Day 5, 25 more days to go. . .

It has been an interesting five days since my surgery. I am averaging 20 hours a day on my back and the remainder of the time either sitting up for short 20 minute blocks or going for walks. The going for walks, short as they may be, I find to be invigorating and rewarding. I’m encouraged by the doctor, to either lay on my back or to walk. My spine (lumbar vertebrae), my S1 nerve, and the muscle tissue all need to heal. Sitting is discouraged because it does not promote the healing process.

As I have adjusted to spending a lot of time on my back I have discovered just how little there is to watch on television. I came home on Thursday afternoon and JoAnn made a bed for me on the floor in the family room so I could watch television. By Saturday evening I realized that I’d had enough television to last me for several months. That included football, baseball, and movies.

So the question was, what do I do with my time? The last time I had the surgery, some 22 years ago, I edited a book. And I do have a book contract waiting for me. So today JoAnn helped me set my computer up adjacent to the bed. I can contort myself into a number of positions and almost see the screen comfortably, which is not the least bit helpful. The keyboard, however, wasn’t quite as accommodating. The keyboards of 20+ years ago were far heavier and easier to keep on my lap. Visualize this if you can: I am laying on my back with my head on a pillow and a firm king size pillow under my knees so that my knees are raised with my hips and feet touching the bed. Now I put a keyboard on my lap and try to type from there, but the new keyboards are so light that I can’t get them to sit still. Before I allowed that to become a major frustration I remembered that I had dictation software. We set it up and now I am able to dictate my blog. Of course that is not without frustration, but as I learn the software it will be easier. I couldn’t find the printed copy of the manual so I transferred the electronic copy to my iPad and I have it at my side when I need it.

Then there are the diversions that occur during the course of the day as JoAnn does such a great job of taking care of me. She has just brought me a second piece of wonderful flat bread that she found in the freezer and it’s far too good to pass up.

Only 25 more days of laying on my back and I’ve got to figure out how not to go stark raving mad. More importantly, I need to find ways to not impose myself so much on JoAnn’s daily routine.

The only sad thing is that I’ve yet to see any brown sugar brownies. But it’s a long month, so I may see some yet…