I'm off the Coumadin and the doctor has me instead taking one baby aspirin a day. I bought the chewable kind to remind me of childhood. I don't think they let kids take aspirin anymore, so I'm not sure why they still make the chewable version. Anyway, it's not as good as I remember. It tastes yummy at first, but after a couple minutes there's no denying the fact that you've just chewed up an aspirin. Ick.
One of my big fears before the surgery was a blood transfusion, which is something they tell you is relatively common in the days after THR, especially for anemic patients. I didn't get to donate my own blood prior to surgery because the doctor didn't check my bloodwork (which showed anemia) until the last minute (that's another story), so any transfusion would have been blood bank blood. Blood in the blood bank is screened and "safe," of course, but your own personal blood is naturally that much safer. I was nervous about the possibility of a transfusion, so my doctor gave me the option of postponing the surgery so I'd have time to bank my own blood. My brother, who is a veterinarian, convinced me that I was worrying too much. He explained that even if I did bank my blood, it's possible it wouldn't be enough, and I'd need blood from the blood bank anyway. He also pointed out that I wouldn't be so afraid of the blood bank if, for example, I needed a transfusion during an emergency surgery. So I stopped worrying. As it turned out, I bled very little during the surgery, got my strength back quick enough afterwards, and didn't need a transfusion. I love the fact that my brother was so logical about the whole thing, because he really helped me put things in perspective. It calmed me down when I was really panicking.
I walked twice as far today as I did yesterday. Overdid it just a bit, so I put the leg up and rested for an hour afterwards.
The kids were a handful again today. Lee and I are both looking forward to life getting back to normal. It's been extremely difficult having the kids stuck in the house or the backyard for 18 straight days. We're all stir crazy, but what can we do? Normally I'd take one of the kids with me to the supermarket, or Lee and I would take both of them to the park, or out for ice cream. Since I can't ride in a car, Lee would now have to do these things on his own. But Lee is the one who needs a break, so he doesn't relish the idea of aggravating his budding ulcer by trying to wrangle the kids in public places. We usually go out as a family, so he's not used to doing that kind of thing all by himself. It's been a rough few weeks of parenting. We're exhausted.
