I'm baaaaaack!

I headed out to start this earlier today, but had no internet connection!!!!!  My love/hate relationship with technology continues.

It was pretty heady stuff reading all your comments of support and positivity!  Reading your kind thoughts and encouragement really does help keep me positive about all this.

It was a big day getting home yesterday.  The house is so much bigger than my hospital room!  I felt a bit like an untethered balloon drifting across the living room.

I slept in the downstairs bedroom as I didn't want to try the 14 steps at the end of the day.   And my Beloved offered to sleep downstairs on the floor in her sleeping bag.  I got the better deal, poor dear.  It was a bit of adventure not having the fancy adjustable hospital bed to crank around at my whim for maximum comfort.  And then, of course, the cat was thrilled I was home and kept hopping up and around the bed.  She did finally settle at at my side, and I finally got the right amount of blankets and pillows piled up.  So I slept pretty well.

The most uncomfortable thing is the coughing....which I need to do to keep the lungs cleared out.....but it sort of hurts!  For my thoracic surgeon, this was a pretty routine lobectomy.  To my body, a saber-tooth tiger took a bite out of my side!  It is about a 5 inch incision.  They did a little rib-spreading and a bit of rib-shaving; and then there was the chest tube for drainage.  So that right rib area is a bit achy and sore.  I have full movement of my right arm....up above my head and pretty good lateral reach.  It was a bit of a shock last night, as the last of the IV Tylenol with codeine I was given in the hospital started wearing off, and I could feel more of the physical discomfort from the actual surgery.  I took one of the pain pills they gave me, but it only made me thick-headed and did not relieve the discomfort, so those will be going to the medication recycle bin!  I started taking extra strength Tylenol regularly at the suggestion of my anti-coagulation pharmacist and have found I was able to ambulate around with a bit more comfort today.  They are gradually getting my blood back to a therapeutic range of anti-coagulation ...and I will have it checked on Thursday.

I do get sort of breath rather easily, but I expect that to be better in a few days time.
I actually feel better than I thought I would, I think.  When the anesthesiologist came in during pre-op and explained how she would have to put a much larger than normal respirator thingy down my throat because she would have to shut down the lung they were operating on and keep the other one inflated.  She said it would go between my vocal chords so I may have a very sore throat.....or that my caps on my front teeth may break off because of the metal apparatus....... and I felt none of those negative side-effects!

My Beloved brought cards to my room each day and we pinned them to the bulletin board in my room......like a bouquet of good wishes!  I continue to get cards at home and appreciate the ongoing prayers and good thoughts.  FYI....those sending cards are generally not of the generation be checking blogs.....so keep those blog replies coming!  My e-mail Inbox is just full of names that make me smile when I see them.

I think I am out of steam and have already rambled on enough....but rambling is about all I can manage at this time.  I hope to have some real quality postings in the near future....but now, back to the recliner!