A Baramoter of Health - Part 4

(This is a continuation of yesterday’s blog.)  Late in April of 2013, my left kidney was removed during an operation that was supposed to be done laparoscopically, and take just a couple of hours.  The operation ended up taking five hours, and required a full incision on my left side running from just under my rib cage all the way down and over to the left side of my waist. 

It took 65 staples to close the incision, plus more to close up the four small incisions made initially to try to do the procedure in the less invasive laparoscopic method.  My doctor had me up and walking less than 12 hours after the surgery.  I was to walk as much as possible in the halls of the hospital, to begin to recover my strength.

Moving with the incision was difficult, even with the pain medication.  I suppose in a way it is kind of like childbirth – no one really talks about the pain ahead of time – they just deal with it afterwards.  I guess that is a good thing.  Now, all these months later it doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but at the time it was.

During post-surgery blood testing, it was discovered that my iron levels were beginning to rise.  That was exceptionally good news for me.  Having to take iron supplements does not sit well with my system.
  

While we were discussing my post-op care, my doctor told me he was going to push me to regain my strength.  The first day back home from the hospital, I had to figure out how to do simple things like sit in a chair and stand up, get dressed, take a shower, use the facilities, get in and out of bed – just normal movement – without hurting my side or ripping out the staples.

The second full day home I began (at the doctor’s orders) to walk around the neighborhood.  The first day, I probably only walked a half a block. By the time I had gone that far, I was so glad to be back home.  

During those early days of recovery, I was quite terrified that I would trip over an uneven sidewalk, or some debris in my way, and rip open my incision.  So my family took turns walking with me, holding my hand as I walked. 

My daughter came home during the week on her lunch hour to take me for a walk.  In the evening my husband took over that duty or my son.  Every day I walked just a little farther than the day before, always pushing myself, all with my doctor’s blessing.

A week after surgery the staples came out which was definitely less painful than I thought it would be.  Surprisingly, I barely felt it when each one was removed.  The nurse put steri-strips over the incision to promote healing, but it wasn’t until the strips fell off about two weeks later that I had any confidence that it would not pull apart!

I returned to work about three weeks after the surgery, but it wasn’t until my six-week post-op check that I felt I was ready to return to the disc golf course to attempt to play again.  That first day, I was oh, so, cautious every time I threw.  My entire left side had no feeling due to the nerves that had to be severed during surgery.  So I had to relearn how to make my body twist so I could throw properly.

On my first trip to play disc golf I only played four holes – which was enough to push my endurance but not enough to hurt myself.  From there I tried to play at least one additional hole on each subsequent outing.

It wasn’t until three weeks before the 2013 Worlds that I played my first 18 holes, post op.  After that, I added a few more holes every chance I had, until I was up to 36 holes in one day.  I kept pushing, doing a little bit more every day, so I was ready to head to Emporia, KS for the tournament.

It took all my energy just to get myself around the course, so I took a minimum of discs in my disc golf bag, and had plenty of water to stay hydrated.  I also purchased a little tripod stool so that I could sit and rest my legs when I got tired.  It was interesting how just a brief one or two minute break renewed my energy and allowed me to continue on to the end of the course.

Once again, disc golf had become a barometer of health for me.  Even as I was gaining back strength post surgery, I realized that I was feeling so much better inside.  It had been a long time since I felt strong.  For the first time, I thought that just maybe, if I was smart about it, I could make it through the tournament.

So, with my discs in my bag, plus a water bottle and my stool, I was as ready as I was going to be!  It was off to Emporia, KS for me.

I was going to the 2013 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships!