The next few days after my surgery were spent in relative peace and quiet being a La-Z-Boy resident, feet up, Olympics on. My need for T3's decreased as each day went by and, by the time we were driving into Kamloops to load me on a Castlegar-bound airplane, I was feeling pretty good. The plan was that hanging out with sister/nurse Maureen and having several relaxing visits with my Mom and Dad would be the perfect cure for boring recuperation days in Ashcroft.
Miraculously, the clouds demonstrated impeccable timing, parting at the appropriate moment for the plane to actually hit the tarmac at the airport nicknamed "Cancel-gar" for its difficult landing conditions. Arriving in Trail at 3 p.m. on February 14th allowed me to attend the Valentines buffet at Mom & Dad's seniors' facility. By the time dinner was over, however, I was more than ready to head to Maureen's and hit the hay. To say I was exhausted was a huge understatement.
Valentine's Buffet at Mom & Dad's
After my morning shower, Maureen asked to look at my surgeon's handiwork. Ever the nurse, she noticed that my implant side looked "a little red". Oh great!! What next?? If you remember back to January 2013, a stay at Maureen's was when my armpit had swollen to the size of a large orange! With the help of a black felt pen, Maureen mapped out the edges of the red "ink blot" making its way across my breast. She wasn't "concerned" at this point, she claimed it was merely the best way to track the progress or regression of the red area. At this point in time, the area didn't seem hot -- a telltale sign of true infection. Naturally, it was hard for me to put the threat of infection out of my mind. We did our best to get my mind off my chest with a little retail therapy in lovely Nelson.
After another restless night's sleep -- due largely to trying to find a comfortable position packed among four fluffy pillows -- Maureen and I thought we would attempt my first exercise since surgery. We headed out, with thoughts of taking a lengthy jaunt along the Columbia River on a beautiful, paved walking trail. Unfortunately, the balmy temperatures of the day before hadn't lasted through the night, creating a clear-as-glass skating rink on every square inch of the sidewalk. After several near-fatal falls, we glided back to the car and headed for an indoor walk. The cement oval behind the seats in the Trail arena (a REAL skating rink!) is an extremely popular walking location. It's flat, dry, ice-free, and relatively warm. We managed to clock about 20 laps before I had to call "enough". It felt fabulous to get my body moving again.
We recorded our "icy" moment
before we headed indoors to walk.
The next three days were spent in true recoup fashion -- casual visits, a bit of catching up with friends, and very wee bit of school work. By the time David arrived by car, I was pretty much ready to head home. Home-Sweet-Home brought thoughts of returning to school -- was I ready? did my students work? was my classroom a mess?
All those questions were answered on Saturday.
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