Friday, February 22, 2008

Solo Drive

Funny how I type in 'solo' into Google images and it brings up Han Solo ~ I just couldn't resist ~ I am such a child of the 80's! I digress ~ I have been plagued with insomnia the past couple of nights ~ I am blaming the lunar eclipse. So, since I am currently on disability and busy recovering and resting I rolled out of bed around 10:30 this morning. After grabbing a strong mug of coffee I sat down at the kitchen table and put down on paper the long 'to do list' I had been compiling in my mind while tossing and turning all night long. Ahh ~ instant relief to have dumped all that data.

I made several phone calls, crossed off at least half the items on my list. I looked out the window at the sunshine and thought for the first time in three weeks that things are beginning to get back to 'normal'. On a whim, I called to make a hair cut appointment and was elated to secure an appointment 2 hours after I made the call. My first solo driving outing was about to commence.

You see ~ my recovery instructions have been pretty vague. Don't do anything that hurts ~ duh ~ and you can't go back to work until 3 months after your surgery. OK ~ well what about when can I drive? I answered that question this afternoon ~ about three weeks. Backing out of the driveway almost felt like when you are a teenager and you are giddy with the idea of borrowing your parents car to drive around the block! To my surprise, it didn't exactly hurt my back to drive, but I did feel a little tired and slow to react to my surroundings.

So ~ mission accomplished ~ I re-established faith in myself today that I can drive ~ even if it's just a couple of miles down the road. Having that freedom is priceless to me since I have pretty much had to be chauffeured for the past 3 weeks. Also ~ as a bonus had my hair cut for the first time since December. Nothing drastic yet ~ at least not until I am officially cleared by TCI of the potential for brain surgery any time in the near future.

4 comments:

Tina SF said...

Hi Lacie! Just catching up on your progress on you blog. I'm so happy to hear that you are progressing along. I had weird dreams for a while after I stopped the pain meds too. I've heard that the medicine is in your body for some time, so it's possible to still be feeling the effects.
That first shower feels ssooooooo good, doesn't it? Talk about appreciating the small things!
Tina

Zipperhead said...

We can't do anything that hurts? LOL. That rules out breathing. That kind of sucks!

lzwitty said...

Yea! A small victory driving for the first time post-op! I remember feeling weird the first few times driving afterward, too.

Loved the Star Wars reference. I've got a house full of SW fans. In fact , a few years ago, the girls had a SW themed birthday party and everyone came in costume. Pretty funny. James watches at least one of the SW movies every day after school (and stands in front of the tv reenacting all the light saber fights!)

Glad to hear you're up and moving. Cabin fever sits in too quickly, I know so it's good to get out--even if they are short trips at first.

Jenn Ann said...

Driving post-op is such a significant milestone! Glad you're free to move about the city!