Stir Crazy

I’ve addressed this before, but what to do with all this ‘extra’ time?  It has been seven weeks today since my surgery.  I’ve been progressing well.  I keep feeling better and better.  Late last week I took what I feel is a remarkable turn… for the better.  All of a sudden I started what I would categorize as great.  I could move faster and easier than I have since, well… I can’t remember when.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I still have my weight lifting restrictions, and if I forget I still get very clear reminders that I have other limitations, as well, but overall, I’m feeling really good.

With that, is my mental faculties.  I feel like my mind is engaging much better than it has.  Things seem clearer and my brain cells are more active.  I’m thinking like I used to, and that especially feels good.  But now with all this time, I’m starting to go stir crazy.  I was warned by my friends that this would happen, and they were right.

I went into work today for an optional employee meeting.  We have these once a month, “Lunch/Breakfast with Management” they call it.  It was presented to me as an option by my supervisor last week, and I jumped at it.  I have to say that I enjoyed it, too.  Not only was it something to do, it felt mentally stimulating, at east much more than I’ve been experiencing lately sitting at home.  I mean, one can watch only so many episodes of Forensic Files while surfing Facebook before they start to go stir crazy.

I haven’t had this officially confirmed with my surgeon yet, but I am eyeing Monday, November 5th, for getting a doctor’s release and going back to work full time.  That seems like a reasonable goal.  I have tentative plans to go to the Manchester office, where I used to work, and have lunch with friends next week.  I talked with my supervisor today, and we hashed out plans for me to continue my physical rehab after I return to work.  It will be three times a week until roughly Christmas, but I will be able to do it with minimal disruption to my work schedule or productivity.  That’s good.

I have to say, in spite of some feelings of stir craziness, I’m also feeling greatly encouraged and optimistic.  So many things make more sense now, in hindsight, for why I was feeling so poorly for so long.  I won’t say the surgery was the best thing to ever happen to me, but I am feeling good and encouraged and excited going forward.