May 31: In Stow at Judy’s for my rehab.

May 30: Pretty good night’s sleep Sunday night into Monday, and when I say pretty good, that means that I actually GOT some sleep what with all the sleep deprivation items I’ve been dealing with. So I was up early to work on the computer and then have some brekkie. Been gradually backing off on the pain pills, trying to just take 2 in the morning and 2 at night, so that was the strategy again. My biggest issue over the last day, and pardon me for getting even mildly graphic, is my bowels (yup, today’s discussion is about pooping). See, taking those pain meds, which are narcotics, they tend to really bind you up. And I’d noticed over the last week that things were becoming tougher and tougher downstairs. Make sense? Got to the point to where I was feeling like I was trying to pass a cannonball out my backside! I mean I was just starting to stress about my visits to the bathroom. Not good.

Well, I’ve been on these freaking stool softeners all along to counteract the narcotic effect on the bowels. Now NEVER did I ever see myself on what I consider “old peoples” meds, specifically stool softeners. My pop’s been on the things for years, for the very same reason - the pain meds. I just always had these judgmental opinions that taking meds of this nature was an indication of being old and feeble. Yet there I was noticing that over the course of a week my bathroom issues were pushing me closer and closer to oldfolkdom! Finally decided that I was at the point to where the stool softeners were just not enough. Nope, I needed to call in the reinforcements - prune juice. Oh yea, time to get the drinkable version of drainO into my system. 

So Judy went to Giant Eagle early in the morning to get me my prune juice. I ended up doing this big parfait glass of prune juice on ice. I mean this was the equivalent of downing a half a can of liquid drainO. Tell you what, within 2 hours my pipes were just singing! So guess what’s part of my everyday diet now - yea you guessed it: Prune Juice. I’ll take living with the oldfolkdom moniker over living with hemorrhoids. 

Later in the morning Keith, Guy and Jerry came over to visit for a few hours. After they left I did a 3.5 mile hike nice and easy. Feeling a bit better with respect to the sore and tight shoulders from all the suturing up on my anterior torso. Must be getting a bit of flexibility back in the shoulders such that the hiking is feeling more comfortable. After that just kind of hung out in the living room working on the computer, and then watching a few movies with Judy. And that was my Memorial Day Holiday as I’m heading into the beginning of week three post surgery.