Hi Tim,
How is it going? Things are going well for us. I shared your words of wisdom with Shawn about the hernea and the neobladder being attached to the abdomen wall and the importance of him continuing to be careful. I appreciate all of the info. He is being careful, but I am having a hard time holding him back any longer. He did go back to work yesterday - it had been a little over 5 weeks. Dr. Koch approved that so I didn't really get to say much after the Doc approved it. He is only working 3 days a week and he is working short days, so I guess that is a compromise.
I was remembering that you told me after your surgery, you noticed that you had a change in the types of food you craved. Shawn hasn't noticed too much of that, but he definitely has had some changes in his sleep patterns. Did that happen to you? We will go back to Dr. Koch next Thursday and ask him for advice, but thought maybe you could shed some light on the subject. He is waking in the middle of the night, sometime because of the alarm set, sometimes just because, and he can not get back to sleep. He is stalking around the house at 4:00 AM. It hasn't been too much of a problem because he wasn't working, but now that he is back to work, he really needs to get a good sleeping pattern. Any advice you have would be appreciated.
Also, do you limit your intake of beverages after a certain time of day? He is not. Dr. Koch said just to continue to drink as always so he is. The problem is that he is setting the alarm for 2 or 3 times throughout the night, then he can't get back to sleep...it is a vicious cycle! I also noted that you set the alarm once a night...that sounds better than 3. Shawn is a VERY heavy sleeper and I usually hear the alarm before he does. We may have to go to separate bedrooms before long!
I hope your recovery is still continuing to go well. I am so happy to have Shawn back - he was so sick with the chemo for what seemed like so long. The surgery recovery has been a walk in the park compared to the chemo. We are now back to enjoying the simple things in life! Hope all is well with you & Kathy. Steph