It's been four weeks since the surgery. These days I can walk around the block three times, or do a quarter of a yoga class. I'm not in any pain. There is some tightness in my middle when I lie down on my back, and I can't yet lie down flat with legs straight. I still wear the binder all day, but I take it off for sleeping. My stamina is nowhere near where it used to be, but I can cook and serve dinner, and put the little ones to bed. My daughter thinks it's cool that she can climb onto a folding chair and hoist herself into the crib. Oddly, my two-year-old saw my scar in the bathroom, so my three-year-old insisted that he get to see it too. Now they routinely ask Mommy if they can see the owie. They now understand why they can't elbow Mommy in the tummy.
If I focus on what I can do, I feel pretty good about where I am in the recovery. I think I could work now, especially if I sat more than usual on the job. I still have a few more weeks off, and I'm really grateful for that. I'm still a bit hunched and swollen. I could potentially squeeze into my pants using Spanx and pliers. I think I'll stick with the stretchy pants for awhile.
Finally, here's the million dollar question: Was it worth it? I answer with a qualified yes. I'm glad my muscles were repaired. I'm glad that my skin fits now. But I'll be really happy when I can be something other than a couch potato for most of the day. Life goes on.
Good luck to you!
