Double Team
On March 1st, I reported how I would be entering the operating room to have surgery on my groin. As I write this, I'm sitting on the couch in our living room having just returned home from the hospital. Boy, does my abdominal area hurt.
I have three incisions across my belly. The idea was to go in and repair the hernia on my right side and then do exploratory surgery on the left side just to make sure I was fine. As it turned out, I wasn't fine. I had a hernia on my left side, too. The hernia double teamed my crotch.
It sort of feels like I was stabbed in the stomach while doing crunches. You never really think about how much you use your abs until after a surgery that has a significant impact on your abs. Every slight movement feels very sore. I'm sure it'll be worse tomorrow when some of the numbing medication is out of my system.
Now it is recovery time. No picking up anything over 15 lbs for the next two weeks. It was only supposed to be one week but it was also going to be one hernia. Two hernias equals two weeks, I guess. If you need me, I'll be in one of three places:
Sitting in the couch with an ice pack on my stomach.
Sitting on the toilet trying to poop (man, does that part suck), or
Trudging around the house trying to walk a little bit as instructed by my Doc.
Something else I wanted to share about my hospital visit that I previously shared on Facebook. Shortly after I arrived and was waiting in the lounge a Chaplain from the hospital approached me carrying a jar of ashes. He said, "Today is Ash Wednesday, is this part of your custom?" It's not, so I politely declined and thanked him for the offer. He said "Thank you, best of luck today." Then he continued asking others.
I was really struck by this and it made me feel good about the world. I appreciate his choice of words. He didn't say faith or religion so he didn't imply one had to subscribe to a religion. He chose the word custom, something we all have.
We don't all have to share the same beliefs. But if we are kind and respectful of each other then the world can be a happy place. Thanks for the offer, Chaplain, but it isn't part of my custom. You still made it a bit easier to walk back to surgery.
