Bum Watch Week 10

I had thought by this point in my healing I would be back up and running.  Really running.  I remember my first consultation on the phone with the surgeon and he said by the three month mark post surgery I would be back to all my normal activities like squash, running, and snowshoeing.  But, I am a slow healer.

I have been walking on the treadmill and on Monday I felt amazing while walking.  I kept upping the pace bit by bit and then I was jogging.  It was exhilarating.  My total workout was 30 minutes, covered 3km, and spent about 5 minutes of it jogging.  I must have been on an extreme endorphin high all day because I felt on top of the world.  But then that night I only got 4 hours of sleep (drank a diet coke late in the day- gaaahhhh- shouldn't even be drinking pop, much less pop with caffeine and then a wee terror woke up the entire house at 5:30am) and when I attempted to get out of bed I nearly cried.  The jogging must have jarred my body so much that I could barely walk.  I had to go up and down the stairs sideways, getting up and down from the sofa was excruciating.  It was a miserable day.  So taking it easy and will stick to just walking for now.

This week was a nice change on the drug front.  I was off of the narcotics for four nights straight; I switched to a muscle relaxant and tylenol and was doing okay on it.  But then after the day of pain yesterday, I had to take a percocet and valium to get the pain down to manageable level so I could sleep.  I will keep it that way from here on out.  Save the heavy duty drugs for the extreme days and make it through the other days with the basic drugs.

My swelling is still heading south and my thighs are growing.  Compared to right after surgery, they look huge.  I am sure over the next year they should go down a couple of inches.  The right side is definitely bigger and jiggly with fluid, but not painful in any way.

The wounds are all doing so well!  Butt wound is now really just a scab, right hip is filling in fast, left side hole is small and cavity in behind is filling in (Matt checks its depth with a q-tip), and inner thigh is finally looking better, but still one wound that we are treating, but it is finally getting smaller.

I am also finally allowed to do scar treatment, so the $160 bottle of special silicone scar cream is being used sparingly along the lines.  While I don't really care if I have scars, some of the scars are rock hard and called keloid scars.  The silicone cream should help soften them up a bit.

And on to the best part!

WARNING!  NUDITY FROM A CRAZY LADY!   HEARTS!  BUTTS!  WOUNDS!  BEWARE!

Okay, starting with the bum here.  And thighs.  As I wrote above, the swelling is heading south and I think these next three photos really show it. 

Less than a week post op.  Thighs look small(ish), but core is like a tree trunk.

About 10 days out.  Thighs here still look small(ish) to me.  I see the swell here in my lower back and core.

And today.  My thighs look bigger now than those first couple of weeks post surgery.  All the swell is heading south.  But the bigger thighs are giving me some really nice curves!  HA!   Right side is bigger and left check still looking lopsided.

Swelling just heading south.  The pubic swelling was looking a bit better until my run.  Then puffy.

Right hip wound filling in!  I will have to remember to get my hand in this photo next time for a size reference.

Here is that same hip wound from a few weeks ago when it was at its worst.  Definite improvement!! 

Very small hole on the left side, very little leaking out now, and the cavity in behind is filling in.  Still zero pain here now that the seroma was relieved there just before Christmas.

THE BUM IS NEARLY DONE!  It is really just a scab now and I am so damn happy.  However, it itches like a mother fucker so I look I am scratching my ass all the time!  ahahhahah  All of my incision lines itch and I have been taking Benedryl for relief. 

Here was the bum about 7 weeks ago!  So for those of you dealing with wounds.... HOPE!  They do close up and get better.  Honest!

Left inner thigh finally nearing healing!  That lower wound is still open, but finally showing positive signs of closing up.

Week 10!  I feel like my core looks a bit funny.  It goes in, out and in on the sides.  Do you see what I mean?  I wonder if my sides will come in any more than that.  Just don't know!  But thighs are definitely puffier.  I am really enjoying the shape of my new body now though.

And sometimes I even wear clothes!  :)