From miserable to...getting better...?

Well, things are progressing along here in sunny San Diego. I would do just about anything to be riding along the sun-filled roads of the Pacific Coast Highway, running through Camp Pendleton's trails (minus the "friendly" Mountain Lions, thank you very much), and swimming my tail end off with Carlsbad Masters.

And hopefully - with my septoplasty under my belt - the next time I catch a cold, it won't turn into the usual acute sinusitis that I've been plagued with all my life.

For the first 8 days post-surgery, I wasn't sure IF the surgery itself was really worth the pain.

I was miserable.

The pain medication made me nauseated. But it took away some of the pain.

The anti-nausea medication made me feel eminently better. But that made me sleepy.

And both together made me totally and completely unprepared to face The Real World and Every Day Life Stuff that we all have to deal with.

And trust me when I say that I've got a high pain tolerance. For Pete's Sake: after breaking my back, I biked the 25 minutes back to where I was staying. Sure, it was stupid - but I ignored the pain, figuring I had just bruised my bum. In retrospect, the nerve damage probably took away all the discomfort and sensation. But that's besides the point.

There were times during my septoplasty recovery that I yearned for my post-back-surgery days. There is nothing like a pounding sinus headache that percocet + anti-nausea + aleve can't get ride of.

Additionally - I've been grateful to my friends. If it weren't for Meredith and Dave in particular, I would have been reduced to a Crazy Single Cat Lady, talking to my cats as my only form of social interaction. Yikes! Yes, it paints a lovely picture, doesn't it? While I miss Nathaniel dreadfully (and I will NEVER EVER EVER voluntarily schedule a surgery when there's even a whisper of a chance that he'll be called out of town for work), I know he's doing what he needs to do in order to be the best Marine possible. At least that makes me happy.

Sort of.

So...after Mom read last Monday's blog, she did what any loving-mother would do. At the drop of a hat, she flew out to Carlsbad to take care of me. And I'm GRATEFUL. I'm not one who would normally accept something like this (even from my own Mother...) And in looking back to my bike crash, it was Dad who flew to be with me in the hospital the day after my surgery. But...when I realized that I couldn't eat because of the nausea...that I was out of cat food (and therefore The House Monsters couldn't eat because I was incapacitated)...and I had NO WAY of getting my pain medication refilled and anti-nausea prescription (because IF I had gotten behind the wheel, it would have been akin to 5+ drinks) - I had to cry "uncle."

MOM TO THE RESCUE!!!

Suddenly she was driving me to appointments, meeting my doctors, helping with my medication, doing my shopping, cooking and freezing meals for me to eat in the future, taking care of the kitties (Anabelle LOVES her and Tabbitha - as usual - growls), cleaning the house (was it REALLY that bad), watching movies with me (can you believe we started "Twilight" together. Thankfully she fell asleep!), and just doing what Mom's do best: taking care of me and unconditionally loving me.

And here I am.

It's Friday night, and I'm just beginning to turn a corner. I can safely say that I've survived!

Yes - there's still pain. Yes, I'm still taking the pain meds to help me sleep through the night. But there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. And I no longer regret the surgery. In the long run (hopefully) I won't be plagued with chronic sinusitis. For the first time my chronic headache is gone, and I've begun to do a few "normal" things....practice violin, spin easy on the trainer (until I got a bloody nose - oops!), and stay awake long enough to watch the Olympics...(and actually REMEMBER what I watched).

I feel like I'm emerging from a fog.

In retrospect - its been a long road since Kona. Three (yes 3!!!) sinus infections + one sinus surgery in just under four months.... Wow. That's a lot. Its no surprise that I feel like I haven't really started, or that I've been perpetually starting over and over (and over and over and over) again.

Alas, its no wonder that I'm SUPER EXCITED for March, really looking forward to what's around the next corner. I can feel a new wind, taste the sweet fragrance of promise, and I know that great things are in store. Just a few more days (or week) and I'll be (almost) right as rain.

After I do my Sinus Rinse of course. Yes - I almost forgot about that. Kind of like a Neti pot...but there's pressure involved (to help loosen the packing material they placed in my sinuses...yuck. Too much information, I'm sorry. You missed the part about on Wednesday, where my doctor vacuumed my sinuses. I thought I was going to die. But that's a different blog. Goody!) So for now, you'll have to excuse me. Let's just take things one step at a time... Sinus rinse tonight... and tomorrow...who knows?