I Promise Not to Delete This

Hi everyone,

Sorry I deleted last week's post. I promise not to delete this one. The last one came off as more "woe is me" than I intended, so I decided to take it down and start fresh.

So Thursday was two weeks since the surgery. Every day has been getting a little bit better. I am sleeping a little bit better--I don't get out of bed every couple of hours now. I still wake up but I can generally get right back to sleep. I can shower on my own now too, and yesterday I even went to the grocery store with Ryan! It felt good to breathe fresh air and be out of the house. Although it felt a little weird being around other human beings after being in my apartment all the time. I guess that's how people become crazy hermits?

I had a really frustrating incident at the beginning of the week with my surgeon's office at Sloan Kettering. When I was discharged from the hospital, they gave me enough pain medication to last me a minimum of ten days. The pharmacist said if I ran out I could call for a refill. Well, considering I'd just had some more ribs removed and I was sewn back up with some new mesh, I'm in a tiny bit of pain. Just a little. So I called the doctor's office to tell them I needed a refill and I was treated like a junkie! It was very embarrassing and frustrating. They treated me like I was abusing the medication, which I most certainly am not. Am I taking it as often as possible per the prescription? Yes but that shouldn't be a surprise.

They finally agreed to write me a prescription but Ryan had to go all the way to midtown to pick it up in person, where he had to endure a lecture from the doctor about how I shouldn't be taking it. I'm going to make an appointment with my pain doctor soon I think. He is someone who understands the art of treating pain, and he has respect for how powerful it can be. And geez it's only been two weeks! What does my surgeon expect? Should I be running marathons?

Anyway, other than that the week has gone well. I know I'm going to get through this because I have so much support from my family, friends, and co-workers. I feel so blessed. Every text message, e-mail, phone call, visit, gift, it all gives me the strength to keep going and the confidence that I can do this. I know I won't ever walk a step through this recovery alone. I am surrounded by some of the kindest, most generous people there are, and that is helping my recovery more than anything. So thank you so much! It means the world to me.

xoxo,

Sue

PS--Fun fact of the day: Jen from Top Chef and I went to the same high school! Go Jen!