Four days after surgery

A friend of mine who had the second surgery the same week I had my first, told me this one was a piece of cake...compared to the first one. And she was right. The experience at the hospital was different because last time I passed out before they even took me out of the waiting area. And I didn't wake up until I had been in my room for almost four hours! This time I even moved myself to the operating table and centered myself on it ("Grab the edges of the table and center your butt on the table," said the anesthesiologist). That was the last thing I remember until I woke up in the recovery room. These experiences are a bit frightening, and waking up after anesthesia is just weird. But, in the end, surgery went well. And after battling a little with my high blood pressure, they sent me home Friday around 1 pm or so. Now I have to wait two weeks before I can do light exercise with my arms (I hope typing is considered less than light exercise...) and when I see the surgeon this week I'll find out when can I drive again. The other thing that is interesting, is that the pain in my chest doesn't overwhelm me as much as it did the first time. Even though all day long I am in some kind of pain, the rest of my body feels healthy, and my head is clear. I think being familiar with the pain makes it easier to deal with it now. • My mom goes home tomorrow after being with me since April. This has been the longest she has been away from my dad and the grandchildren. It will be sad not having her around but I consider myself blessed to had been able to enjoy her company and care throughout this mess. There are still other surgeries to think about, but not for three more months at least. Right now I just hope the pain stays down so I can gain some sense of normalcy soon.