B +3

Hello Clanettes. I've never blogged from my phone before so forgive any weird formatting, I can sort that later. I just wanted to briefly say hi, and put down my thoughts on the last three days. Hence B +3.

If you didn't already know, hello, where have you been..? I had my spine fused on Monday.. The official surgical title is 'Instrumented decompression and lateral mass fusion (PLF-posterior lateral fusion) L3-S1'.. Yeah. That.

Monday was B(Back/spine fusion) day and it was pretty drawn out. The Bigs went to school in the morning, with humbling tears from Lochie and I again wondered if this was the right thing to be doing.

My parents arrived mid morning, they had coffee (I was nil by mouth from 7am - I had forced down porridge and coffee at 6.58)and we left them with Niamh to go to hospital at mid day. I had been told surgery would be at 2pm. Paul helped me with my bed socks and I was all set in my gown by 1.15pm.. 2pm came... 3pm and some pre-meds came... 4pm... 5pm... Eventually at 6.30pm I was taken to surgery.

Then suddenly it was 11.15pm and I was sharply awake in intensive care. I remember seeing Paul, but it was a long night and my only real memories are of loud noises and oxygen masks.

Tuesday day blurred into Monday night really. I had an epidural for pain relief, as well as my own morphine drip, on top of that I was given regular paracetamol and ibuprofen. I also had constant oxygen up my nose. Paul and my parents visited, Lucy and Dave came and then Rachel cheered me up early Wednesday morning.

During Wednesday lunch time I was moved out of intensive care, to my own room and my parents came again, bringing my sister and Niamh to see me. Seeing Niamh was actually pretty hard because she wouldn't come to me or cuddle me and she just clung to my Mum.

After school Paul brought all the kidlets to see me and we had some cake for Paul's birthday (next year we'll kill it Christie ❤)

I don't want to go into too much detail for you Clanettes, but I was pretty poorly over night Weds into today (Thursday) with diarrhea and you can imagine that trying to get up from a bed you are wired to with morphine and catheters was not pleasant or easy, after such a surgery too.

Needless to say the physio lady was amazed at my capacity for movement this morning and I have had a glorious shower. And regal like, I now write to you from my hospital bed in a clean nightie.

I'm tired, I don't feel like I have slept for 4 days and obviously last nights poorlyness has taken its toll on me.

From a Back point of view, I feel better than I thought I would on day 3. I certainly didn't think I'd feel well enough to blog! I feel tender, I feel bruised, my back feels like it wants to split open. But you know what? I haven't felt any of the old catching pain, so I'll take it!

I haven't really had a chance to look at the wound, its all taped up, but I reckon it must be at least 8ins long, straight up from the top of my buttocks, straight through my first and most favorite tattoo (boooo!) and half way up my back. Impressive. Its hugely swollen. As a reference for my sister, I am walking like the alien dad from 'Mac and me'...!!

So there you go. Day 3 is done. Thanks for reading xxx