Yes Virgina,Laparoscopic Appendectomy Means No Long Runs For Awhile!

Last Wednesday, after a night of right abdomen pain, I drove to work, saw my physician, sent to urgent care, and ALLAKHAZAM...off to the hospital for an emergency laparoscopic appendectomy! Dang it!
Laying on a gurney in the preoperative room, conversing with the general surgeon and when she asks if there are any questions, can you guess what I'd said? Yep, "after the surgery, how soon can I begin running?"
Her answer wasn't what I wanted to hear. She replied, "3 to 4 weeks, no marathon, and maybe you can try a half marathon in April. Yes, I was tearful, but grateful my diagnosis wasn't worse.
Laparoscopic surgery is less evasive and has a shorten healing time frame. My surgeon made 4 tiny incisions like the one by my belly button in the picture. After the surgery the worse pain was from the C02 gas applying pressure on phrenic nerve. This caused a lot pain in my right shoulder. Walking, sleeping upright, ibuprofen, and a heating pad to my shoulder, helped manage the pain.  After 3 days, the right shoulder pain subsided and I still have some soreness to my abdomen. I go for walks daily with my labs, try to catch up on some half read books, and  I plan on trying to return to work next week.

This year I was trying to do the Triple Crown. This consist of 3 half marathons: the Carlsbad Half Marathon, the La Jolla Half Marathon, and the America's Finest City Half Marathon(AFC). I completed the Carlsbad full marathon in January which qualifies the same as doing the half marathon. The La Jolla Half Marathon is at the end of April and AFC is in August. I still plan on going through with the La Jolla Half. It appears, I won't be able to run the America's Finest City Half Marathon (AFC) in August. I realized we'll be on a cruise to Alaska during the AFC. *sigh* No Triple Crown this year. As I looked through my marathon training program, there's not enough time for me to train for the Rock & Roll San Diego Marathon (R&R SD) in June. I contacted R&R SD and changed to the half marathon.


As I text my running friend to see if she like to take my place for the AFC, I criticize myself for wallowing in self pity.
Hey, I have my health, my family, my friends, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I am lighter now that I'm not carrying around an organ! Cheers!