Rough Day

This is one of those posts that may be TMI for some, so don't read on if you can't stand the potty talk.

Hadn't had a movement since Sunday. I'm usually super-regular as I make a point of being that way, and eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, fiber and chia seeds, etc. I expected to have a bit of a constipation problem after a surgery, most everybody does, but I thought I was taking steps to avoid a major backup. No such luck. Despite stool softeners for several days before surgery and every day after, and also senna and some Benefiber once I got home, I had not been able to get my tubes to wake up enough to push the waste out, and today experienced the pain of a major backup.

Went to the pharmacy and the druggist recommended magnesium citrate, which I have taken to clean out for procedures in the past. It works well and fast, but I have been feeling kind of sick all day.

Later...
I am much better tonight than I was during the day. Mom took amazing care of me and kept me resting, which is hard to do as I tend to pop up and find tasks to dive into at all times. I started feeling less nauseous around dinnertime, and then finally had to go back to taking pills to address the surgical pain this evening, but I think I can stave off any further bouts of major constipation by remembering to keep hydrated, take senna, use probiotics and take more magnesium citrate if I have another day of no-go. Just a little dab'll do ya. Thank you CVS pharmacist.

I had planned to enjoy this week after surgery just lying in bed watching movies and letting Dave wait on me. Didn't go as planned. Mom waited on me plenty but having Dave incapacitated and away kept this from being the self-indulgent relaxation-fest I had planned on; I spent way too much time worrying. I'm hoping that I can cease and desist in that from here out as he has now reported working bowels, doctors planning release,  and eagerness to come home tomorrow. We will need help, but I think I will be better able to let loose and chill out with both of us here where we belong.  I really hate to let Mom go though...I will miss her terribly. She had offered to come to help me post-surgery before the big exciting prelude was added to the program and I had turned her down assuming that Dave and I would be fine on our own. It was heartbreakingly wonderful that she was willing and able to drop everything at the last minute and come after all despite my initial refusal. I hope there will be no next time to know better in.

Neglected to write about this earlier, but the initial stressor this morning was the result of my much anticipated shower; one is supposed to find a creative way to hang the drain bulbs so that the drains  don't pull out, and to cover the drain entry sites with something like Press N' Seal while showering. I made sure that the shower mat was in the tub to avoid slipping, got the Press N' Seal from the drawer in the kitchen, pinned the bulbs to a robe-tie hung around my neck, turned on the shower so that it was warm but not hot and jumped in, realizing in a second that I had just soaked my drain entry site bandages as I'd forgotten to apply the plastic before showering. Duh...here I am trying like mad to avoid infection and I did a dumb thing like that. So I called the Home Health nurse who came back and fixed me up, and provided supplies I had not previously been given to care for those sites. She checked me out and all seems to be okay. Whew...won't do that again. One must slow down and pay attention to detail. Everything is significant.