Recovering... from Surgery
Last week I had a tonsillectomy. This was my third surgery, and my second in the surgery center. I had frequently been having problems with my throat over the past year, which I originally thought was due to working at a school with many sick students and staff. This may or not be the cause, and I am not sure if I will ever know what is the reason behind it.
I went to a PCP for the first time in September and mentioned having tonsil stones to him, to which he asked if I saw a dentist regularly and suggested that it was plaque build up. Of course, the next time I went to the dentist, I asked and the hygienist told me that what the doctor said was a bunch of crap and that lots of people claim that mouth wash will fix everything, however, she said she didn't think it was plaque.
In April, I went to an ENT for the first time regarding these issues. He informed me that tonsil stones are harmless, and as I had read on my own, are calcium deposits. He said that they are harmless, but that most people who choose to have their tonsils removed do so around the six time of having them. I had tonsil stones five times in about seven months, and that was enough for me. While they were themselves painless, they were definitely not fun, caused a lot of irritation and severe sore throats, as well as fevers.
After I had the tonsil stones the fifth time, they never returned, however, one month after my visit to the ENT, I had an infection that lasted almost two dozen days. I missed two days of work, which was out of character for me. I decided then and there, and since I had the desire to return to working in a school next school year, that I would get my tonsils removed.
The check-in time for my surgery was 11:30am, and after not being able to eat or drink since midnight the night before, I was very much wanting to be hydrated and full. My Ed knew the recovery from surgery would be something interesting, as was the morning of the surgery.
I had done extremely well with my other surgeries, and this was not an exception. I woke up to my husband, dad, and nurse talking. I was told before the surgery that a "0" on the 0 to 10 pain scale was not realistic in a tonsillectomy, however, afterwards, my nurse asked if I needed any medication, and then asked if we could consider my pain to be a 0, and I said yes. My surgeon even walked by and was surprised that I was up and awake. He said most people aren't usually smiling when they wake up from surgery.
So far, I have been relatively healthy recovering, and I maintain that I do very well post-operatively. I have had quite a bit of ear pain that is referred, and apparently to be expected, but my throat itself has not hurt very much at all. It hurts to swallow, I have felt hot a lot, and have had minor headaches, as well as being nauseated. Thankfully, pain medication and a prescription for nausea have been able to combat some of the issues. The other thing, though, that is pretty much the worst, is being lightheaded and dizzy.
I have often gotten dizzy. It has been suggested that it is from low blood sugar or orthostatic hypotension, which I believe both, however, in this case, I believe it could also be from the medication, as well as my Ed going haywire with the eating restrictions, limitations, and new options to try.
I was worried that Ed would have a blast with my limited liquid diet, so I tried to compensate ahead of time by buying some protein powders, vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, and even some fatty foods. However, I VERY quickly decided that the yogurt diet was not going to cut it for me. I have been able to implement almost all foods that I am interested in, as long as they are in small amounts.
Perhaps the most amazing thing that I have experienced in the past few weeks of moving in, moving out, surgery, staying with my folks, traveling, and everything else going on, is that Jesus shows up. every. single. day. Jesus shows up every single day.
I have been able to have conversations with Jesus every morning for multiple weeks, and it is oh-so sweet. Jesus gives me exactly what I need, encourages me, and tells me what I need to do for that day, and that day only. He keeps me present, focused in the here and now. He continually reminds me of how He loves me and that He is compassionate and careful. Jesus is faithful to meet with me, and though I have had been confused and entangled with Ed for such a long time, Jesus continues to shut Ed up, challenge his thoughts and behaviors, and even demoted him, twice. Jesus makes it so Ed no longer has power over me and I no longer need to consult Ed or ask Ed for his advice.
Going into this surgery, I actually told a couple of people that I was hopeful that this surgery would be what turns my Ed around into normalized, healthy eating behaviors. My dietitian laughed at me, but I will tell you that when I legitimately had to eat more sweets a few days ago due to my recovery from surgery and not a lot of food sounding appetizing, Ed shrunk so much and that very night was when he got demoted.
Trusting Jesus during this process has been so rewarding and fulfilling. I am grateful to have a God who is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love.
When meeting with a church pastor recently about control, I expressed to her that I had a vision of Jesus running away, but that He was actually running to pick me up from behind. She shared the following verse: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30: 21). This is exactly how Jesus is leading me right now. He is leaving the choices up to me, and it is my turn to fight Ed, but no matter what I do or where I go, He is always near and affirming the way that I am going.
