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[PH]

Glad it all went well, wishing you a speedy full recovery.

[Danneaux]

Thanks so much Paul and everyone for your good wishes, I appreciate them very much.

I'm making remarkable progress, sitting comfortably in a chair and doing laps of the hallway, but I tire easily and sleep a lot. My doctors are excellent and have decided the scheduled release to the hospital guest house today is too early, so they have sensibly delayed it till tomorrow afternoon, once my drains have been removed.

My spirits are good, I'm optimistic, and view this like any bike tour, with obstacles to overcome as I ride toward my destination. This "tour" (recovery) will take awhile, but meantime, I'm enjoying the Forum posts and seeing the usual eagerness to help each other that makes this a very special place and resource. Well done!

All the best, Dan.

[mickeg]

If you are getting bored, perhaps some old issues of this magazine will help.
https://www.bicycletraveler.bicyclingaroundtheworld.nl

But not sure if that is formatted for a phone, not sure what your electronics are.

[Danneaux]

George! That's incredibly thoughtful and your timing is perfect! My sister, Denise, is staying with me as caregiver, so we each have our phones and our laptops. The hospital and guest house both have fast (for here) wifi.

Thanks so much!

Dan.

[mickeg]

...
Thanks so much!

Dan.

Happy to help.

[Andre Jute]

Grand news, Danneaux! Especially the bit about walking the halls. I've always, even before it became medical orthodoxy, been convinced that being on your feet and getting your blood circulating is a positive step (unintended pun -- sorry). Then, a few years ago, I saw this documentary on the BBC in which they were basically trying to prove that the British National Health Service is superior to the American health system because the Americans had only one heart to transplant among three men who needed it. From the video I took away an entirely different core conclusion, saying to Roz, "That guy is a survivor. They'll give him the heart and he won't reject or waste it." He was the one shown endlessly walking the halls. Not long after that, there was another documentary, about hand transplants for people who'd lost their hands in industrial accidents, and here once more my observation in the earlier, heart, doc was borne out: the active transplantee was the one whose transplant took, while the hands given to the other two had to be removed again, one for not taking and becoming visibly unhealthy, one for a psychological rejection. So I added the right attitude to my short list of Right Things To Do If You Want to Escape Hospital (In A Better Condition Than You Entered).

Keep up the Good Work!

[Danneaux]

Thank you, Andre, that's excellent advice inline with my efforts and results.

Going into major abdominal surgery was, for me, like training for an athletic event. I walked 50 mi/80km per week for months in advance and worked on improving my core strength, so I added 144 situps/day in sets of 12. Cycling is great exercise, but not so specific to this need.

As a result, I can plank, lift my feet, and sit up in bed or get up out of bed with seemingly no effort or discomfort. Doing hall laps is easy and so is sitting in a chair. I do tire easily and sleep a lot, as expected.

The most remarkable thing has been ZERO pain or discomfort. No narcotics and even Paracetamol has been discontinued as there is no need.

My doctors are praiseful and call it "very atypical" while touting my active lifestyle. Swelling overall has been far less than expected.

I so agree about the importance of a good attitude. Offered an opportunity, I take it. If not on the rota, I ask. I'm naturally optimistic and forward looking and that always helps.

All tubes and drains are out, we just have to see if the swelling will remain down enough to keep things on the right side.

Best and thanks to all, Dan.

[John Saxby]

Dan, that's extraordinary, and deservedly rewarded.

As they'd say Down Unda (where we're going on Monday) "Good on yer, mate!" [i.e., "maite!"]

John

[mickeg]

You can do planks?  Now?  After abdominal surgery?  I hope you got Dr approval first.

After my second shoulder surgery, they told me I could not even drive for six weeks.  I do not recall how much I paid for taxi rides, they were not covered by insurance.  Would have been nice if they let me stay at the hospital for a while, but no, was kicked out a few hours after surgery.

