7-13-09 morning progress

BP 117/69 Pulse 88
Weight 211.8 lbs

The incision continues to heal nicely. The muscle around the incision continues to be sore but the incision itself doesn't seem to hurt (says the man on pain meds). No swelling, redness, heat or any of the tell-tale infection signs.

I am still in increased pain when I get up in the morning because I am sleeping through doses. That's cool. I figure the sleep is just as important to my recovery as pain management. I've never slept well in my life so the whole comatose, no multiple wakings, go to the bathroom and go back to sleep thing is an entirely new experience for me. I like it. My mother always told me that I never slept through the night and it wasn't until I was almost three that I learned to keep myself entertained at night (that probably speaks volumes of my personality and why my mom looked so tired). It's about an hour until some relief once I take my pain meds but compared to 8 hours of sleep, it is a fair trade-off. I can not remember when/if I ever had 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Hopefully, it will continue after my recovery is complete.

Taking medications for pain:
Hydrocodone/APAP 5mg/325mg 1 tab every 4 hrs - lowered dosage with minimal increase in discomfort except upon waking
Ibuprophen 200mg every 4-6 hrs

I skipped updates yesterday because I was feeling down. I needed a change of scenery but, because I can't drive and Veronica was out running errands, I was stuck at home. To make matters worse, I tried to get out of my big dog's way outside then tripped and fell. Luckily, I did not hit my chest but I did a good job of scratching up my right shin. After that, yesterday was spent looking for warning signs of damage to my breast bone. None appeared. It made my imprisonment all that much more torturous. Listening to my heart with the stethoscope really helped me keep perspective and stave off the depression. I feel much better in that respect today.

Have a great day.