Walking

Saturday Sharene and I went walking at Crystal Springs Reservoir. So pretty and perfect for me as not many hills....still not quite ready to run.






Mandatory coffee!



Plan is to go back to work working remotely next week then a mix of onsite/remote the following week. That feels manageable and I have to say work have been pretty awesome about time off. Really it's up to me to engage or not so I've been good and really only dealt with the important stuff i.e annual performance reviews for my people.

Last week I also went to a naturopath and massage therapist who deals specifically with muscle balance. The naturopath has prescribed a bunch of stuff for menopause. General feeling from my surgeon was I don't necessarily need to default to HRT and should see how I go. Naturopath was excellent and we talked through a bunch of options. I've started taking some things to see how I go. Feels like the right thing but I have estrogen patches to fall back on if needed!




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More boring

I continue on the path of healing! Today I went to Sharene's naturopath and her massage therapist.  Right or wrong, better or worse menopause is here.......awesome!  That said, there are some things to consider.  My surgeon wasn't all gun-ho on HRT, gave me some options and today I went and spoke to the naturopath.  Wow, there's a lot of stuff to consider and options.  For the record post-op I didn't need nor want to take the big arse painkillers I had prescribed.  They were there if I needed them, but I didn't.  So I was also interested in not necessarily going into HRT by default.  Kudos to my surgeon, he doesn't think prescribing just "because" is worth it either.
So today I sat through 90mins of a lot of options, choices, things to think about.  I have no interest, nor fascination with all this stuff.  Firstly, just like my mum, I don't care to take synthetic, prescribed anything......on the upside, simple painkillers work for me.... paracetomol in NZ or tylenol in the US.  Secondly, tell me what I gotta do and I'll do it......so now I have a bunch of stuff to take.  Ironicallly, and by default, there's one thing I have been taking thanks to Ironman Girl that works awesomely for menopausal woman......that's my life right now....boring but true.

Ugh

Today I have been sore. No surprises of course, I have been restrained and done my very best to not "over extend". But my right side is sore - the surgeon predicted it. In an odd twist Irene's girlfriend also had major surgery (similar but different from mine) a week or two before mine. She had given me a support belt or wrap (really no idea what to call it) to wear around my waist. I am naturally loathe to wear these things but have, this weekend, taken it up as it is helping my posture, having me be mindful about how I move when walking. I think I have been twisting in an odd way, not helping my healing. Anyway, these things are a process and I will see how I feel next week......the ache from a long run seems so much more "welcome". On the upside I do feel overall physically better off for having all this nonsense removed. Momentary discomfort shouldn't be confused with the overall sense of well being I have!


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Daily life and Boston

Week two is done.  Work is finding it increasingly difficult not to email me.  I am ignoring most of it, except those that directly impact my team and the impending performance review process.  Of course this week was punctuated with the Boston bombing.  It saddens me deeply that something as simple as a marathon can be used in this way.  It seems twice as sad that it was the spectators who bore the brunt, I haven't yet seen mention of a runner being badly hurt.  Watching a marathon seems such an innocent past time.  It also does make me realize how much living here is right for me.  I feel attached to these events, how they are handled and the outcome in the way I would in NZ.  The US has become my home.  2006 (when I immigrated) seems such a long time ago and so much has happened.  This blog is a useful reference for me as it really tells the story of my journey here and my own personal evolution.  I can't say that I would have felt the same affinity to those runners a few years back.....now I am as determined as the rest to reclaim the right to run without fear and enjoy the spectators support.  The difference between "a long run" and "a marathon" are the spectators......without them it's just another training day.

Goodie bag

Well if it's not entirely obvious by now I am clearly not running the planned for 50 miler this weekend.....in truth, I guess I'd given up on it some weeks back when it became increasingly apparent that the requires surgery was likely to be more invasive, not less.
As some consolation I did get this cool water bottle from the hospital - everyone gets one for their water. Very cool as the straw is flexible and can be covered, so easy to sup in bed and hygienic.


These are the exciting things my mind wonders to as my recovery progresses.
The weather is nice so today I have ventured in Sharene's mother's garden to read.



The book is a true story - covering eight weeks in 1945 in Berlin. A young women recorded the fall of the city to the Russian Army. Or more correctly kept a daily record of her life in her apartment building. While the author is unknown it seems she was a journalist. The book is beautifully written; a candid account of what happened for her and the residence around her. I haven't read anything but running books for a while now so this is a "refreshing" change - albeit a somewhat grim subject!

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One day at a time

Came home from hospital on Saturday. Keyhole surgery worked although turns out all a lot more complicated than the doc had hoped. Mostly because the endo was everywhere and everything way more swollen than he anticipated. He gave me a photo of my insides - I won't over share.

I was at El Camino Real Hospital in Mountain View. Very nice setting and good nursing care. Really all the trappings of a private hospital in NZ. Sharene got a few action shots.






Had to get up and moving pretty quick after surgery. Tummy was huge, looked pregnant!!!! Over the next few days I just focused on getting the balance between rest and mobility. I think I all the ops I've had this has been the most intense. As the gas has left my body the tummy had gotten progressively smaller and feels less "stretched". I've got at least two weeks off work then see how it looks for, maybe, part time. Overall I'm really happy to get this done - I figure none of this stuff was doing me much good so better to have it gone.

Today was my first real outdoor adventure. Off to the beach to get some fresh air.



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