As you may know, I like to take extensive notes during my recovery from my Endo surgeries. This helps me better be prepared in case I have another one – just to get a sense of what was normal and what I can expect next time. And who knows – it may help you…or someone you know.
A good friend of mine, Brandie, typed up my chicken-scratch notes. (Thank you BRANDIE!) BUT, the “cliff notes” version is below:
DAY ONE (July 18, 2018, took 1 Percocet, 1 Zofran, 2 Gas-X)
We got home from the hospital around 7:00 p.m. I don’t remember any of the ride home, which is probably good because it was freeway rush hour and probably wasn’t very pleasant. The first thing I did inside was pop a throat lozenge. My poor throat was sooore and tender. Then had a bowl of bone broth. My lower stomach pain was a 3 out of 10, and my belly button incision pain was a 5 out of 10.
At around 8pm, I tried to sit down for the first time. That tell-tale shoulder pain began to creep up with a vengeance (7 out of 10) and I only sat for 3 minutes. Well, that was a waste. I needed help getting up and down. I knew I’d have to sit again or lay down…but not yet. I popped a Percocet, a Zofran, and a Gas-X.
By 8:30, I had my first pee since I got home. It hurt soooooo much (9/10), but I figured that pain was likely because my bits were still tender from the catheter. By 9pm, I tried sitting on the couch again: no luck. Shoulder pain was a 9/10 and gave up and walked for the next 20 minutes. Then tried to lay down (propped up on pillows), but the shoulder pain flew back up to a 9 out of 10. Did a lot of walking and breathing. By this time, my incision pain was a 2/10 and my lower back pain was a 1/10. I just wanted to sleep, though…
By 9:35, we tried laying down again propped up by even more pillows. The discomfort was minimal. By 10:15pm, I was awake and had to walk around for an hour. I had to pee before going back to bed (again, urination pain 9/10), then I was overcome by nausea. Mom helped me on my hands and knees and I vomited (pain 2/10). I believe my Percocet pill from 2 hours earlier was still floating around in my stomach because my puke was a beautiful shade of blue. At 11:45pm, mom helped me back into bed, but I couldn’t fall asleep until 12:20-ish.
DAY TWO (Fiber; took 2 Gas-X)
Incision pain 2 – 6/10 (10/10 when struggled to get out of bed)
Shoulder/CO2 Gas pain 3 – 10/10
Lower abdominal pain 2 – 9/10
Lower rib pain 1 – 4/10
Lower back 1 – 4/10
Lower ab pain near right hip 2 – 8/10
Pain while urinating 1 – 6/10
Woke up nearly every hour still…poor Jim and Mom. And needed help getting on and off the toilet.
Was still passing some clots throughout the day.
Nothing to eat except bone broth and crackers.
Memorable Moments:
At 1:20am, I woke back up stiff and needing to walk. Dragged my husband out of bed to help me get out of bed and proceeded to walk around the house for an hour. Jim went back to bed. And Mom was in and out of sleep as I cruised around the living room using the walker. When I went to go back to bed, the shoulder pain came back a 10/10. Mom and Jim had to help me (panicked) out of bed and I had to calm down before we tried to reposition and go back to sleep. At 2:40am, we did just that. I slept off and on until 7:15am.
At 3:55pm, my first FART!
At 4:37pm, I can lift my leg higher than the bah tub rim!! I couldn’t do that earlier!
DAY THREE (Purelax; took 1 Gas-X; 1 Naproxen Sodium)
Incision pain 2 – 3/10
Lower abdominal pain 3 – 9/10
Lower back 1 – 8/10
Pain while urinating 1/10
Pain while farting 1/10
Was able to sleep for a few hours in a row before waking up throughout the night.
Ate soup and crackers. Snacked on a pickle. Small bowl of ice cream (I mean…like 2 small spoonfuls)
No shoulder/gas pain today!
Memorable moments:
7:20am, my first poop!!!!!
8:50am, although I still need help getting on and off the toilet, I was able to (carefully) pull up my panties by myself today!
12:58pm, was able to get off of the toilet by myself! But I still needed help getting down onto it.
1:01pm…oh dear god…the Enema Story. TEAM POOP! Rosie and Erin helped me. And let’s just say by sheer force of necessity, I was able to get myself onto and off of the toilet by myself…Needed the enema due to severe and constant lower ab cramping and figured it was poop. Yep…there was LOTS of poop. Throughout the day, continued to get on and off the toilet by myself! PROGRESS!
