Post-Op Follow-Up

I recently returned from my surgeon's office for the two week post-op visit. He is happy with my progress. He said it's normal still to be up in weight after this. I am still up 5 pounds from two weeks ago, pre-surgery. He was unconcerned because there is still a lot of swelling in there. He said no swimming or weight-lifting or exercise machines until January, but I can walk all I want. I can DRIVE!! That's the best news. He pulled all the steri-strips off the incision and said it looks good. Hm...beauty is in the eye of the beholder. At least it's not purple anymore. It's also longer than I thought. I thought I had measured the whole thing and got 9 inches, but when I got home, I got a really GOOD look at the thing and remeasured. This time I realized it goes a lot farther than I thought, TWELVE inches! YIKES. Still the scar is pretty thin and the part that went over the old scar looks much better than the old one did. It will look even better once it's not scabby, swollen, and red! He said, "You know you had some pretty big hernias in there." Yeah, I think I knew that. I also learned that it takes six to eight weeks for the internal stitches to get totally absorbed, but that there are permanent stitches in there holding the mesh to the muscles that will never go away. So for that reason I have to be careful about twisting, lifting, pulling for at least another six to eight weeks, but really careful about lifting anything heavy forever. Hm. Mark and I left the office and went to the pharmacy for a prescription for him and my daughter, then to the grocery store for a few items, then home. The whole trip out was two hours and twenty minutes. Instead of feeling ready to go for a walk, I felt ready for a nap. I am exhausted. He also said that the lack of energy and tiring quickly is completely normal. I also couldn't wait to get my clothes off!! I'm not enjoying the feeling of elastic across the scar. Still, it has been a good day.