Waiting to wait - How to pass the time when your stuck sitting on your butt

As you probably already know, I am currently waiting to have surgery number four. Or, as I like to say, waiting to start waiting. After surgery number four (in which 2 inches of my tibia are cut out), I won't be able to walk on my right leg for three months as I am pumped full of antibiotics to evict  any lingering squatters (bacteria cells) in the surrounding soft tissue. Once the three months are up, I will have surgery number five to have a bone graft, which will be followed by more waiting until I am healed enough to walk on my own.  This equates to 4-5 months of sitting on my butt, binge watching Netflix (fifth season of Walking Dead coming out this fall!), eating chocolate, and feeling a tad resentful towards all the healthy people with two fully functioning legs. So right now I am waiting to have the surgery that will lead to more waiting before the other surgery which will result in even more waiting. Hope that makes sense...

As some of you might also know, I have had three surgeries before, all for the exact same issue. I like to think that I am getting the hang of things by now, which is evident by my awesome planning skills. My last surgery was in April 2012. I prepared by buying new pajamas and slippers, scarves, earrings and necklaces to make me feel pretty even if I hadn't showered in a week (thank you very much surgical incision and PICC line), and dying my hair. I thought I was smart - I would be comfy, well dressed, and stylish. Fast forward post surgery - totally not worth it. I had prepared nothing. NOTHING, to get me through the following months. I found myself binge watching E.R.. No dates to go out with friends or have visitors, no planned outings other than doctors appointments (god send, good excuse to get out of the house and interact with other human beings), no new books to read, no puzzles, no crafts, nothing... it was mind numbing.

But I have learned, and like to think I am smarter for suffering through the boredom. I am preparing this time while I still feel well enough (sort of) and have the ability to propel myself to the mall on my own two feet. So, I am stock piling, hoarding things (hey, I have 4-5 months of time to kill. That requires a hell of a lot of stuff) that will keep me busy and do not require me to get off my butt.

Here is some of what I have so far. I have realized it is not about looking good (or even normal), but staving off mind numbing boredom. Hopefully my ideas will be inspirational to anyone reading this who i also waiting for surgery and a whole lot of sitting and eating chocolate.

Giraffe key chain - will hang it off the horrid blue bag (pictured in this post). The one no self-respecting woman would willfully use as a fashion accessory... I have been trying to find these key chains in Canada for year. The brand is NICI. They are easy to get a hold of when I visit my relative in Holland, but much harder to find around here. Dollarama, 2$. Made my day.

Paper flower making kits, also from Dollarama. 2$ each. They are pre-cut, so I don't have to worry about accidentally maiming my PICC line/IV tubing. Great way to spend an afternoon and decorate a room, or to go along with a birthday gift.

Pocket sudokus! Two in each pack. Dollarama, 1$ a pack. Great for taking to doctors appointments (my surgeon has a check in time, not an appointment time. Could sit in the waiting room anywhere from ten mintues to three hours). Small and convenient, fits into a purse easily.

Colouring books! Both from Dollarama. Harry Potter - 1$ each; Make Your Own Castle - 2$. Nobody is every to old to cooler. Great stress relief.

Toiletries! Showering is already time consuming and difficult with the PICC line in. It will only become worse once I have the surgery number four (PICC line, can't stand on right leg, surgical incision can't get wet) and then number five (hopefully no more PICC line, new surgical incision on right leg, incision around left hip from bone graft). Products that make you feel good are a must. I treated myself to a new face cleanser (Bert's Bees, Shoppers Drugmart, 14.99$), Bert's Bees conditioner (a steal at Dollarama - 3$ a bottle), and nice smelling hand soap. Not pictured - Utterly Smooth cream for dry skin, Nivea lip butter, Bert's Bees lip chap, Yardley bar soap). Also, wet wipes are a god send, especially those first few days after surgery when you try to move as little as absolutely possible... except for going to the bathrooms. A little pain is worth it to avoid a bedpan.

Took another picture anyways... Nivea lipchap with sunscreen, because the Septra (oral antibiotic I am on) causes photo sensitivity). Utterly Smooth cream - amazing for feet), and Herbacin which  adore. For years my knucles and hands have become dry and chapped every winter, cracking and bleeding and generally being extremely painful. Until I discovred this stuff!

