In the last couple of weeks I’ve returned to work, progressed to fully dressing myself and experienced my first hangover in six weeks!! Let’s break this down.
I returned to work on the 4th Jan and boy was that a shock to the system! Just getting into work took twice as long as it used to and I’m not just complaining about the public transport system. Getting dressed, moving around the house, up and down stairs because I’ve forgotten something. Seb is sleeping like a baby and managed to open his eyes long enough to put my left sock on (the only part of me I couldn’t dress on my own!) before lazily drifting back off to sleep. Unlike me, he rocks up to work whenever he feels like it!
Then there’s the 600m walk, hobble, hop to the bus stop. First day, I rounded the corner to see the bus had only just departed the stop, literally a few metres. I stop and wave my crutches wildly in the hope that he takes pity and pulls up to let me on. Oh how wrong I was. The bastard looked right at me, then looked away and drove off. Arrgghh! What a complete asshole. Ooh I hate bus drivers! Not only are they the bain of my life now, but they are a damn nuisance when cycling as they feel it completely acceptable to run cyclists off the road, just for the sport of it. Just because you’re in a vehicle 50 times the size of me doesn’t make you superior!
So...... first day at work.......horrible. I never noticed our office chairs were so damn uncomfortable. How could an office chair cause that much pain and suffering – seriously? I was longing for my ‘special’ chair at home. After spending the morning fidgeting and whinging to myself in my head (cos no one likes to hear about your ailments) I had to give up. Fortunately I preempted this situation and gave my boss a heads up that I may just do half days for the first week to ease back into it. The bus journey home only exacerbated the discomfort and pain. It was so good to sink into my ‘special’ chair at home, and whack a load of pain killers down my throat!
Admittedly the rest of the week did get a little easier, I think my body or more precisely the bits that hurt, needed to adjust to more movement and a different sitting position. I mostly did half days or there abouts, you can’t concentrate when pain is jabbing at your body!
That weekend a friend was visiting Sydney
The following week I decided to send back my invalid equipment – the ‘special’ chair, shower seat, table on wheels and the much used toilet seat raiser! I’m much more bendy than I was a few weeks ago so I’m able to lower myself on to the loo without too many problems. Oh the things we take for granted when we’re healthy. It took them several days to collect so I made use of them up until end of last week. Seb’s pleased, not having the seat raiser in the way means he doesn’t have to sleepily stagger to the toilet downstairs for his middle of the night pee!
Last Friday I decided to go out for a few cheeky ones after work. I was being good, 2 glasses of wine when everyone else had three. Then a little break. Then two glasses when everyone else had 4. Then we went for a massive Chinese meal. Then two glasses to finish off. Six glasses of wine over the course of about 5 hours with heaps of food to soak it up. Under normal circumstances this would have about as much affect as a packet of wine gums. Felt fine when I got home, although the telltale sign that I was on the tipsy side should have given itself away when I decided to have two slices of bread slathered with butter and vegemite! How could I possibly still be hungry after a monster Chinese meal? Anyway, slept like a baby until 6am.
Fuuuuuuuuuuckkkkk, who put the marching band IN MY HEAD! Why, oh why do I have a hangover? I drank lots of water, I ate lots and lots of food, and it wasn’t particularly late when I went to bed. Urrggghhhh. More sleep, that will get rid of it.
9am, marching band still happily pumping out the tunes. How and why could I possibly get a headache this bad with the amount of painkillers I consume? I should be indestructible!!! My colleague offered a theory – painkillers thin your blood therefore I’m more susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Admittedly I did take a painkiller before going to sleep, partly because I’d just walked a kilometer from the train station rather than getting a taxi like Seb suggested. And partly to pre-empt any headache I might receive from my first bout of alcohol in six weeks. That was my mistake.
Anyway, moving on. As mentioned above, I can now fully dress myself – woo hoo! I no longer have to wake the sleeping monster to put my left sock on. This is quite a break through as I was starting to think I would never be able to reach my left foot again! Second week back at work was certainly better than the first. Managed full days, albeit a bit uncomfortable to begin with but getting better.
In 2 days it’s six weeks since surgery. I called my surgeons office yesterday to book my first check up to discover he is STILL on holiday! His receptionist says he’s back next week but she can’t fit me in for another 2 weeks.
“But I’m six weeks post op this week, I’m due to see him at the six week mark” I exclaim
“Oh he sees his patients anywhere between 6-8 weeks so two weeks is fine.”
“Erm, it’s not, because I’m stuck on crutches and I want to get off them, is there anything sooner?”
She put me on hold…..for ages. I’m already formulating in my head what I’m going to say if she says she can’t book me in for another two weeks.
“Another 2 weeks is not good enough. I’m not one of his 70 year old patients with no life who sits in their house all day waiting for their nurse to visit to dress them, meals on wheels to feed them and weary relatives to visit them to moan at. I’m only 35! I have to go to work, I have a social life, there is drinking to be done and shoes to be shopped! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!!!!”
Lucky for her she confirmed an appointment next week.
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