140

Well, I have made it to 140 days post surgery. How do I know it's 140 days? Nah, I don't sit and obsess over it and count...I happen to have a great App on my Touch that's called "Days Until...". Before the surgery I programmed in the date of surgery and the App counted down the days for me. Oddly enough, that helped me get ready for the surgery as I saw the days physically counting down before my eyes.

Well, the App keeps counting and now there's a minus sign before the number signifying the days that have past since the surgery! Pretty cool!

So every now and again I check it out and find significance in the number of days past...140 seemed like a nice time to post again!

I actually wrote a great post right before Thanksgiving...I detailed all of the things that I was thankful for: in sum, that I was feeling so great and that I had so much support and love during and after my surgery. Alas, that post was mysteriously lost in cyber-space and I felt too dejected by that happening to write my thoughts out all over again.

So here I am. I feel great, no complaints. I still recognize this surgery as being life altering in only positive ways. I am completely "into" swimming and am now up to doing the back-stroke, which I am proud of! My scars are still brown and can get a little angry every now and again and even swell up a little bit...but that's no biggie.

The hormone thing is working itself out-- I hadn't posted this initially, but I was having some trouble with boob-pain (like bad PMS boobs) which was lasting for weeks on end (ouch!). It's getting better, thankfully.

Holiday madness is here and I'm trying to keep up with it just like the rest of us. Not my favorite time of year- at all.

That said, I hope that those reading this enjoy the season and that you all have a healthy New Year. 2010...can you believe it? Why does it feel like yesterday that we were all worried about computers crashing at the start of 2000?

Have a good one and be healthy.

The Belly Band is Back

Yeah. Sorta sucks, but I guess with the kid running into me and then doing activity (swimming and such)I got my swelly belly back again. It's more on my left side than my right, but it's back and I guess it goes to show that I really am still recovering, even though it's day 95 post-op.

I feel a little down because it's a set-back, and that sucks big time. It could be worse though...and that's what keeps me going. Of course the thing I hate to do is slow down again now that I've been feeling so good. It's hard for me to give myself the time that I need to heal again.

I am not going swimming today, I didn't go yesterday. I have worn the belly band while I'm walking or doing stuff around the house- tomorrow I will try and swim again just taking it easy in the water and probably doing more running in the pool than actual kicking and such. I'll get my workout without stressing my abs as much.

Grumble grumble.

3 Months...

Hey- I made it to the 3 month mark.

Some good news: I have tried flippers in the pool. Sounds crazy, I know, but they are awesome! Not only can I make it down the lane in about two seconds, but they are adding to my workout in a really great way. It's quite a workout for your legs when you use flippers.

On a not so good note: A kid ran...full speed into me (and my stomach!) the other day. I was surprised how sore I got and still am...and I am bummed out because I feel like I've had a little set-back. There's this one section of muscle that was sore for quite a while after the surgery-- and although it was nothing huge, it was annoying that it hurt for such a long time afterward. Hurt isn't the right word...more like a pulling sensation in the muscle itself.

Regardless- that pulling feeling had just gone, and now it's back again and it ticks me off. I was feeling so good, plus it's a real shock to me that I was still able to get injured just because someone ran into me. I guess there's still a lot of healing taking place even though I thought it was over and done with.

Either way, I am at the three month mark as of tomorrow. It feels like such a distant memory. The surgery is still the best thing I have ever done for my health.

Me in my Cap.

Heee heee! But seriously! I love swimming! After just a few weeks I can feel that my endurance is so much better...my breathing is better...I feel great.

Swimming is from 7 to 9 PM during the week and it's tough to rally the force within and actually get to the pool at that time of the day. And I seriously can't stand that initial dip into the water- it's brutal. But, I'm finding that I am enjoying myself so much and I feel so good about what I am doing...it's all I need for motivation.

As for the post-op report as of day 70ish: my "swelly belly" is pretty much gone. I'd love to blame my muffin top on my surgery but in reality I don't think I can! HA!

I am not feeling any residual anything that would even indicate that I had surgery two months ago...not a thing. Sometimes when I see the scars on my stomach I'm a little startled-- because that's how good I feel. It's as though looking at them is a reminder that it really did happen, it feels like such a distant memory.

That's a good thing!!

I have such a renewed sense of life and all the things I can do now. I still have that feeling...it's like I'm still on that high discovering what life is again.

My New Favorite Things....

Hello! Here is a list of my new favorite things:

Swimming- I am totally over the hump and loving it. Yesterday we swam for an hour and a half! Woo hoooo!

Rob's home-made soft pretzels- Need I say more?

Shapewear (super fantastic for the after surgery muffin top)

Smartwool knee socks with really nice patterns on them

Yes to Carrots products especially the lip balms

Glee- great tv show that makes me laugh a lot

Maru the cat =^..^=

Having plants in my room at work

Blueberry juice and seltzer

Gravelax

SPACED British tv series starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

My bright blue lycra bathing cap. Yep.

So Far So Good

Work has been going pretty well and so has swimming! I actually still pretty much suck at swimming, but I'm trying to give it a fair chance.

It's brutal getting into the cold water now that the weather is starting to change-- those first seconds when you get into the water-- UGH! It's so funny because your body just doesn't want to do it...it resists with a mighty force, but you go against your bodies better judgement and you force yourself to jump in. It's crazy.

Last night it was funny because there was a swimming club practicing in the center lanes. Rob and I were in the last lane on the left side of the pool and it was like swimming through rapids. The wake that the swim club created was insane and I was fighting it the whole time. I got tossed into the side wall on more than one occasion.

Woo hoo! Fun!!

But hey, it was a good work out and I slept like a baby last night.

Swimmin'

Woo Hoooo! We did our first day of swimming today! It felt really great and I am nice and tired right now. I really enjoyed being back in the water after about...20+ years!! I'm proud of myself for even attempting to get back into the water after so many years!!

After the swim we came home and had some Pasta Fazool, which I made earlier today. It was the perfect meal after a swim on a cold, damp day.

I hope that by this time next year I'm back to being a good swimmer again- like I was as a kid.