surgery success, husband home, weekend away & bull ants

Greetings all,
What a whirlwind fortnight.  Thank you for the beautiful comments & kind messages wishing me the best for my bilateral endoscopic carpal tunnel decompression surgery. 

 Well guess what, handsome soldier came home for his Rest Out Of Country Leave.  Remember last mid-war-leave . . . we met in Italy, travelled to Germany, Croatia & Greece, ahhh . . . this time he came home & i went to hospital.  Hmmm . . . rest, recreation & romance??  Oh to finally kiss those lips after 5 months was deliriously butterflies-in-the-tummy good for my soul.  Scoring a surgery date during the 10 days he was home was pure luck.  Ladies, when I say my husband is awesome, I'm talking . . . while I was convalescing, I left him without a single note, instruction or list to keep 4 children in school, sports & sane.  All homework was completed, cooking class containers remembered, happy children in the correct uniforms at the right schools on time (dress & bearings is his speciality).  He even had 7.30a.m. high school fitness classes & a brunch with the ladies to deal with – yes, he could totally replace me as a housewife. 

  A great way to recoup post-surgery is to escape for a weekend away.  My husband’s best mate perfectly timed his wife to deliver twins during war leave too, so we headed to Wagga Wagga to meet our new baby girls.  I organise with lists in my head, so being put in the passenger seat & trusting handsome soldier to pack everything for a family road trip . . . I just went with it & typical, he didn’t forget a thing.  Note: this included towels, bedding, wound dressings & rubber gloves so I could shower.  I actually drove the last 200km home, to prove I would be capable on my own, so handsome soldier could return to war.  I found 5^th gear a bit tricky (twist & jerk of my numb left thumb) but now I’m fine, albeit exhausted & he’s back in Afghanistan, damn my independence!!    

  So I’m nursing wrists with light dressings, sleeping with my hands above my head & will see the hand specialist next week for the final Ok.  I don’t feel strong but my husband challenged me to some arm wrestles & assures me I do have strength in my wrists.  I’ll just do light duties around the house, basic cooking, slowly regain a gym & dog walking routine, sliding back to reality & blogging.  Still enjoying being a princess & pointing at chores which need to be done.
My view of Black Mountain from the Equinox Centre (no, not for horses) at dawn.

Naturally there were, um, experiences - like strangers looking at me like i've tried to slash my wrists; falling alseep before the general anaesthetic started; & . . . if you’re going to have both hands operated on, someone has to shower, dry & dress you afterwards - you have to be very comfortable with your body.  I was triumphant in the wiping-my-own-bottom department immediately after surgery, much to everyone’s relief!!  Putting a bra on is still my biggest challenge, twist, lift, hook, with my arms behind my back . . . too complicated, so I am wearing Lorna Jane crop tops, with a bulky scarf to disguise any excess jiggle.  Round door knobs & opening bottles are my nemesis, but in hospital I mastered twisting the top off a bottle of orange juice with my teeth – bottle jammed down my cleavage.  I really wanted the juice Ok & didn't want to annoy the nurses after dropping the television controls 3 times already that evening!! 

 

I’ve not required any pain relief at all (even though I had to suffer days of Prime Minister leadership spill on television, what a BORING time to be bed bound & awake!!)  Then, because dumb things happen to me too . . . I was bitten on the foot by a bull ant, JESUS that hurt.  I hopped around like a crazy person until the children applied ice to my throbbing, swollen foot, the pain was excruciating & still itchy days later. 

I know the operation has been a huge success already, I’m thrilled & yay, only 3 months until my husband is back in Australia.  Thanks again for the love, here’s to good hand health & HAPPY 29th of February folks, love Posie