dcrowell

I love your father's sense of humor.

Heal fast!

CliftonGK1

I've been off pain meds for 3 days and I can walk about a half mile now. There's still some pain, but I suppose things are healing well. I go for a follow up with my surgeon this afternoon, so I'll know for certain how things are coming along.

dcrowell

Oh, and it's cool that you're so open on a delicate subject. Kudos!

Neil_B

Update, Cliftongk1?

txvintage

So I guess this means you have been avoiding peanut butter and cheese in large quantities?

Neil_B

That's not a bad idea for most of us. The best move I made when losing weight was going dairy-lite. I not only lost weight, but I felt better too.

txvintage

Well, I have a confession. I'm a total peanut butter junkie. I don't think there is a rehab facility in the world capable of getting me past the addiction

Neil_B

My solution was to not have peanut butter in the house.

CliftonGK1

Update:

Went to doc for post operative check up on Friday. Took all of 5 minutes once I was there. For the (thankful) brevity of the physical exam, I honestly could have just mooned him over my webcam and had the same discussion about rehabilitation to my prior state of exercise and saved myself the 40 minutes of driving.

Healing just fine. I still take (generic) Citrucel and docusate sodium twice a day, and that continues for another 2 weeks. Then I can stop taking the docusate sodium and back off on the fiber supplement since I eat a high fiber diet to begin with.
I'm cleared to do non-strenuous exercise: Walking, swimming, light plyometrics (pushups and situps) as long as I'm not straining to do them. No weightlifting, running, etc. for 2 more weeks. Same with waiting to ride. Can't get on a bike for another 2 weeks, either, even though I feel pretty good now. Have to wait for things to fully heal up.
The wife and I are re-joining the gym so I can start swimming. I've been walking the dog for the past 2 days and I can walk 2 miles without any discomfort. Today I'll try for 2.5 and see how I feel. Might even go for 3.

The biggest benefit to all of this is that it broke me of my cheese habit. When you can't eat the stuff for 2 weeks, you get into the habit of not eating it at all.
The biggest annoyance is that I currently have to use Desitin (zinc oxide diaper creme). The cashiers all know me at the local grocery, so when I went in to buy talcum powder and diaper creme and baby wipes, they start asking me about "Oh, when did you two adopt?" (The wife goes to the store often enough that they know she wasn't preggers.) The look on the girl's face was priceless when I told her, "I had to have surgery on my arse. These are for me."

Overall, it's not a fun surgery, it's a painful first week to ten days of recovery, and then things rapidly get better. If you need to have it done, get it done; because the problem only gets worse if you don't treat it. It is a self-perpetuating problem once it reaches the level of "chronic", and it won't heal on it's own. Would I recommend it, just on a lark? Heck no.
Take care of yourselves, everyone. Keep hydrated and eat well so you don't end up in the same situation.

Kamala

Glad to hear you're healing up well! Just consider this time taper and cross-training :-)

dbikingman

I just happened to be in the same local grocery store as clifton and I saw the following sign in the employee break room. "Sphincter alert: Do NOT ask Clifton about his recent surgery. Thnx Mgmt"

Glad your feeling better.