productivity
Schedule prior to breakage: Get up at 5:30 am, read blogs until 7ish, shower. Work in one form or another until around 5:30 pm. Do something about dinner, hang out with honey/work until 9. Try to work at least ten hours per day, but never less than eight. Go to sleep.
Schedule now: Get up at 8:30 or 9, depending on when pills wear off. Read blogs, eat breakfast, undertake journey to bathroom. 10:30 - start work. If teaching online class, one hour of reading/responding to email is about the limit. If reading, 30 pages is limit. Either way, eyes cross by noonish. Eat lunch. Nap for a couple of hours. 2:30 - read more if possible. 15 pages is about the limit this go-round. Check email. 5:00 - too tired to do more, start watching old episodes of Friends on DVD. Eat dinner. On alternate days undertake shower, which is 30 minute hour-long endeavor. Collapse back into bed about 8. Go to sleep.
Good thing everyone is being so understanding about my situation, because reading 45 pages a day ain’t the way to keep up with two doctoral seminars. I considered Monday my first day back at work and tried to work a six hour day, thereby accomplishing nothing except emails, trashing myself, and ruining my energy for Tuesday as well. A girl’s gotta know her limitations. Even though they said "major surgery," I somehow didn’t really think it applied to me. I mean, open-heart surgery is major surgery. All that happened to me was the opening of a major joint and the insertion of 11 pieces of steel titanium, some larger than others. Why am I tired?
I spent awhile trying to figure out if I should be concerned about sleeping so much, and decided no. I’m not sleeping out of depression. I’m sure a certain amount of it has to do with the painkillers, but I only take full doses of them at night, so it’s not like I’m loading up on them. I remember reading somewhere that the body does most of its healing when it’s asleep, and my mom reminded me of that the other day. This body has been through quite a bit, and I’ve decided I’m not going to begrudge it some rest.
I promise not to let this blog lapse into a carnival of whining. Seven weeks to go until I can begin to walk (knock wood).
Comments
FWIW, I'm fascinated by reading about your whole recovery process. It doesn't seem like whining to me at all. Although I have no brilliant thoughts on why I find it so fascinating (beyond an on-going curiosity about people's work-habits and your excellent exposition).
Posted by: A. Banana | February 19, 2005 1:33 PM
Can I have some of that energy and drive you exhibited prior to the injury? Cuz your *post* injury schedule sounds more like my normal one, and I've got no excuse whatsoever. Well, a slightly malfunctioning--or should I say, uniquely functioning on its own sweet schedule--brain...
Happy healing!
Posted by: susansinclair | February 20, 2005 12:38 PM
As someone who's recovering from what the doctor called "major surgery" I can tell you recovery seems painfully slow, but trying to push it doesn't seem to help very much.
It's been over three weeks from my surgery and I'm just now starting to feel "normal," but my body still isn't up to do anywhere near what I called normal before surgery.
I took my first "walk" today, and covered less than a mile, whereas I was walking three to five miles every day before surgery up and down hills, today was just plain flat and I was still exhausted.
Posted by: loren | February 20, 2005 11:22 PM
I would not begrudge you a carnival of whining. That's basically what I do all the time even without the trauma you are enduring. Yes, with major surgery, one who has never been in the hospital tends to envision people flying organs in for transplants and such stuff. My first c-section was a humbling experience and to be laid low is an abrupt interruption in life.
Posted by: michelle | February 20, 2005 11:28 PM
Bed-rest isn't necessarily a bad thing for productivity...
Posted by: qB | February 22, 2005 2:43 AM
Recovering from a concussion has taken me an entire month, and I'm still operating at only 40-50% of previous productivity. Major surgery? Give yourself time, time, time.
Posted by: senioritis | February 23, 2005 8:10 PM