My sister returned to Chicago this morning, which means that I’m flying solo for the time being. That’s fine. I may not be as efficient doing things around the house as when I’m 100%, but I can do most things okay. I can tell that I’m not ready to lift or drive yet–just enough pain in the incision points to say “Hey, Dummy! Knock it off!”

Before she left this morning, my sister threw a couple of loads in the laundry and hit the grocery store one last time. I should be good into early next week.

A friend from work stopped by this afternoon for the first time, and we got caught up on my story and what’s been happening while I’ve been away.

A group that I work with sent me a get well card that included 20 things to do while recuperating. I just may start working on that list to entertain myself.

GRAPHIC BIOLOGY AHEAD:

My systems seem to be getting back to their normal selves again (nearly clear urine, regular BMs); my incision points are healing without infection (although one has a nice bruise around it); the pain is steadily decreasing; and I’m more than ready for the catheter to come out.

I did call the nurse at the surgeon’s office this morning to confirm what I needed to do in preparation for the catheter removal, as well as what I needed to bring for after it was removed (i.e., Depends).

Interestingly, she said that most guys can leave after having the catheter removed with just a pad in place to catch any leakage. Given that I have an hour ride back from the office, I think I may be a bit more cautious and go the full Depends route till I figure out what’s going to happen and how much bladder control I’ll have in those first hours/days.

One other thing that I was forewarned about before the surgery was the fact that blood will leak out the urethra outside the catheter tube when I strain to pass gas or have a bowel movement. I wasn’t sure if that would be a controlling factor as to whether the catheter can come out or not, and apparently it’s not. (The volume of blood is down from what it was a few days ago, but it’s still there.)

So one chapter on this story is coming to a close (the surgery) and the next is about to start (life after surgery). Let’s hope it’s well-written with a happy outcome. Being significantly incontinent could really make for a lessened quality of life.