3 weeks Post-Op

I returned to work this week and I didn't have any issues that prevented me from working in a sedentary environment. To be clear, my physical activity entails all of sitting at a desk, typing and using the phone. I did need to walk to conference rooms both upstairs and down but these are all activities well within my limits. My doctor recommended that I stay home for another week or work part-time but being at a new job, I didn't have any vacation time (or sick time) and I didn't trust my employers patience. Three weeks is a long time for a new guy not to be at work. If there was physical labor involved, I would have stayed on disability. For me, my bigger issue was staying home. I have projects coming out my ears and while I was sitting idly wasting the day, I was continually tempted to install solar panels, rebuild the XR100, wash and wax my car, repair sprinklers, straighten up the garage and clean my 50 gallon fish tank. All of which require a fair amount of stooping and lifting which still hurts like hell. My reasoning was simple, go to work and avoid all of it. My list of issues is considerably smaller now but I'll provide an update from my previous list.

• headache/head pressure - dull/tolerable
• extreme neck pain - 100% gone
• sharp pain in ribs - 100% gone
• Slow bowels - still present but under control with meds
• Insomnia - still present but sleeping better than before

Of my original list of issues, only the headache remains. It's dull and always present. It would sharpen to intense pain when I would bend over or if I stood up too quickly. It got to be predictable and I would brace for it, and wait for it to pass. As of Sunday, two days before my 3 week anniversary, it stopped altogether. I can bend over slowly and stand up slowly and there is no subsequent pain that follows. The dull portion of the headache is still there but the sharp waves have disappeared. Wahoo!

The insomnia remains and it is my biggest concern. I need to work (during the day), which means I need to sleep (in the evening). I asked my doctor to suggest a sleeping aide and he deferred me to my Endocrinologist. He then suggested that I start weening myself off the hydrocortisone, basically omitting my evening dosage. That helped a little in that I seem to be able to get some sleep, it's just not a sound sleep and I'll wake up throughout the night. The important part is that I do fall back asleep and get a decent number of hours (4-6 hours) before getting up in the morning. I figure that I'll eventually get tired enough to sleep all the way through.

Coincidentally I met with my ENT on this day and he had a look at stitches (Aha! Proof!) and he subsequently removed them. (Damn!) He said I healed up nicely and he doesn't need to see me any more. He also mentioned that my nose was a bit swollen and crusty (which I already knew) but he wasn't worried about it. Okay, thanks doc!

My Endo is next week!