Recovery: Living out "Go slow to go far"

It’s been 2 weeks since my fibroid removal surgery and I’ve spent it sometimes embracing the process of recovery and other times raging at the fact that I’m so much slower at everything.

The surgery was a success and they ended up discovering more fibroids than we initially thought I had. My blood loss during the surgery was minimal, which meant that my post-op recovery got off to a good start!

The first thing I noticed as the anesthesia wore off was how bloated my entire body was after surgery. As I had laparoscopic surgery, they inserted CO2 gas into my abdomen so that the surgeon could see my organs clearly and have better room to maneuver and work. The pain from all that trapped gas felt worse than the pain from the surgery for the first few days. But even with all the pain I refused to take any morphine because I wanted to avoid the extra recovery time it would take to allow my system to process that as well as everything else. Please note that I am by no means advocating not taking morphine post-surgery, I was just fortunate that my pain was borderline bearable, so I felt I didn’t need it. It’s important to always listen to your body and the medical advice you’re given!

I feel like recovery began in earnest this week as I spent most of last week resting. I now go for very slow walks, increasing the distance covered daily. I also do some mobility exercises a few times a day and I can already feel my body getting stronger. The thing I’m struggling with the most is the speed at which I move and my capacity to do stuff. Now let me preface this by saying that I’m well aware that I’m fortunate that my recovery so far has been ahead of the curve, but still, I want more!

I miss the physicality of strenuous exercise, the way my legs felt after a long tyre pull or how my body felt after an intense workout at the gym. But I’m determined to allow my body the time it needs to heal properly so I can avoid being injured or getting a hernia, so I’m learning to embrace zone 1 training.

The whole process has really made me more empathetic to the elderly. How on earth does one deal with diminished strength and mobility when one mind is still as sharp as ever?!

Hello Autumn!🍂

Someone recently asked me what my favourite season was, and without hesitation I replied: “The Autumn!”. What’s not to love?! The leaves are changing colours; warm, spicy drinks; there’s a crispness in the air and of course the lead up to Christmas with all the good stuff on telly. As I hail from the land of eternal summer to me this season is simply magical!

But over the past week or so I’ve had a chance to contemplate the significance of this season in my life more profoundly.

As a gardener, I’ve learnt how important it is to plan and put in the long hours of preparing the soil and planting out the bulbs and seeds during the autumn, to be able to enjoy my favourite fruits and flowers during spring and summer. And I see so many parallels in the way that I am preparing the garden for next spring and my life at the moment.

To say that 2021 has not gone exactly to plan would be a huge understatement!

I never imagined that I’d end up spending 2 months in Aruba after having to fly out for a family emergency. And although the reason I travelled out originally was quite harrowing, the trip turned out to be enriching and exactly what I needed.

I also couldn’t have envisaged losing two dear friends who were such forces for good in my life. But as I grieve their loss, I have felt like that grief has unlocked a determination to live my life more purposefully. And that hasn’t meant making big, bold moves, but rather simply asking how I can practice being kind, patient, gracious, and generous in every encounter as I navigate this life that I have been gifted.

So, I welcome Autumn 2021! Because it heralds sustainable change, maturity, and the promise of reaping an enduring reward for the long hours spent working hard to attain my goals and dreams.