14 days have passed since my surgery and I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by. So, I figured I would offer an update for those who are interested.

The incision seems to be healing nicely. Today is the first day that I am venturing about without a huge flap of gauze taped to my tummy. Continuing with the gauze dressing was more of a precautionary measure, really, since we were advised to remove the steri-strips surgical tape a week ago. I was a little fearful about the removal of the steri-strips because they looked like the only thing preventing my incision from flaying open. In reality, the doctor mentioned something about dissolvable stitches/staples on the inside holding me together, so not to worry. The gauze dressing, however, provided a safe barrier between my wound and my undies — which seemed prudent to have while the wound was healing. As the incision starts to appear less like a 5-inch gash on my abdomen and more like a scar, things like gauze barriers seem a bit superfluous. Besides, the surgical tape was really starting to irritate my sensitive skin, causing my stomach to itch like mad. In fact, it still itches and I have to muster all the self-control within me to resist scratching my skin off. Even the hydrocortisone isn’t working. Gah.

I haven’t taken any pain killers since last weekend; the occasional twinges of pain and discomfort are well within my tolerance to handle without drugs. Sneezing, coughing and any abdominal contraction makes my eyes cross and incapacitates me for a minute or two, though. I notice that my energy level is still quite low and a small amount of exertion can leave me breathless. It reminds me that I am still not fully recovered and not to be too ambitious with my activities just yet.

Thankfully, the poo situation has rectified itself and my appetite is returning. With that, I fear the 8 pounds I lost post-surgery will soon be on its way back, too. You win some, you lose some.

I’ve been taking daily walks around the neighborhood park with the Hubs, enjoying the lush scenerey and, of course, Hubby’s company. We have great conversations as we walk leisurely together, observing the natural beauty of the area; listening to the running water of the stream, birds chirping overhead and watching the trees sway with the wind. It’s moments like these that remind me of how blessed I am and how I need to take time to enjoy these simple pleasures in life.

I can’t believe it. I’m halfway through my recovery period and in two short weeks, I will be back at work, nose to the grind. I hope I’ll be running close to 100% by then. Work has a way of sapping all of my energy, and if I’m running on less than a full tank already, it’s not going to be fun.

Speaking of work, look at what the great people at the office sent me today:

Along with the flowers came a card, chock full of well-wishes from co-workers and an extremely generous gift card for Longs Drugs.

It sounds so cliche, but I am so overwhelmed by the generosity that people have shown me during this time. I simply don’t know how to thank or repay such kindness.

I’ve created a new blog at DaScoops.com, geared to providing the “inside scoops” on fun things to do in Hawaii. I plan to post image-intense entries about my culinary adventures, sights I visit, as well as announcements about upcoming events. One of the primary reasons for the site is to develop my photography and writing skills while building a guide about what makes Hawaii a great place to live and visit.

Still, as small as we always say Hawaii is, I couldn’t possibly cover it all by myself. I’m always looking for others to partner with me in this effort, so if you’d like to contribute to DaScoops.com, please drop me a line and I’ll set you up with a username and password.

Check it out, I’ve already posted a few entries and there’s also a heads up on two great events scheduled for this Sunday. It’s a small start, but it’s a start.

Miracles never cease. I am posting my Friday 5 responses on Friday! Hope you had a great week and have a wonderful weekend ahead.

1. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Hiking.

2. Are you outdoors not often enough, too often, or just often enough?
Not often enough. Can you tell by my lack of a tan line?

3. When was the last time you slept in a tent?
More than 10 years ago, when Hubby and I were Jr. High Youth Ministry leaders. I think we were at Bellows.

4. Where is your favorite beach?
As a non-swimmer, I don’t have a favorite beach, and I rarely venture to the beach at all. I know, it’s ridiculous!

5. In what social, academic, or professional group are you on the outer fringes of? In what social, academic, or professional group are you right in the middle of?
I’m not really a “group” kind of person, to be honest. I gravitate more to small, intimate gatherings of close friends and tend to steer clear of cliques or groups.

Thank you to Derek and Richie for their suggestions and assistance with fixing the broken blog! Actually, it’s our fixed blog now!

All it took was upgrading the old K2 theme. I love it when things work like how they should.

