Recovery goals for Week of 9/11/22

This is going to be a boring update this week. Checking in on last week's goals: 
  • Wash my Car (including vacuum): FAIL. Keeping this on the plan for this week.  
  • Cook a meal: DONE. As mentioned last week, standing for a long period of time is still a challenge. I just need to plan an hour to cook a 30 minute meal. First meal cooked last week were blackened tilapia fish tacos with corn and black bean salad.  
  • Walk 20 minute round trip: FAIL. I'm pretty close, but these physical activities remain a challenge. I'm going to try to get out early this week and see how I do.
  • Establish long term care plan: FAIL. Pathology report is still pending.  
  • Visiting our new grand daughter: DONE. She's beautiful! 
  • Poker session: DONE. Put in a 5 hour session last Thursday. There is more to this than playing poker - it's the ability to sit in a chair for an extended period of time and focus on a set of tasks. It's kind of like what I need to do at work (yecch!).
Physically, I still feel weak compared to where I was before surgery, but things appear to be going the right direction. Some things that I've noticed:
  • The irritation and itching on the punctures and incision is still there. I'm hoping this starts to resolve itself in the coming week as the steri-strips over the incision continue to fall off.
  • As a result of the irritation, I think I'm walking with my shoulders hunched forward in an attempt to keep my shirt from rubbing on the incision. 
  • I mentioned that standing for a long period of time is still challenging. I was reading this week that it could be months before my core fully heals. Guess I'll just need to plan for it.
  • I'm walking at half speed compared to pre-surgery. Hey - it still beats the alternative. 
  • My weight has stabilized. I was concerned about how quickly I was losing weight the first couple of weeks post surgery. 
  • I need to watch my diet and health to protect my remaining kidney. I feel good enough now to start pivoting my plan to lose the extra 30 pounds I don't need to be carrying around. 
Goals for this week:
  • Wash my Car (including vacuum): The vacuums are fixed and my floor mats are filthy.  
  • Cook multiple meals: Goal is to cook dinners for a few nights in a row. I'm keeping the menu simple for now. Crossing my fingers. 
  • Walk 20 minute round trip: Targeting Monday. Will be interesting to see how I feel afterwards.   
  • Establish long term care plan: My surgeon had reached out to pathology to determine why this is taking so long. This is a bit of a stressor.
Finally, I think there are a couple of things that are going to need to come off the plan. I really don't think that I will be able to do the 45 minute walk or a wilderness hike for a few more weeks. I think those both require a level of fitness and core strength that I just don't have right now. Guess it's time to change the name of my board from "Recovery" to "Healthy Living Plan" (how trite).

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