Update 2 post hernia surgery

The days have been very uncomfortable.  I have been sleeping in our loft on a very comfortable sectional because it is lower and easier to get on and off.
Day 2 was still a painful day.  It hurt to sit up, sit back down, to walk and really just to move.  I was on pain killers during the day on schedule and that seemed help relax and ease the pain.  I'm also taking an antioxidant with a probiotic also, I started taking Milk thistle today.  I will continue the Milk Thistle everyday for a couple weeks.
I did get up and walk around some.  I even finally went downstairs to hangout with everyone.  The doctor told me the more I'm up and moving around the faster the healing process with be.  That's what I'm doing but not pushing the limits. I get tired faster too.
Day 3 was a little better.  I was able to slowly maneuver off the couch in less pain and walk around with less of a slump.  Still need to walk slowly but getting around is easier.  I have been doing very good listening to my body and when it says rest I rest and when it says I need to get up and move around I do.  I'm still in pain but have only taken ibuprofen every 4 hours.   I stayed most of the day in our garage (which is set up as a living space with a bar) catching up on sappy girl movies.  I did try to go for a ride to the store with my husband but couldn't make it out of our community.  Every bump hurt and my husband told me he's not driving 2 mph just to get me out of the house and go to the store.  So I got dropped back at home.  Later that night I was able to sit and enjoy a bonfire with the family and eating marshmallows : )
As the day went on the more pain I was getting so I took a hydrocodone before I went to bed.
Day 4 - So far so good.  I woke up in very little pain and got off the couch with no problems.  The swelling on my abdomen went down a lot and is left with yellowish brusing all around my belly button.  I have been icing my abdomen on and off every day.  I have a feeling that is where a lot of my pain was coming from..... all the swelling I had.  I'm getting around so much easier and it feels so good to know I am getting better and that I am healing.  I'm still getting tired quickly, even with not doing much.  but I will just be lazy and sit around and let my body heal.

My family has been so great with all of this.  I think my husband has a new outlook on what I actually do all day long.  He has been great and has done it all.  He has cleaned floors, taken care of me, taken care of the kids, doing dishes, making dinners,breakfast and lunch for all of us.   Plus, still working his job at times and lots more!  So it has made it a lot easier for me to rest and take care of me.


Salute to living healthier!!!

post surgery - day 1

Yesterday was my hernia surgery.  I have been preparing myself for this by concentrating on extra abdominal exercises to strengthen them up.   My hope is it will make recovery faster.
I went in for a 7:45am surgery and everything was on schedule.  When my surgery was over the doctor went out to update my husband. He told him surgery was a success and that there was actually 3 hernias he had to fixed instead of the original thought being 2.
I woke up great to the anesthesia and they numbed up my abdomen so I was feeling ok.  On the way home I could feel the numbness wearing off and every bump in the road was starting to feel uncomfortable.  We filled my pain medication and went home.
Getting out of the car was starting to hurt and as for waking I couldn't wait to get inside.  My husband helped me get upstairs to my bedroom. Once I finally made it upstairs I realized I won't be going back down anytime soon.  As the night went on the more the muscles in my abdomen hurt with every move.  My husband had to help me get up, he basically just lifted me so I didn't have to use any muscles. It hurts so much just to stand up straight to walk.  Man, you don't realize how much you use your ab muscles with every move until you can't. I'm using an ice pack for swelling (which by the way feels so good) and I am taking ibuprofen and hydrocodon on schedule. It seems to be helping a little. The hydrocodon seems to just help relax me so I can get comfortable.  I am also taking some antioxidant with a probiotic to help my immune system.
This morning I was able to get up on my own carefully by maneuvering around to a sitting position then using my leg muscles to push me to stand. I was able to walk around slowly, get dressed and brush my teeth myself.  Still hurting lots but I'm determined to get better soon and to stop using medication and using the gotu kola.
So another day of healing begins.........its going on just 24 hours since I had surgery.

