The Downward Slide

We just returned from a fabulous trip to MS for my sister's wedding. I knew going into it, that it would be difficult, but just how difficult I did not know. I shared these concerns with my doctor and he gave me some guidelines and medication just in case. The 12 hour ride out was difficult, but doable. I made a pallet in the back and was able to lay down. We stopped frequently so that I could stretch my legs. We made a day of it. . .

That Tuesday night, as we settled into the hotel, I realized that my level of pain was increasing. This happened everyday while we were there. . . I would wake each morning with more pain than normal and by the evening, things were becoming very intense. At the rehearsal on Thursday, I had to sit for parts of it and we even left the dinner early as I was in a great deal of pain. There were times where I contemplated a trip to the ER if the pain did not ease. . .

In all, the trip was harder than I ever anticipated, even with all of the resting that I did. Even with my family and friends taking care of the kiddos and my husband meeting every one of my needs. Even with all of the precautions that I took, I still slid backwards in the recovery. Even knowing this, I would not have missed it or changed anything. My sister will be married one time and there is absolutely nothing that would have made me miss it. . .

But, I am now playing catch up. Where my energy was once growing, it is now gone. Where the pain was becoming more manageable, it now is not. Where I felt like I was making progress, I now feel like I am just standing still where I am at. . .

In hindsight, maybe it was not wise to travel 1200 miles just 4 1/2 weeks after a hysterectomy, but there is no way that I would have missed my sisters wedding. I am truly grateful to both my sister and my new brother-in-law for their kindness and understanding with all of this. Their compassion helped ease my guilt of taking away from their day. . .