Cycling is good cardio, but terrible for bone density.  That is the reason I go to the gym, do to strength exercises to try to stress my bones.  Had a bone density test a couple years ago, report said normal.  So, what I am doing at the gym must be the right stuff.

Side note:  My condo has two floors, bedroom on second floor, kitchen on first.  Over a decade and a half ago I had minor foot surgery.  Spent some quality time getting my condo ready so I could use my feet as little as possible for several days after surgery.  One change I made was put my coffee maker in my bathroom next to my bedroom.  That was one of the smartest things I ever did, the coffee maker is still right there about 20 feet (7 meters) from my bed, so I do not have to do much work to get my first coffee of the day.

[Mike Ayling]

Best wishes Dan.
Hope all goes well with the surgery.

[Danneaux]

You can do planks?  Now?  After abdominal surgery?  I hope you got Dr approval first.

Yep. In front of my lead surgeon and her six resident physicians as she accompanied them on rounds at the teaching hospital. Their eyes widened, and she called it "atypical...in a positive way".

Best, Dan.

[mickeg]

You can do planks?  Now?  After abdominal surgery?  I hope you got Dr approval first.

Yep. In front of my lead surgeon and her six resident physicians as she accompanied them on rounds at the teaching hospital. Their eyes widened, and she called it "atypical...in a positive way".

Best, Dan.

I am surprised they let you.  That is great.

[mickeg]

You can do planks?  Now?  After abdominal surgery?  I hope you got Dr approval first.

Yep. In front of my lead surgeon and her six resident physicians as she accompanied them on rounds at the teaching hospital. Their eyes widened, and she called it "atypical...in a positive way".

Best, Dan.

Status???  Are you still alive?

[Jags]

Only just seen this Dan well hope for a speedy recovery for you.i take it all went well.
Yeah so don't  drive Denise up the wall plays you'd cards right and you could have breakfast in bed every morning.cheers for nod Da n recover well.

Anto.
Ps sorry about soelling I. Falling asleep here 2.30 in thd morning  good lord.0

[Danneaux]

Status???  Are you still alive?

Kind of you to ask, George, thanks!

Short answer: I'm alive, thriving, arrived home late Friday after a month away, 1 week in hospital, 3 more weeks in the hospital guest house a half-block away from my followup visits, an ideal plan by my talented surgeons. Massive thanks to my sister, Denise, who was my caregiver throughout. Unaccountably but happily, I still have no pain or discomfort.

Longer answer: I could not have asked for better care and had a "dream team" of surgeons. Even the hospital food was outstanding. All locally sourced, organic, and high-calorie/high protein for healing. Favorite dish: Large green dinner salad with marionberry dressing topped by a plank of grilled wild-caught salmon straight out of the Columbia River. I still lost 7.7kg/17lbs over the month.

I received some extensive tissue and skin grafts. The largest came from me, some smaller ones were cadaver grafts. I'm very grateful to the donor and their family.

My body is surpassing benchmarks. At 2 weeks, I matched the expected ideal for 6 weeks of healing. Just past 4 weeks, I'm showing signs typical of 8-10 weeks as the grafts epithelialize (heal at the cellular level).

I'm encouraged! That said, I've got a ways to go...

Recovery/rehab tasks are pretty intense in these early days, taking a few hours each day, plus longer walks and naps. When I "hit the wall", I'm ordered to respect fatigue and nap when needed to aid healing. That's expected to ease in 3-4 months and a full return to my pre-op state should take 12-18 months. At one year, we'll see if I need a revision, plus another corrective procedure is on the books and one more face rebuild to correct some past developmental defects/traumatic damage and reassemble correctly.

Whew!

I wandered out to my garage today to greet my bikes. Oiled a couple chains, applied a thin skim of Proofide to one saddle, spun the Roloff hub on my Nomad and dreamed of riding, forbidden till at least 3 months have passed. I think that is realistic, so will wait and see. If waiting produces a better result, I'm happy to do so, longer if needed. Everything is moving forward nicely and I just don't want to backslide.

Best, Dan.