Actually, please don't. I'm on Day Two of a caffeine-free life. I should say coffee-free life because I'm still having my daily (small) piece of dark chocolate, but I had my last cup of coffee on Tuesday morning. I'd been drinking decaf for the week prior, and I thought Monday was my last cup, but that afternoon this low pressure system moved in and gave me my third migraine ever, which lasted well into Tuesday night, so Tuesday morning I absolutely needed that small decaf with milk from McDonald's (I hadn't made any coffee, thinking I'd be fine). Yesterday went surprisingly well. I weaned myself the right way instead of quitting cold turkey. Now I won't have to deal with a caffeine withdrawal headache in addition to my dying thirst and outrageous hunger Tuesday morning when I am forced to start fasting 14 hours before my surgery...thanks surgeons.
Of course, in the past few days, Starbucks felt it appropriate to start launching their fall drinks. The salted caramel mocha is my absolute favorite coffee, hot or cold, from anywhere. Salted caramel or salted chocolate is probably my favorite combination of flavors, so I put down my "Dunkin Donuts-only" flag during the colder months and enjoy the wonderfulness of this beverage. So I've decided that on our way home from the surgery center on Tuesday, I'm going to request we make a stop at Starbucks. I realize this may be impractical, as I may be nauseated, possibly barfing, and definitely very hungry. So I might have to wait a day or two before I'm really ready, but I want it to be my first coffee after surgery.
Speaking of life after surgery, I found out my employer has not been giving me the sick time I should have been getting since I went full-time in April. When I inquired as to how much sick time I have saved up, I was told 0.40 hours. Um, what? We accrue sick time at 1.25 days per month, and I've been full-time since April and haven't taken any sick days, so that made no sense. It turns out someone screwed up. I'm also still listed as "PT Communications Coordinator" in our employee directory even though I am most certainly here 40+ hours a week and my title has been Marketing Communications and Public Relations Coordinator since April. And since I haven't been here long enough to qualify for FMLA, I have to use my sick time, personal time, and vacation time (in that order) for my medical leave. I pray I won't use it all because it all adds up to about 3 1/2 weeks and if I run out, then A. I have no time off until July 1 except for the sick time I accrue and B. If I'm out longer than I have paid time, then I start getting my pay docked...yikes!
My rear end is still surprisingly sore. I can sit now, which is progress, but after an hour or two on my special cushion, it hurts to cough, sneeze, or attempt to stand up. I'm much happier laying on my side but I'm not allowed to do that at work, and standing gets tiring and hurts my back since my computer/keyboard/mouse are on my desk, which is between my waist and knees when I stand.
My final pre-op appointment is this afternoon with the main surgeon on my case - the oculofacial surgeon, Dr. C. He will be the one doing my additional surgeries, whereas the ENT surgeon is only needed on Tuesday's surgery for his skilled ability to get sharp objects up one's nose. My dad is coming to this appointment with me so he can meet the surgeon ahead of time, who will explain the actual procedure (I'm still not entirely sure how it works) and give us clear post-op instructions - most of which I already know. I have a warm air humidifier in place since I can't blow my nose for 10 days, I have the head of my bed raised 4 inches and will put extra pillows under the head of my mattress the morning of surgery (I think I need jersey or flannel sheets though, because I already slide down the bed as is with plain cotton), and my uncle is supposed to dropping off his mini fridge that I'm borrowing so that I have water, snacks, and ice within an arm's reach of my bed during recovery. I do best alone when I'm sick or recovering from something, so after Post-Op Day One, I'm hopeful everyone will go back to work and leave me alone once they're convinced I can medicate myself and get to the bathroom without dying. And although this 50/50 chance of developing double vision scares me, my biggest concern is the fact that I can only lay on my back (not sides or stomach) for several days...I haven't been able to lay on my back since I fell down the stairs almost two weeks ago and fractured my tailbone in two places. Even with Percocet I couldn't tolerate the pressure, so this is going to be fun.
Not sure how much posting I will do next week, but I plan to take photos (or have someone take them of me) so I can document my recovery progress that I will post once I am able.
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