Japan has always fascinated me; its history, culture, cuisine, sights and sounds. For me, there is a familiarity, yet an ever-present mystique about the country. I had the opportunity to visit Japan twice, in May 2003, and again in February 2005. However, such short, touristy 2-week jaunts could never yield such a revelatory look into Japan, as author Karin Muller has provided in her travelogue, Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa. She writes with such candor and honesty, engaging in activities, meeting people, and experiencing things that most of us could only dream of. If you have even a remote interest in Japan, I highly recommend this book. Muller’s engaging storytelling and enchanting writing style whisks you through her adventures in Japan like a speeding Shinkansen. A definite must-read for any Japanophile or anyone wishing to experience Japan vicariously.

From Publishers Weekly (as published on Amazon.com’s website)
Having previously traversed the Ho Chi Minh trail and the Inca path, Muller retains an engaging freshness as she goes about “prying open the doors to traditional Japan.” She observes some well-known traditional communities (geishas, samurai), some less familiar (taiko drummers, pachinko parlors) and some more recent (the criminal yakuza, the gay community). A keen listener, Muller lets an ensemble of voices speak, among them a swordmaker and a crab fisherman. She’s also a participatory learner, taking on tasks like harvesting rice. The diverse activities and excursions to far-flung places make this a fine travel memoir, but it’s the backbone of Muller’s voyage that gives her book resonance and richness. The deterioration of her relationship with her host family is a looming presence; even as it collapses, Muller acquires an intimate sense of customary values from the urbane Genji Tanaka and his conservative wife, Yukiko. Muller’s search for the traditional, culminating in her participation in a 900-mile trek to 88 sacred Buddhist temples, also shapes the narrative. Muller went to Japan to find wa: a quality of dedication, inner strength and spiritual peace. Her memoir isn’t an account of achieving those goals, but it is an engrossing, rewarding record of her travel toward them.

Somehow, it seems that my bottom is less tolerant to sitting for extended periods now.

I decided to spend some time on the computer today, in lieu of lying in bed all day. Hubby needed to catch up on his zzz’s, so I thought I would give him some uninterrupted time of rest. So, I aimlessly surfed the web, watched Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”, updated my WordPress installations to ver 2.1.3 and subsequently broke one of them. I had updated 3 others previously without a hitch, but I knew I was pressing my luck with this one.

And wouldn’t you know it, when I tried to restore the databases, it errored out. Now, it’s displaying:

WordPress database error: [Unknown column ‘user_level’ in ‘where clause’]
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM main_users WHERE user_level > 1

Unless anyone knows what to do to resolve this error, I guess I’ll have to try and figure it out later. Right now, I’m tuckered out — and my butt hurts.

Yesterday, I took my first short walk outdoors since my surgery. It was eye-opening.

Puttering around the house in my PJ’s is one thing, but getting outside and trying to walk in a full stride like a normal person isn’t so easy to do so soon after surgery. Like Lindy promised, I am walking around slowly, gingerly holding my incision site (the nurses called it “splinting”), and taking small half-steps like an 80-year-old obaachan. Understandably, my body feels markedly weaker than pre-surgery, and for some reason, it doesn’t frustrate me.

Being a type A personality, I thought that having to move at the speed of government (oops!) would drive me up the wall. Honestly, it’s nice to slow things down, even at the expense of comfort. Of course, I don’t want to have an operation every time I need some downtime — but, sadly, sometimes it’s the only way to stop the endless rat race that can easily turn into the daily grind. Even vacations are often not very restful. But, when you’re laid up with nothing to do but heal — now that’s relaxation. Relaxing is something that I don’t do enough of and certainly may pay the price for down the road if I’m not careful. Sure, the pain is always a constant reminder of my procedure, my mobility is severely hindered, and I am pretty much sequestered in my house, but I am still taking it all with an equanimity that surprises even me.

To say that I am relishing every moment of my time off would be the understatement of the year.

But, on the flip side, there’s always the pain to contend with. They say “laughter is the best medicine,” but not so in my case. On several occasions this week, Hubby has caused me to laugh myself to tears. Despite my most vigorous efforts to hold back the giggles, I simply couldn’t, then immediately felt the searing pain in my abdomen, followed by tears streaming down my cheeks as I try in vain to stop laughing. Once the laughter subsides, I worry that I’ve ripped open my incision and promptly make Hubby check. So far, so good.

Oh, and coughing is almost as bad. I haven’t experienced the misfortune of a sneeze yet, but I would imagine that would probably be the worst. Gagging on my toothbrush while diligently brushing my tongue was a bad idea, too.

I wonder if readers will grow bored of my endless ramble about my current health status and mundane observations. Right now, I suppose there is little else that concerns me. For now, I am concentrating on restoring not only my body, but also my mind and soul.