I have fallen in love with minions. Maybe it is the kid within me, or maybe an escape from the bone infection and feeling cruddy, but they make me happy and laugh. Water bottle from Walmart (7.99$), and colouring books and stickers from Micheals (stickers 1.50$, two colouring books 1$ each, and coluring book with two posters inside 4.99$). Still planning on buying the make your own minion plush kit as well.

Puzzle books! Giant book from Coles for 9.99$ and Sodoku from Dollarama for 2$. Hopefully will keep my brain from slowly rotting, making me turn into one of the zombies on Walking Dead...

I plan to buy several more puzzle books. Just waiting for the Summer addition of the Penny Press one to go on sale.

Head bands - head bands are easy, comfortable, and stylish. They also hide how greasy your hair is...

The yellow one, elephants, black and white, and the solid one on the right are from Ardenes, 4 for 10$, and the black one with red and white flowers is from Dollarama, 1$). Added to the already large collection of headbands, picturesd below.

I have some more somewhere at home in St. Catharine as well.

Plush Giraffe, gift shop at the hopsital, 8$. Bought it after being discharged from the ER on July 9th. after I got the peripheral line placed and my first dose of vancomycin. It's a comfort thing. Never to old for plush toys.

Small body pillow from Ikea, 5.99$. Got it from my mum July 10th, after the PICC line was placed in. I was exhuasted, but we both needed to eat. Stressful day. And going to Ikea for Swedish meatballs after medical stuff has become kind of a tradition for use. We have been doing it for years because it is on the way home from Hamilton to St. Catharines from both hospitals I go to in Hamilton (Children's for infectious disease and General for orthopedic surgeon). It is cheerful with the added bonus of being comfy, the number one I will need when stuck on my butt.

Magazines - I started collecting the ones I really like a month or so ago. I haven't ready any of them yet. Call it a combination of being busy with school and being to tired to focus on anything. Still plan to buy some more before surgery. They are wonderful when you want to do something but are to tired to concentrate for long because most of the articles are short and looking at pretty pictures doesn't require much thinking. Plan to buy some more before surgery next month.

Books! For when I am hopefully feeling a bit better after the next surgery. All from the book depot. And a 10$ gift card for Book Outlet I have been saving for surgery. Hope to find a nice big puzzle book.

And, wide brimmed sun hat! Allows me to go outside a bit without turning into a bloody tomato. Thanks a lot Septra! Not.

I have a tone of embroidery projects waiting for me in St. Catharines, including an afghan blanket with 20 large embroidery squares on it. That is my big project for the recovery periods -10 squares on the blanket. I don't plan to make the designs I use match or coordinated. Just a fun, funky mismatched blanket as a reminder of what is hopefully the final slew of treatment to kick the bone infection out. My tibia is not a retirement it home. It is a five star hotel, at best. But more like a seedy motel along the side of a deserted highway. Point is, its time for those little damn cells to pack up and get out.

There are some things I want to embroider for Christmas. I know, I know. Christmas is 5 months away. But hear me out. I won't be able to get anywhere on my own after surgery four, due to the missing two inches of my tibia thing and all, and then in way to much pain after surgery five (probably end November or begin December). If I want to get people gifts and have it be a surprise, I have to start working on it now.

Plan is to brush up on my Latin skills a bit. Sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt and all that.

Binge watch Walking Dead. Not going to do E.R again. Being a nursing student and learning how things really work has kind of ruined all that for me.

Might start rereading Lord of the Rings. Will definitely play lots of Lord of the Rings online! Might get more involved in kin activities.

Sort through the music on my mp3 player. That things that is always on my to-do list but never actually gets done.

Lots of sleeping. Not a lot of doing. Doing anything. Literally. I will be doing lots of nothing.

And likely not bingeing on the chocolate as much as I say I will... Chocolate + sitting on butt all day = bad combination.

And perhaps most importantly, I am going to make plans to get out the house, even if it means renting a wheelchair for the day. The worst part of being ill/recovering from surgery is the isolation. You quickly learn who real friends are. Last time around I had one person visit me. One. That was harsh. The isolation and loneliness border on cruelty. That might sound dramatic, but it is true. The same walls start to look really small after a few weeks. Doctors appointments help, but they are no match for interacting with the people you love and doing non medical related things.

And that is how I plan to keep myself busy for the next half a year. Finish the semester (3 1/2) weeks, wait fur surgery (August 26), and then do a whole lot more waiting while I try to keep my brain from rotting. I might already feel like a zombie, but that doesn't mean I have to become one!