4900 steps. Ended up doing a whole lot of nothing today after a poor night’s sleep. I worked on my thesis, walked around a bit, and then napped for almost three hours. I’m in a really good way pain-wise though, huge difference since a week ago.
It’s funny how much more productive I thought I’d be by now on top of work, like reading a ton, watching stuff, maybe even finally making a photography website. Nope. 
Lol. I was the same way after my surgery. Thought I would get all kinds of things done. I did approximately 1.8% of what I thought I would. Haha. But good on you for keeping moving. The walking can be hard, but it’s really important. You seem to be doing a good job of reading you body and knowing when you’ve gone too far. Keep healing and taking care of yourself.
This sounds like good medicine.
My grandmother was an old Irish Catholic lady, and I loved it when she prayed for me. Same thing my religious friends. One of my friends would have her mother put things “in her prayer box,” little notes about the thing that needed to be prayed about, I guess. I don’t know if prayer works, but whether it does or not, what an excellent thing to have someone do that for you. Really comforting, like a hug. (I believe in God. Beyond that there’s a lot of uncertainty for me.)
Oh, I assure you that it does. 
If you ever need or want some extra prayers, just let me know. #prayerwarrior
11k steps. This afternoon I walked three miles on the treadmill at a 2.7% incline in 53:41. This felt very good and like my core had caught up with my legs for the first time since the surgery. 
I then walked 2 km outside this evening and got tired. I had a headache this morning that was worse than my incision pain, so that’s good progress I think.
11k steps that came about naturally by running some errands (but otherwise being very unproductive). But good that I felt good enough to get my flu shot among other things.
13k steps. Walked three miles this afternoon and then two more this evening. Same thing as usual, feel a little more fatigued during the evening walk, but everything is improving each day. Bloating slowly decreasing.
I’m very lethargic still. I think this can be attributed to the surgery but not entirely. Appointment with an endocrinologist isn’t until end of January 
Thanks to all this, especially the bladder stuff, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how many other things I’ve dealt with but shrugged off as normal for a long, long time. Even now I still have a tiny bit of anxiety that my bladder is going to stop working. Normality shocks me.
12k steps. Walked four miles this afternoon and cleaned my apartment. Worked on dissertation for three hours. So, I was a bit more productive today.
7k steps. Realized today that my toe is a Major Problem, which is depressing because I can’t even enjoy the primary activity I’m cleared to do — walking. I’m going to request a referral to a podiatrist. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s PTOA at this point. Excited to be cleared for actual workouts on my bike because this just sucks.
Also had a not so fun scare as a retainer in one of my cartilage ear piercings fell out and went down my sink drain, and I feared it had closed. So, I had to waste most of my day going to and from my local shop to (thankfully) fix that. Maybe not the wisest choice after surgery, but I’m healing well, so I got another earlobe piercing to make my trip there worthwhile. Also succumbed to grocery delivery service today.
I ordered some at-home UTI testing kits and I was very positive for leukocytes. Not sure how believable these kits are, but… 
2.8k steps. Ventured onto the seated stationary bike for a very gentle ride, 10 miles in 43:44. If this were outside, it probably would have translated into a downhill ride. According to my watch, I burned 125 calories in that time frame. Not that calorie expenditure was the goal, more a testament to how leisurely this was. My core definitely had to warm up a bit, but there were no issues. Maybe negative for a UTI today, so who even knows.
I made a tasty lentil soup.
3.5k steps. I slept for 10 hours and felt really good on that stationary bike today. I was able to increase the resistance and actually raise my HR a bit. I rode 13.8 miles in 50 minutes. It’s no workout, but the movement is really helpful at this point. Mentally I’m very tired from everything and also working on my dissertation a lot lately, so I haven’t had much time to relax or do much for myself. So, at least I can do that.
I have my follow-up on Tuesday and am becoming nervous about it again. I am still incredibly embarrassed by, well, everything and have tons of annoying follow-up questions that I am printing out to bring with me. I also decided to give a gift, no matter how weird and maybe more embarrassing it makes things: a card for my surgeon featuring a handwritten note of gratitude and some photos I took in Central Asia + some Middle Eastern sweets for the surgeon and team. I’m hoping it all goes over well.
This is so sweet! They will most definitely appreciate it!
16k steps. I walked 10 km today! Obviously this flies in the face of what I wrote previously, but I had to walk to get a haircut today and the movement made my toe feel better. So, I just kept going. Really makes me think there is some scar tissue or even arthritis if this is the case. It seems to be triggered by movement, but then the resulting stiffness only starts to feel better with more movement. I will see a podiatrist soon at least.
Besides some cramps that I experience almost nightly presumably from the IUD, I’m feeling good and even starting to experience moments of forgetting I had surgery. Nervous for tomorrow… to see the photos of everything that was haunting me for so long. I’m hoping for a productive conversation.
18k steps.
I got to see the before and after photos. Very interesting. A lot was excised. I am healing well, and my exercise restrictions are lifted tomorrow. I don’t feel very ready to lift yet.
To my surprise, my surgeon and the resident remained steadfast that I do/did not have endometriosis. I’m not too bothered by it because it didn’t change the way they treat me, and I can visually see all they did. Still, I’m not fully convinced even though I am a scientist and can’t wrap my head around denying pathology results. Although I’ve been scouring literature and haven’t found lesions that look quite like mine, I believe more that not enough is known about this disease and that my presentation is different and/or I have scarring caused by endometriosis. My symptoms were textbook, too. Who knows though.
