Today
Woke close to two in the morning aching, chlled. Breathing helped, but had to get up, do straight arms up stretches while breathing stretches. Also helped. Took the milder meds. Too soon to expect to be well yet, but was kinda hoping. 😊
Rested, went back to sleep.
Woke early.
Hadn’t been able to restock my Costa Rica organic coffee yet, but have some new very nice Peruvian organic. Close enough! I’m so glad to have coffee again!
If all holds well, plan to go to Gold’s Gym w/Sheila. She’ll do a SilverSneakers strength (Classic) class, and I’ll do a few – a couple – hmmm, maybe one lap on the indoor track 🙂
Beyond that, my mind can’t seem to see what else the day may bring.
Or what I might try to bring to it…
Basically I’ll play it by ear….
That’s ok too 😊
Recovery!
Yesterday
Early AM
Woke up, like yesterday, feeling really good, til I tried to move.
Shoulders and neck esp hurt. The gas in the stomach (I’m told) sends pain signals that the nerves in the upper body pick up. Heard them loud and clear!
Brushed teeth. Mouth extremely dry, nose spotty with blood also dry.
Solution? Coffee! 😊
Stomach rumbling, but no bread, no crackers.
Found an apple sauce mini pack we can never convince the 6 year old to eat, ate it like it was food from a 5 star restaurant! Surprised how quickly that filled me. Already had one the grandson’s mini chocolate puddings in my hand too but put it back. For later. (I smiled to myself) – It’s time’ll come.
Researching what else I can eat, found this quote I like, “You can start eating a soft sloppy diet from the day after your operation. Sloppy food is any food that is moist, can be broken into pieces with a fork, and does not require a lot of chewing.”
Very encourage and promises a much wider menu my wife and I can create meals from than I did yesterday!
My BIG challenge was thinking of things I could tolerate to do and not get bored 😏 AND find places and ways to walk and not be in the relentless Texas heat (100 degrees again today!). My wife told me some folks at the football game here in Austin had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital because of the heat!
Mid-Morning
Wonderful adaptive breakfast via my wife Sheila! ❤️
Mushed potatoes with eggs, cheese, minced spinach, minced tomatoes, onions plus a side dish of beans I mushed down with my fork (as per the quote I found above 😊) and added into the mix. No whole wheat tortillas as per our usual, but very very good!
Have to eat slower, so have discovered if I put my fork down between every few gulps, I won’t just keep jamming food into my mouth out of habit, plus it adds just that tiny little moment of time where I have to set it down then pick it back up. Tiny, but progress!
Also found, as per laughing after my previous surgery, that sneezing involves my whole stomach, my core, and who knows what else! I typically sneeze several times after I’m full, but at least I only sneezed once this time. But boy did I rumble and roll my stomach, lol 😂 It hurt a little but I did ok.
Late Morning into Early Afternoon
Can’t drive for 2-3 weeks, so rode shot gun to Sprouts with Sheila.
Wasn’t excited ‘bout trying to find substitutes for eating actual fresh blueberries and blackberries and other fruit w/seeds or high density (though I’m gonna give it a heck of a try w/my handy guacamole masher on some of those berries!) but was very pleasantly surprised to find so many good juice choices, and esp fruit sauce choices! Not just apple sauce but blueberry and other flavors. Not too worried ‘bout banana substitutes ‘cause that’s one of the thing I can eat straight out of their skin 😊
Maybe there’s lots of other folks who also need to have to soft alternatives, either temporarily or permanently. Though I’m glad or the choices, I still look fwd to when I can rest fresh fruit again. Chewy & delicious!
Our grocery bags were way heavier than usual, so manly bottles of juices, and by the time we got home and got them inside, I was pooped and needed to rest.
But first, a whole banana (well, I gave Sheila a small piece; all she wanted 😊 ) and a glass of Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk mixed with Shamrock Farms Rockin’ Refuel Muscle Builder Chocolate Protein Milk Beverage (big name!) both via an earlier buy at HEB. And I may not be a muscle man builder (stereotypically speaking), but this was sure tasted good after being out in the heat!
Mid-Afternoon
Our search for a fun tasty meal with all mush-able appetizing healthy food paid off!
Wild Alaskan Cod that literally flaked then melted into our mouths!
With a sauce mix of black olives, tomatoes, onions and more, all poured over a fork-mashed (my contribution) multi-colored medley of tiny microwave softened potatoes!
Did I mention sun heated made-in-a-jar iced tea using Red Rose tea bags? My favorite tea since I discovered it in Vermont 2011 when we lived there?
Delicious! And I’ll leave it at that! 😊
Late Day
I’d expected it sooner, but the upper body pains from the anesthesia in my stomach still working itself out finally got my attention. Plus my breathing had gotten choppy again, without enough exertion to warrant it. Then I remembered I snippet from a blog post I’d seen the other day by Abigail Johnston –
“The larger benefits of yoga, beyond the physical, are the breathing and focusing practice. I’ve learned to relax muscles individually by ‘sending my breath’ to them. It seemed hokey and weird at first but I’ve reaped the benefits in so many ways.”
https://nohalfmeasures.blog/2019/08/26/yoga/
And, as I don’t believe there’s “one way” to meditate or practice yoga from – since it’s from within ourselves & our own experiences anyways – I laid on my side and began to breath deeply in, letting the breath remain inside me as long it felt natural, the way I’d learned from some of my fav teachers, then let it release, also at its own rate.
Once I had a comfortable rhythm, inhaling deeply, slowly, steadily – then letting my breath remain within me as felt comfortable, and finally releasing it as felt natural (no pushing or huffing) — then I began directly the breath inside me with my focus to wherever my pain seemed nested.
At first not much happened. Other than my shortness of breath was definitely gone.
Then, in tiny increments, I felt the muscles on my shoulders begin to relax.
I could feel my neck ease, even if just slightly.
Was it magic? Fascia?
This all got me checking out some early (2011) meditation yoga blog posts of mine and I went into early evening updating them. Well, some of them 😊 One posted as a repost after midnight this morning. It was fun. And ironically also made me aware of a painting from 2006 I’d used in some 2011 posts. The irony? Or coincidence? I just had that same painting, Barton Springs Autumn Austin, accepted into this year’s Jerry’s Artarama’s U.S. Veteran’s Art Show in Austin.
Yeah, I’m gonna have to look into that one!
Evening
First time since very late spring, I could walk outside 8 in the evening and not break a sweat.
If tomorrow’s half as good, that’ll be good ❤️
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My Related Blog Posts
- The Yoga Bowl
- “Cross Country” – Meditation, or Illusion?
- Meditation: Am I Doing It Yet? Part 1 — “who defines meditation?”
- Meditation: Am I Doing It Yet? Part 2 — “definitions mechanisms comparisons”
- Meditation: Am I Doing It Yet? Part 3 — “yes! maybe, sometimes 😉
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Related Amazon Search & Products
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I do like to point out I pick my selections to showcase from my Amazon searches. May not always be the case, or wholly always the case, but for now, I prefer picking titles and book covers and gift items that just really appeal to me. There’s lots more to choose from, but only have so much room, lol! I hope you enjoy —
Thanks so much everyone! 😊
Adan
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