written on November 8, 2014
Today (Saturday) was the first day I’ve really felt pain from the incision. Surprising, I know. But it’s actually been mostly numb since the surgery. I suspected it was still leftover anesthesia, but I’ve been assured that that is not the case. Rather, it’s the fact that they severed several nerve endings when they cut me open. And lo and behold, those nerve endings are healing, which means I’m starting to feel them.
Apparently this is all normal, although my nephrologists at Clinic didn’t expect them to start healing this fast. They figured it would take at least a month. So I’m a week early. Lucky me!
Part of me hoped it would be at least a month or more, and then maybe I’d miss the pain completely. I should explain what kind of pain I’m talking about. It’s nothing sharp or severe – it feels like the numbness is wearing off and my skin and muscles are trying to return to normal. Sometimes it’s a pins and needles feeling, sometimes it’s something deeper, almost like a lingering soreness that just won’t go away, regardless of what I do.
And several areas around the top of my right leg are still numb. It feels weird to touch them because you can see that you’re pushing on them, but you don’t feel it. When I do feel it, it feels very strange. A little minor pain, but nothing too bad.
I guess it is a sign that I’m healing, and I seem to be doing a good job of it. Which is nice. I hope I can continue to heal this quickly and well.
I went for a nice long walk today (an hour and ten minutes) and that just helps so much. It feels really good to get out there and walk through things. Although when we started (I tend to go walking with my Mom) I was limping pretty badly because of the pain in my leg. But after a couple of blocks I just walked right through that and went on. We were moving at a really good pace too – not so fast that I was breathing heavy, but fast enough to stay completely warm even as the sun was setting around us.
I think the walking can only help with whatever pain I’m feeling. I’m also hoping it will help the nerves come back to life more quickly. My only concern with this new-found nerve pain is that it might last for several months as the nerves continue to grow. Wouldn’t that suck?
I told my Mom this part of the aftermath had never been mentioned to me before. I don’t know if that’s because some people don’t suffer nerve damage, or someone just decided not to talk about it, or if it’s one of those things that happens to everyone with a transplant and there’s nothing you can do about it anyway. There were a few moments today when I considered taking one of the Tylenol 3 pills I have (I’ve managed to not take one for 2 weeks now, which is very awesome. Tylenol 3 is acetaminophen with codeine – a more potent painkiller than Tylenol by itself).
All in all, it’s not a very big thing. Although my clothes rubbing against the incision is starting to hurt now. Before it felt uncomfortable, now there is definitely some minor pain. Unfortunately I can’t go around naked from the waist down, so I just have to get used to this one (yes, I’ve said that before – it’s just a good line!).
If this is the worst of my recovery, then I have nothing to complain about. I’m doing much better than I think most people expected me to this soon (myself included). It’s so great. Everyday I think how amazing and wonderful it is to have my wife’s kidney in me, working, making me feel alive and well again.
Today I thought I’d have to start celebrating her kidney on her birthday, then celebrate on October 17 – kind of like a kidney birthday, or a kidney transplant celebration, and then of course my own birthday on October 28 every year. So my birthday calendar will now be another day full. I can’t wait. In the coming years I’ll be able to celebrate my wife and myself (and our kids of course) and be thankful that because of their love, I’m still here, dialysis-free and healthy.
Now if the nerves would just finish healing, I could get past this slightly painful part of the recovery and go on with a pain-free life.
One day at a time, me. One day at a time.