I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.
I went to a PCP for the first time in September and mentioned having tonsil stones to him, to which he asked if I saw a dentist regularly and suggested that it was plaque build up. Of course, the next time I went to the dentist, I asked and the hygienist told me that what the doctor said was a bunch of crap and that lots of people claim that mouth wash will fix everything, however, she said she didn't think it was plaque.
In April, I went to an ENT for the first time regarding these issues. He informed me that tonsil stones are harmless, and as I had read on my own, are calcium deposits. He said that they are harmless, but that most people who choose to have their tonsils removed do so around the six time of having them. I had tonsil stones five times in about seven months, and that was enough for me. While they were themselves painless, they were definitely not fun, caused a lot of irritation and severe sore throats, as well as fevers.
After I had the tonsil stones the fifth time, they never returned, however, one month after my visit to the ENT, I had an infection that lasted almost two dozen days. I missed two days of work, which was out of character for me. I decided then and there, and since I had the desire to return to working in a school next school year, that I would get my tonsils removed.
The check-in time for my surgery was 11:30am, and after not being able to eat or drink since midnight the night before, I was very much wanting to be hydrated and full. My Ed knew the recovery from surgery would be something interesting, as was the morning of the surgery.
I had done extremely well with my other surgeries, and this was not an exception. I woke up to my husband, dad, and nurse talking. I was told before the surgery that a "0" on the 0 to 10 pain scale was not realistic in a tonsillectomy, however, afterwards, my nurse asked if I needed any medication, and then asked if we could consider my pain to be a 0, and I said yes. My surgeon even walked by and was surprised that I was up and awake. He said most people aren't usually smiling when they wake up from surgery.
So far, I have been relatively healthy recovering, and I maintain that I do very well post-operatively. I have had quite a bit of ear pain that is referred, and apparently to be expected, but my throat itself has not hurt very much at all. It hurts to swallow, I have felt hot a lot, and have had minor headaches, as well as being nauseated. Thankfully, pain medication and a prescription for nausea have been able to combat some of the issues. The other thing, though, that is pretty much the worst, is being lightheaded and dizzy.
I have often gotten dizzy. It has been suggested that it is from low blood sugar or orthostatic hypotension, which I believe both, however, in this case, I believe it could also be from the medication, as well as my Ed going haywire with the eating restrictions, limitations, and new options to try.
I was worried that Ed would have a blast with my limited liquid diet, so I tried to compensate ahead of time by buying some protein powders, vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, and even some fatty foods. However, I VERY quickly decided that the yogurt diet was not going to cut it for me. I have been able to implement almost all foods that I am interested in, as long as they are in small amounts.
Perhaps the most amazing thing that I have experienced in the past few weeks of moving in, moving out, surgery, staying with my folks, traveling, and everything else going on, is that Jesus shows up. every. single. day. Jesus shows up every single day.
I have been able to have conversations with Jesus every morning for multiple weeks, and it is oh-so sweet. Jesus gives me exactly what I need, encourages me, and tells me what I need to do for that day, and that day only. He keeps me present, focused in the here and now. He continually reminds me of how He loves me and that He is compassionate and careful. Jesus is faithful to meet with me, and though I have had been confused and entangled with Ed for such a long time, Jesus continues to shut Ed up, challenge his thoughts and behaviors, and even demoted him, twice. Jesus makes it so Ed no longer has power over me and I no longer need to consult Ed or ask Ed for his advice.
Going into this surgery, I actually told a couple of people that I was hopeful that this surgery would be what turns my Ed around into normalized, healthy eating behaviors. My dietitian laughed at me, but I will tell you that when I legitimately had to eat more sweets a few days ago due to my recovery from surgery and not a lot of food sounding appetizing, Ed shrunk so much and that very night was when he got demoted.
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| Image is my own. Text over through the Bible App |
When meeting with a church pastor recently about control, I expressed to her that I had a vision of Jesus running away, but that He was actually running to pick me up from behind. She shared the following verse: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30: 21). This is exactly how Jesus is leading me right now. He is leaving the choices up to me, and it is my turn to fight Ed, but no matter what I do or where I go, He is always near and affirming the way that I am going.
I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.
I write about my fascination with whole foods, my love of Jesus, my struggles, my childhood stories, my passion for education, and my devotion to creating a healthy life (body, mind, and spirit) for every person in the world.
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