Now a bit concerned that something else is wrong with me, but I will slowly go down more rabbit holes and just see how things evolve over the next months. I have a follow-up in 4-6 months. I have an appointment next month to explore the possibility of interstitial cystitis and will also schedule one with a GI specialist. I’m going back to PT this week.
I felt like I was preparing to go on a date rather than a doctor’s appointment 
I’m normally not shy, but I didn’t even want to give them the treats personally, so I asked a staff member to do so for me. I did manage to hand the card to my surgeon personally at the end though. I feel I didn’t express my gratitude well enough, so I hope I wrote better than I spoke. At least I didn’t cry. I know having had all that stuff removed was for the better. I kind of regret not advocating for myself sooner. In hindsight, I think my chronic iron deficiency was a symptom of all this, not a cause.
9k steps. Today I felt very good. I was able to work a full day in person and attend an event afterwards.
Lab manager said it looks like I lost weight and that my face looks healthier than ever, which was very funny and interesting. My advisor also shared a ridiculous quote with me that can be found in a textbook from the late 80s: “The typical patient with endometriosis will be nulliparous and in her late 20s or early 30s. Textbooks describe her as intelligent, egocentric, overanxious, and a perfectionist.” We just laughed. Half-jokingly, she said this could be considered a compliment.
Going to try to do a small workout of sorts tomorrow. Hopefully in turn this will become less of a pelvic issue log. It’s become a huge brain dump over the past months. I want to get back to worrying more about working out, anyway.
I love a beef & vegetable with lentils. Chili too, purists be damned!
Okay, no more tracking steps because it annoys me. Safe to say walking is good now.
Today’s stuff:
Walked one mile on an incline to warm up.
DB shoulder press 30x11,15,12
DB curl 30x15,13
BW BSS 15,16
Lateral raises
A little under two miles at average 7.7% incline in 29 mins. Mix of walking and something like running.
I was tempted by the DBs, so I lifted a little bit. It actually felt better than expected. It was also nice because I didn’t feel that weird pulling sensation on my right side while doing BSS
I’m definitely going to be sore tomorrow, but it felt so good to sweat and work my lungs and muscles. Nothing felt risky. Even better is that I’m going to a show tonight without my bladder dictating me for the first time in what feels like forever.
PT tomorrow AM, looking forward to continuing to work through my right-sided tightness and such.
This turned into a pretty lazy day with only a little bit of walking outside to get to and from PT. I slept poorly for various external reasons, so I had to recover two hours of sleep this afternoon. I’m actually not very sore from training yesterday; if anything, standing for hours at the show last night was more fatiguing for me than working out.
I underwent a pelvic reassessment at PT and feel optimistic even though there are still issues (some unsurprising while still healing from surgery) and I have to keep going. I could feel lingering tightness on my right during the exam, and I thought maybe nothing changed since my last visit. That could even to be expected. But my therapist could actually stretch the right side of my pelvis more than was possible all summer.
One-mile walk at 8.5% incline
DB incline press 50x12,11
Pull-ups 2x5
Sumo goblet squat 30x2x12
Some cable kickbacks
Four miles on elliptical in 28:47
I felt a bit more fragile while lifting today. Somehow the pull-ups went all right and did not rip my body in half 
I think I will still need probably 1.5-2 weeks before I try to finally start some lifting program for the first time in ages, and I don’t know what it will be. I am also still too afraid to hop on a bike. Soon though.
Tiring day, spent a long time working on thesis and wandering around outside. It turned into 21k steps including a four-mile mostly easy run with a couple jaunts up The Hill. Maybe a little much, but I couldn’t resist after being cooped up inside for several days.
I (unsurprisingly) feel very out of shape and am a little sore this evening, but it was so nice to enjoy some fall-like weather for once and just be in the park. I haven’t been to the park in over a month, which is very weird for me.
Right now my brain feels like mush, and I find it difficult to focus on podcasts, which is kind of sad. I guess it’s from all the recent stress. But at least I’m physically improving and in somewhat better spirits.
To just spend hours outside and not think about my pelvis or bladder… it was so therapeutic.
Two-mile walk at 9.6% incline in 34:32
Pull-ups 5,6,6,4
DB OHP 40x13,10,10,8
SA DB row 40x14, 45x11
Walked outside for a bit in the evening.
I had a very early dentist appointment, and despite my new place being further away, the best way to get there is still by foot. Lots of walking and also a hilly three-mile run squeezed in there to get there, run errands, and come home. I finally took a day off from work for the first time in ten days.
Nothing, just lots of walking through the park and enjoying the wonderful weather.
AM
DB sumo squat 30x15,15,13,13
DB BSS 20x3x12
DB RDL 80x??? I dunno, I decided to not count and just focus on feeling the stretch. I’m already very sore as I type this.
I then messed around with lateral step-ups, cable kick-backs, etc.
First time really training legs since surgery. DOMS will be so real tomorrow.
PM
I hopped on the trainer (and therefore a “real” bike) for the first time in well over a month. It felt weird.
I cut it early because of time and just feeling tired, but my goal was to get on A Bike today, and I did, so I’m happy.
One month since surgery! None of this whole experience has turned out how I expected it, but I feel more in control since I’m active again. I hope my pelvis tightness starts working itself out (and there is no other issue) as I heal more. I don’t really know what triggers it, but it is tight as I write this. Let’s see. Tomorrow I’m getting follow-up bloodwork since my wonky results from the hospital, and I was granted an iron panel too because my surgeon is a saint.
I want to start figuring out how I want to approach training moving forward. I guess I will ramble about that soon.
looks like @Bagsy is back! Glad to see it
Great update!
