Energetic...Not

Local time: Saturday 7.54pm

Got a little ambitious today and decided to go with mum to do some exploring (well, shopping) at the local shopping centre they have here. It's a quaint little building very much like similar places in Malaysia - little central square on the ground floor with spiralling escalators and shops that go up several levels. Lots of brandless consumer electronics, cheap clothes, takeaway food, bootleg DVDs, and the like.

By the time we wandered through the stalls outside, around the ground floor shops, and half-way around the first floor up, I managed to find two nice replacements for the hair band that succumbed to bad vehicle suspension.

Then the pain started getting to me.

I think as the swelling is going down, and the nerves are waking up, there's just generally a lot more discomfort and tightness around the surgery area. I keep getting the "electric shock" sensations that are associated with nerve endings coming to life, and there's persistent aching, pulling pains along either side of my groin as I walk. It's the sort of pain that makes one very much aware of the stitches (and reduces one to waddling somewhat, penguin-style).

So we returned to the ground floor and sat at one of those robotic sushi train places for a rest and lunch (I had the rubber donut with me to sit on). I'd broken a sweat from pain and was more exhausted than I'd expected by this point, so it was nice to lounge and recover a little.

Wasn't much shopping after that: mum negotiated with a seller for a rice cooker she'd had her eye on (it's hard to find similar cookers in Australia, that work well and are reasonably priced), and I hobbled around after her, wincing most of the way and generally feeling pretty feeble.

When we got back to the hotel, I fell onto the bed, did my midday dilation, then slept for three hours or so. We just had dinner and I'm feeling more lively again, but I think my limits are still a little lower than I expected. Everything you read about SRS says to be aware that you'll tire easily during the earlier stages of recovery, but gee, it's just one of those things you think, "Nah, I'll be fiiine" to once the initial discomforts wear off.

I'm sure with some good rest tonight, tomorrow I'll be fiiine.