15 days post-op and I'm relieved.

Why? Because I was starting to be concerned -- concerned that this surgery meant I would no longer be the strong guy. I would no longer be able to do hard manual labor. Today I pushed it. Yes, I know, doctors orders and all that and yes, it was in the back of my mind.

But today I had some heavy pieces of a tree that needed to be moved. I split them and tossed them in a wheel barrow and hauled them down to the curb. I know -- bad, bad man. But this was more than just a household chore for me -- this was me being able to tell whether I would ever be able to do hard, physically taxing tasks and I completed them without ripping my guts open.

Well, maybe not completed. A small dose of sanity crept in and after I hauled some of it down to the curb I took an hour break. Then I moved more down to the curb and I think I'm done for the day. There will be other days to finish the task but it felt good to be able to accomplish this task -- really, really good.

The day before I went in for surgery that was one of my major concerns. Will this surgery compromise my ability to do what I identify as a mans responsibilities. Will this surgery essentially neuter my ability to be a good provider and do what needs to be done around the house. That day I worked to split and stack about two cords of wood. It felt good, but I was worried that it may have been a last hurrah.

Nope.

I'm not going to push it anymore today. After all, I do recognize that my body still does need some rest. And while we're on the issue of rest, I was able to sleep in my own bed last night. Yeah, that's right -- my own bed. It was really, really nice. As much as I appreciate the comfort that the recliner gave me for the past two weeks, to sleep in my own bed was a major milestone.

I'm looking forward to more milestones as the days, weeks and months progress.

Best wishes OH Please take the time you need to heal. It takes a long time for the inside to heal. We can create our own destiny once you are feeling better. imaluckydog