Post-surgery

I've been in a relative haze of painkillers over the last 48 hours, but the good news is, there's been very little pain after surgery Wednesday.

I'm lucky in that I have a job with a large company that provides a lot of time off for medical reasons.

I'm lucky in that the company provides some good healthcare.

I'm lucky in that I have a wonderful woman looking after me in my hours of need.

And I think I'm really lucky to have found a doctor this time who is not a quack and knows what he's doing.

My feet are still very tender, of course, and will remain wrapped in bandages until next week when I expect to get the sutures removed. But I've got the thick rubber shoes and crutches to help me get around when I need to. The thing I heard over and over after surgery was to elevate and ice the feet, which is exactly what I've been doing. Keep the feet above your hips and heart, and keep the ice coming. I've also kept the painkillers coming.

A recent study suggested that people recover from surgery faster if they take painkillers vs no painkillers. That's a big "Duh" from me. Thank goodness for opiates and their derivatives. Another study suggested that if you maintain a steady quantity of painkillers after surgery, you will recover faster than if you let too much time lapse between doses such that pain returns. Uh, no problem there, either.

It's a little disconcerting, however, feeling so good while watching TV of so many bad things going on....why does everything have to be such a struggle?