I was awakened this morning in room 9 at the Villa Plenitud at ten minutes to eight (should anyone have to get up that early????) by Maria letting me know that "breakfast" was ready.

I groggily told her that I didn't feel like getting out of bed or eating or anything. I just craved sleep. I didn't sleep much in the night because of that damned tighter than hell head bandage that was squeezing my head like a vise. My neck felt like it was being strangled by big lumberjack man-hands (plaid shirt and all!) and the very last thing I wanted to do was eat food. The only good news is...I could see that I was going to drop a little weight, so that would be today's "silver lining" for me as I begin the long, oh-so-long six-month healing process.

Maria insisted that I need nourishment and so she made me a smoothie using the powder I brought with me that I got at my Chiropractor's office before I left. It contains all the necessary nutrients for one meal and so Maria whipped up a bunch of fresh fruit and liquid yogurt (which helped to counteract the effects on my stomach by the antibiotics I was taking postop).

So I reluctantly agreed to drink the smoothie she made for me and I felt better about having forced it down knowing that it was good for me. In between the discomfort of the head bandage and my general feeling of ickiness following all the drugs and anesthesia that were given to me two days before on my surgery day, I could taste how wonderfully delicious it was and couldn't wait for the morning when I could drink this lovely nutritious and yummy smoothie unencumbered by this heinous head bandage.

I spent most of the day in my room. I stayed in bed and took Lisalgil every six hours for pain and another pill for inflammation. I also popped an occasional Lorazapam, which is the generic form of Ativan. That helped calm me and it also allowed me to doze off every so often through the course of the day. Since you have to sleep on your back for the first two weeks following surgery, head elevated to boot, there wasn't much chance I could sleep without the assistance of drugs. I tried, however, to remember that too many drugs will keep me in bed too long without getting up to walk around a little. It's extremely important to move around...to prevent blood clots from forming due to inactivity.

As a side note...Dr. Lev warns that when people fly on long flights, they should get up and walk around a little like every hour or so, even if just going to the restroom...to prevent blood clots/pulmonary embolisms which can develop in the legs due to sitting without movement for hours at a time. Well, the same holds true for laying in bed for hours at a time without movement. So, I would force myself during the course of the day to get out of bed and walk around the property just to get my blood circulating.

Before I knew it, it was noon and time for lunch (yummy yummy soup) which I also asked to be served in my room and then dinner (I must have dozed off a lot in the afternoon) which again was soup. Man, no doubt about it, they make the best soups on the planet at the Villa Plenitud! Can't wait for this "helmet from hell" to come off so I can swallow in one gulp instead of three!

I fell asleep to the tv after I had the soup in bed and dozed off into sweet dreams about Dr. Lev removing the head bandage tomorrow on Day 4 postop. Funny, but "sweet dreams" have suddenly taken on a whole new meaning these first three days postop!

Tomorrow Dr. Lev would come to see me at the Villa Plenitud and remove my head bandage. YAY!

Actually, today, when Dr. Lev came to see me, I begged him to remove it today, but he was stubborn and wouldn't do it! He told me it had to stay on till tomorrow and that's that.

He didn't see me stick my tongue out to him cause I did it when he turned his back to walk away. When he turned back around to bid me farewell, my tongue went right back in and a big smile replaced the tongue (well, sort of a half smile because my lips couldn't go the entire smiling distance due to....none other than...the freakin head bandage!!!).

"I'll see you tomorrow Deeeeeeedeeeeeee" said Dr. Lev. That's how he says my name. What can I tell you? "And I promise I'll take off the bandage...okay?"

"Yesh, Ala..jando..I can't wehhhht!" Those were the sounds that came out of my mouth. I think he understood me. But he was reading more the desperation in my bruised eyes than the enunciation of my head bandage-limited words. Yes...he got it and in that moment, he also got that he'd better get back there in the morning, not in the evening to take that sucker off me!