It’s now three weeks since T had her surgery and she’s recovering well. For the first week she stayed in bed most of the time. She was so sore and tired. Her surgery was laparoscopic, under general anaesthetic. So she has four holes in her abdomen, rather than one long cut. But surgery of any sort is a serious ordeal. During the second week, she began to sit out in the chair. She was still sore and tired, so couldn’t manage this for long periods. But she slowly graduated from watching videos to actually reading books. This third week she has been walking. Around the house at first, but then she’s graduated to short walks outside. Under supervision, of course.
I’ve
been in charge of household work all of this time. In the past we shared this. To
be honest, T did more of it than I did. And it’s been eye-opening to experience
how demanding it is to do 100% of this work. Shopping, cooking and cleaning up
takes a big chunk of the day. No sooner have you completed one meal than it’s
almost time to start on the next. So I’m housekeeper and nurse. But I’m glad to
say that T is a model patient.
Being a
bit more mobile this week, T has been exploring what she can and can’t do. I’ve
been grateful for her help with preparing the meals a couple of times. She’s
able to cut up vegetables and make a salad. But she can’t lift anything heavy,
like a kettle or a cooking pot. She can’t bend down. But she can drive her car
a short way. She went to the local petrol station and back, and managed it
fine, with a pillow between her body and the seat belt. The nurse at our GP’s
reckons it will take her six weeks to get back on her feet again. At her
current rate of progress, she might get there a little sooner. And I might end
up acting as a monitor to prevent her from taking on too much.
