Many of you know that I had my gall bladder removed the Friday before Memorial Day. But I never recorded what caused my symptoms. So let me catch you up to date on what the doctors found and the status of my recovery:
Upon removing and opening the gall bladder that morning, they discovered that the interior lining of the bladder was covered with crystalized cholesterol deposits. These deposits are the same makeup as gall stones, just smaller and more numerous.
This week, I had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon, in which he shared with me the results of the lab tests. They showed that the tissue of the bladder had a "moderate infection." I inquired what that meant and the surgeon replied that I didn't have gangrene but it was heading that direction.
"You should be feeling much better now," he added.
For the first time in weeks, I really do feel wonderful.
I have been doing exceptionally well with my recovery.
One of the tasks given me was to walk every few hours. (In fact, it couldn’t have been longer than one hour from awaking from the anesthesia that two nurses helped me out of the bed in the recovery room and walked me around the ward til I was back at my station. But to my surprise, they had removed the bed and replaced it with a LazyBoy recliner.) In order to be released from the hospital, I had to be able to walk around the ward without assistance, among other things I won’t mention now.
At first, the purpose of walking is to ensure that you keep the blood flowing, so blood doesn’t pool and create blood clots. But besides this, in general, walking promotes healing. So upon returning home, nearly six hours after the operation, I took my action task seriously. (I am a marathoner so I have this inner-conscience that helped me get up and walk.)
I started off walking down the hall and round the perimeter of the living room. The next day, I went outside and did laps around the circular sidewalk in front of our house. Four days after the operation, I had worked myself up to walking half a mile. On the evening of the fifth day, I was up to one mile.
What most amazed me during these two days was how noticeable the healing occurred. The pain was decreasing, I was ridding myself of the gas they pump into your stomach, and I was feeling stronger. Also, my gait, once at a mere shuffle, lengthened and quickened. I wasn’t power-walking by any means, but I was not walking like I had just had a major operation either.
I then traveled to Waldport, Oregon to vacation and continue my recovery at a rented beach house next to the Pacific Ocean. When it rained, I walked the perimeter of the dining room and the expansive kitchen–these two rooms laid side by side in the shape of block letter "P." When it was not raining, I walked the beach. By the end of the week, I had worked up to walking a six mile walk.
The beautiful beach house, The Sanderling, is three miles south of Waldport. Walking the beach, you can walk to the place where the Alsea Bay meets the Pacific Ocean. The Waldport Bridge spans the bay and many of my family members walked or ran their way to the edge of the bay (3 miles) just to catch site of it. This is exactly the walk I took to complete my six miles.
When I told the surgeon that I had walked six miles, he was literally amazed and then thrilled. "I wish all my patients would be as motivated," he replied. "I can’t tell you how worried we [doctors] are when we send our patients home with instructions to walk. So many patients don’t have this initiative and many get complications because of it."
And this was a revelation to me because just that very day, I was speaking with a co-worker who informed me that one of her old acquaintances had been recovering from a gall bladder operation and suddenly died from a blood clot. So I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping active after this procedure, or any procedure for that matter.
The good doctor gave me permission to start running when I felt my body was strong enough to do so. So I might try a mile or two later this week. I'm registered for the St. George Marathon in the Fall so I have to be ready for that. If I can do anything sooner, I'll be ecstatic!
For a reminder, maybe these doctors should hand out t-shirts to their patients that read in big red letters: "Avoid Blood Clots. Walk!"
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