4:50pm, was able to slowly and gently walk down the stairs to check the mail with Rosie and Erin! One step at a time.
DAY FOUR (Purelax; 1 Naproxen Sodium)
Incision pain 1 – 6/10
Lower abdominal pain 2 – 6/10
Lower ab pain near left hip 7 – 9/10
Pain while urinating 1 – 2/10
Pain while farting 3/10
Still needed help getting in and out of bed.
Ate soup with crackers. Snacked on cracker. Nachos for dinner!
Memorable Moments:
10:10am, got into the shower by myself!!! FREEDOM!
4:00pm, getting better with the steps outside! Still one at a time, though.
10:00pm, FINALLY laid down flat to sleep. YES!! No pain. Although I did get myself out of bed alone…don’t do that again. Not yet.
DAY FIVE (Purelax)
Incision pain 2 – 6/10
Lower abdominal pain 2 – 5/10
Lower ab pain near right hip 2/10
Ate tomato soup with crackers. Snacked on watermelon, blueberries, dolma, and pickle. Chicken balti pie for dinner.
Memorable moments:
12:55am, got up out of bed alone to go pee! Kind of waddle around like a turtle on its back, but it works.
10:10am, got dressed in REAL clothes! Skirt, tank top, and brushed my hair!
6:50pm, Jim and I went for a walk around our mobile home park for a few blocks. It was marvelous to get out of the house. Slow going. Didn’t get far.
8:50pm, pooped again! No enema needed! And no pain!
DAY SIX (Started my period! Fiber; 2 Ibuprofen)
Incision pain 2 – 3/10
Lower abdominal pain 2 – 7/10
Lower back pain 3 – 5/10
Ate miso broth. Snacked on watermelon, popcorn, apple with peanut butter, pickles, tortillas. Dinner was a pork and (very little) cheese. Yep, my appetite is BACK!
Memorable Moments:
5:26am, woke up thinking I peed the bed. Nope, just started my Ninja Period.
6:20am, BIG poop with no pain! Yep, I’m back, baby!
9:00pm, another short walk around the park with my husband.
DAY SEVEN (Fiber)
Incision pain 2 – 6/10
Lower abdominal pain 3 – 6/10
Lower ab pain near right hip 3 – 6/10
Pain while urinating 1/10
Pain while farting
Pain while pooping 5/10
Ate broth and soup. Snacked on popcorn. Dinner was fettuccine alfredo with shrimp.
Memorable moments:
I can bend over!!!
Lower left window band-aid came off! Steri-strips still in place. Looks good!
7:00pm, rode in car to go to dinner. Speed bumps and potholes hurt my lower stomach and incisions (4/10). Had to walk around the restaurant while waiting for dinner since sitting too long hurt.
DAY EIGHT (Fiber; 2 Ibuprofen): – it’s been one week since surgery!
Incision pain 2 – 8/10
Lower abdominal pain 2 – 7/10
Lower ab pain near right hip 5 – 7/10
Ate miso broth and leftover pasta. Snacked on popcorn, dried apricots, tortillas.
Memorable Moments:
6:50am, Baku walked on my stomach. Damn cat. All incision pain 7/10.
2:15pm, I can get in and out of bed easier by myself.
11:30pm, right incision pain was an 8 out of 10 and kept me awake until 1:00 a.m.
DAY NINE (Fiber; 2 Ibuprofen)
Incision pain 2 – 3/10
Lower ab pain near right hip 2 – 3/10
Pain under left rib 2/10
Ate soup & crackers, baked beans. Snacked on Hershey Kisses. Orange chicken for dinner.
Memorable Moments:
6:12pm, can still only sit upright for 10 minutes before incision pain is a 6 – 8 out of 10.
8:10pm, went for a 20 minute walk around the park with Jim. No pain!
DAY 10 (Fiber; 2 Ibuprofen)
Incision pain 2 – 7/10
Lower abdominal pain 1 – 4/10
Pain while urinating 1 – 2/10
Pain while farting 2/10
Pain while pooping 2/10
Ate scrambled eggs with cheese, soup, leftover orange chicken. Snacked on kettle corn.
Memorable Moments:
8:15am, Able to wash my calves for the first time in the shower! And I was able to blow-dry my hair! Lost left incision band-aid in the shower. Steri-strips are in place. And my belly is much less bloated!
