The past week has not been as restful as I had hoped. I spent three days with friends in Apex. I got some good rest there, but I also still had my full arsenal of painkillers.
I’ve been home since Saturday morning, and I really wish I’d checked myself into a hotel.
– Dog expects walks since he sees me home; being let out to walk around for a minute doesn’t cut it; I should not have stopped my pet-sitting visits after last Friday (even though ten days of it really added up cost-wise)
– Dog expects to lie on the couch at all times; to force him off to lead him to pace around anxiously and then return to his place of refuge–the couch; I suppose I need a loveseat, but that’s not happening right now
– Cats are needy–for a different flavor of Fancy Feast, for litterbox cleanup
– Cats and dogs are dirty–I see the work of my housecleaning service evaporating before my eyes; I don’t have the energy to keep up with it
– Preparing food–even when it’s food that someone else has prepared for me, it’s an effort to take it out of the fridge, heat it up, bring it to the living room, take it back to the kitchen, cleanup; this is basic Living 101 I struggle with when I am “well”; every movement of my body causes me stress, and just getting food is exhausting
– Still need to get to dialysis 3x a week; what a drag, normally
– Overall lack of pain relief; my stomach feels like it is going to tear open when I move certain ways that are necessary for functioning; there’s the pain from the surgery; there’s discomfort from my GI system being screwed up; I just want to be lying down all the time
One might think recovery time at home for a week or two would be great. No…it’s really stressing me out.
Damn pets…though they *are* really cute, aren’t they?
bullcitydave 
David, my experience with heavy duty pain killers is that they really do a number on your digestive system. I found that taking stool softeners really helped me the last time I had use them. There are over the counter ones that are pretty gentle and effective, like ducosate sodium or Miralax.
I totally empathize with the energy everything takes, even eating. No magic pill for that to recommend, but I’m hoping that a little more time will ease the pain.
Hang in there,
Miriam
Thanks, Miriam. I have a prescription syrup called Generlac. It is actually very sweet and mixes well with beverages. I’ve got the over-the-counter ones, too. It is all getting better gradually.
I’m nervous because I won’t really know when I’ve reached the end of surgery-related discomfort and when I’ll be at the “norm” for what dialysis causes and whatever my remaining kidney might be causing. There’s no feeling 100% in the future.
But it’s a non-dialysis day today, so rest is on the agenda…