Day 3 post-op: Clean and mostly sober

Without the nausea, my outlook has dramatically improved. Being able to keep some more normal food down made a huge difference. I have worked my way up to plain rice and broth. I took a couple of short walks but still feeling slightly unsteady. I only need one painkiller instead of two and that has helped me not feel as groggy.

I pretty much dozed through the whole day yesterday which, coupled with not eating much left me feeling weak and woozy. I decided to try to sleep in my bed and was pleasantly surprised to find it was ok. The 10-inch foam wedge pillow with a soft regular pillow at the top was just enough height for me to sleep comfortably. I actually got about 11 hours of sleep, getting up only for painkillers. This morning, after a mile and a half walk, it was shower time.

The actual shower itself wasn't too bad but because I have long hair that made it tricky. Changing the neck brace pads was harder than I thought. I tried to do it lying down but couldn't figure out whether the pads were on correctly. So I ended up standing in front of the mirror. I dont know if it was the shower or sweating from the walk but the incision was itching like mad. I took off the dressing and the skin underneath was pretty red and rashy looking. Overall the neck itself looks okay, only a little swelling I could see. It was throbbing visibly with my pulse which was kind of creepy. The skin around the incision actually feels a little numb when I touch it.

Overall, 3 days post-op and the sore throat is still present but much improved. Nausea under control, neck and shoulder muscles slightly sore, overall discomfort 2.5 out of 10.