9:00am, still can only sit upright for 10 minutes without pain.
7:00pm, walked around the grocery store for an hour with Jim. He did all the heavy lifting, but I’m exhausted.
DAY 11 (Fiber; 4 Ibuprofen)
Incision pain 2 – 6/10
Lower abdominal pain 2 – 6/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip 2 – 5/10
Pain while urinating 2/10
Pain while pooping 2/10
Ate eggs, corn beef hash, toast. Snacked on a plout and cherries. Snacked on kettle corn.
DAY 12
Incision pain 2 – 6/10
Lower abdominal pain 2 – 5/10
Pain while urinating 8/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip 2/10
Ate rolled tacos.
Memorable moments:
Went thrift store shopping with Jim. Exhausted and napped for 2.5 hours afterward.
DAY 13 (2 Ibuprofen)
Lower abdominal pain 1 – 5/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip 5 – 9/10
Pain while pooping 1/10
Ate fried egg sandwich. Snacked on cherries, a pluot, watermelon, and cherry tomatoes. Dinner was cauliflower, beans, corn & cheese burrito with salsa.
Memorable Moments:
Spent 2.5 hours at the library. Too much sitting on hard chairs caused a lot of pain! And the Lyft ride was brutally bumpy.
DAY 14 (Fiber)
Incision pain 2/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip 1 – 3/10
Ate nachos (with very little cheese). Snacked on an apple with peanut butter. Dinner was yellow curry with chicken and rice, golden shrimp, and crab rangoons.
Memorable Moments:
Only woke up once during the night to go pee!
DAY 15
Incision pain 2 – 7/10
Lower abdominal pain 3/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip 1 – 3/10
Lower back pain 1/10
Ate sushi.
DAY 16
Incision pain 2/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip 1 – 3/10
Ate 2 eggs, french toast, and bacon. Lunch was a baked potato with sour cream and chives.
Memorable Moments:
Lost a few Steri-Strips today! Looks good.
Ran errands with brother in law: Trader Joe’s and Sprouts and Smart&Final. Minimal discomfort but exhausted. I didn’t do any heavy lifting.
Drank 3 glasses of pomegranate champagne. My first alcohol since 2 weeks before surgery!
Jim and I enjoyed a little bit of foreplay and “just the tip.” Didn’t penetrate too much and it was a lot of fun. No pain!!
DAY 17 (2 Ibuprofen)
Incision pain 1 – 4/10
Lower abdominal pain 3/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip 2 – 4/10
Pain while pooping 3/10
Lower back pain 1/10
Lower right rib pain 4/10
Ate leftover yellow curry. Snacked on a pluot. Dinner was a chicken breast sandwich.
Memorable Moments:
Vacuumed, did laundry, and changed the cat litter. It was exhausting, but I took it slow and easy and didn’t overdo anything. But…by looking at the cumulative pain scores above, I can tell I overdid it. Crap.
DAY 18 (2 Ibuprofen)
Incision pain 2/10
Lower abdominal pain 2/10
Ate two waffles with fake butter and real maple syrup.
Ate Indian food for dinner.
Memorable moments:
Enjoyed 3 glasses of white wine. And it looks like my body recovered well from yesterday’s chores.
DAY 19 (Took 2 Ibuprofen)
Incision pain 3/10
Lower abdominal pain 3 – 8/10
Pain by right lower ab near hip
Pain while pooping
Lower back pain 3/10
Ate 2 waffles, drank three glasses (small) sangria, 1 glass wine, lots of water. Bean guacamole chips, chicken sandwich, pickles, chocolate chip cookie, lentil salad.
Memorable Moments:
Today was our Endo Support Appreciation BBQ! It was WONDERFUL to see everyone, to meet their support, and enjoy their company. I’m tired, though!
Lost another Steri-Strip!
And on DAY 20: August 6, 2018, I returned to work. It was my first time driving since surgery. And it was tough. I also had my post-op appointment that day. Dr. Kurtulus removed all of my Steri-strips and everything continues to heal well.
Today is August 27, 2018, and it still hurts to sit at the computer for too long. I have to get up and stretch/walk several times during the work day.
My advice if you’ve got a surgery recovery to look forward to? Take one day at a time. ASK FOR HELP! And listen to your body.
(Updated March 28, 2019)
Bloomin' Uterus 