I sit in my arm chair, flipping through the channels. Nothing looks interesting, and It seems like I have seen everything before. So instead I take a nap, only to wake up a few hours later to some other boring program. After the first few days, I realized I was going out of my mind with boredom. Unfortunately, I’m only half way through my 10-day postop recovery period. Being able to stay at home for a few days was nice, but it has since grown very old.
To make matters much worse, the constant nose bleeds and the splints make it almost impossible to breathe. Every time I look in the mirror, I see someone who looks like he just got beaten in a fight. Slowly but surely, things have been getting better. I know that every day that passes means I am one more day closer to returning to normal activity. Regardless, this waiting game has been brutal, because I’m normally a very active person.
In veterinary medicine, we don’t often think about it, but animals also have to go through recovery periods after their surgeries. Of all the animals I have observed, they are all stoic creatures and don’t give many complaints afterward. People live in a world where pain killers and other drugs are available to relieve symptoms, but animals often don’t get these luxuries. In other words, they go through more that we might think, all without a fuss. However, one major exception to that would be the dreadful cone of shame. Most of the animals I’ve seen with a cone are not happy campers. And I can’t blame them. If had to wear one of those things, I think I would be trying to get it off as well.
As you can tell based on the things I’m thinking about, I really am bored out of my mind. But there is hope, because my splint removal and checkup appointment is only a few more days away. And in the end, the frustrations that I’ve had over the last week will all be worth it.