Salute to living healthier!!

Pre- Double hernia surgery

Well its time to fix my double umbilical hernia tomorrow morning.  I'm nervous because I have never been cut open before and it is going to be a longer recovery. They need to make a small incision above my belly button and sew the 2 hernias together.  Then the doctor will insert mesh to help prevent a hernia from happening again.  I will not be able to lift anything heavier than 10 lbs for 2 weeks and no working out for 4 - 6 weeks.  No working out for that long is going to be the hardest for me.  But I plan on doing a lot of reading on fitness anatomy and natural /Alternative medicine during that time.
After surgery I want to get the healing process started fast.  I'm going to have more anesthesia in me and loaded up with other meds. so, I want them out of my system quickly.   I will start taking an  antioxidant with a probiotic to help with my immune system.  Then I will be taking Gotu Kola to help speed up the recovery process and Milk Thistle to help remove the toxins from my liver.

Gotu kola is an herb that is commonly used in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.
Gotu kola is used to treat bacterial, viral, or parastitic infections such as urinary tract infection (UTI), shingles, leprosy, cholera, dysentery, syphilis, the common cold, influenza, H1N1 (swine) flu, elephantiasis, tuberculosis, and schistosomiasis.
Gotu kola is also used for fatigue, anxiety, depression, psychiatric disorders,Alzheimer's disease, and improving memory and intelligence. Other uses include wound healing, trauma, and circulation problems (venous insufficiency) including varicose veins, and blood clots in the legs.
Some people use gotu kola for sunstroke, tonsillitis, fluid around the lungs (pleurisy),liver disease (hepatitis), jaundice, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), stomach pain, diarrhea, indigestion, stomach ulcers, epilepsy, asthma, “tired blood” (anemia),diabetes, and for helping them live longer.
Some women use gotu kola for preventing pregnancy, absence of menstrual periods, and to arouse sexual desire.
Gotu kola is sometimes applied to the skin for wound healing and reducing scars, includiung stretch marks caused by pregnancy.

How does it work?

Gotu kola contains certain chemicals that seem to decrease inflammation and also decrease blood pressure in veins. Gotu kola also seems to increase collagen production, which is important for wound healing.

(Make sure you do your own research or talk to your doctor to make sure Gotu Kola is right for you)

I will document my recovery and see how natural/alternative medicine along with a healthy diet does for my recovery process.

Wish me luck ; )

Salute to healthier living!!

Coincidence???

Today, I got a call from my doctors office to tell me I no longer have cervical dysplasia and that all the other tests they took during my leep procedure came back with all good results.  All I can say is thank you god.
This leads me to believe that all the stuff I'm doing to get the toxins out of my life is working........or is this just a coincidence?

When I first started removing toxins around me when I got diagnosed with cervical dysplasia.  I already had plans to do a full body detox so I couldn't wait to get that started especially with the news I just received.  I decided to start my detox first then schedule my surgery when the detox was finished.  My surgery got scheduled for about two weeks after my detox.  In the meantime I stopped using toxins in my beauty products (except for my eye shadow), household products, did clean eating and exercise.

During my surgery and they took 3 more biopsies and scraped my cervix. All of it got sent away for more testing.  Today was the day the results were passed to me.  I was told there was no sign of any cervical dysplasia and every other test came back normal.  This brings me to my question......is this a coincidence?......I don't think so at all.
I'm so excited that I started this blog when I did.  Now I am able to show that by getting as many toxins out of your life, exercise and clean no toxin eating will really make a difference in you health and everyday life.
I look forward to seeing more positive changes!


Salute to living healthier!

"new" smells could be toxic

I had America Now on the TV last week and this caught my attention.  It just shows that toxins are everywhere.  They are all around us and making us sick.  The more informed we are on these topics the healthier we can all live.  Click on the link below to read what they found out about the "new" smell being toxic.

"New" smell could be toxic chemicals - AmericaNowNews.com


salute to living healthier!