and for about an hour after I got home. Then the Percocet kicked in and I have been having a series of nice naps, broken only when my snores wake me up.

I hate sleeping on my back, because of the snoring, and because I never feel like I get into the deep, good sleep, but I'll be having to put up with that for a while.

I'm not sure what I did in Acute Recovery when I was waking up, but when the nurse wheeled me into regular Recovery, she announced, "Here's Ms. Clark, the wildcat!" She was laughing, but yikes! She told me I pulled off my oxygen mask and threw it at her. I can also remember repeatedly trying to sit up and people pushing me back down. I always seem to wake up from anesthesia in a bit of a panic, I'm not sure why.

They were really good to me, though, fetched me my mints from my purse and made sure I had plenty of water and ginger ale to drink and Saltines to eat. I was feeling extremely queasy and terrified that I would throw up and/or dry heave, which would have been painful, to say the least.

The only part that really distressed me was how uncomfortable the post-op bra was, and the fact that I have (avert your eyes if you're sensitive) these drains inserted with crazy long tubes that run to these squeeze bulb thingys that we're supposed to uncork and drain off a couple times a day, measuring the fluid each time. They are super unwieldy--I got my hand caught on one of the tubes and almost pulled it out by accident--and I have to walk around with them sticking out of me till Friday. Not real happy about that.

But once we'd gotten home and I'd had my first Percocet nap, I looked at the bra and realized they'd gotten it onto me completely crooked, plus the straps were twisted. So we unfastened it and got it moved into place, and then rearranged the drains and taped the tubes down to the bra. Much better and much more comfortable.

This is probably way more detail than anyone wants! But it feels so good to be sitting upright and thinking lucid thoughts!

Now, I really can't tell how much "smallening" has taken place yet. I'm padded with gauze and swollen up and draining off fluid. (Yucko.) Todd says there's a big difference. My neck feels better than it has in years, though, so that's encouraging!

Thanks for the phone calls and the good thoughts...I really appreciate it. If anyone catches me during a lucid moment, I may be ready to have a phone conversation, otherwise Todd will field them. Right now my wish is for Friday to come fast. I look like I'm ready to get hooked up to some demented milking machine...with really horrible-looking milk. (Yucko again.)

See y'all later.