Climbing the final stages of my Tour de France…. in full briefs!

Warning – this post may contain way too much information {including underwear (mine) on display}

Since my operation I have spent a lot of time lying on my back and butt and I have to say, as someone who does not sit around a lot, it has been a real struggle mentally and physically (I just can’t get comfortable!).  I introduced an egg shell mattress topper last week, which has been life changing in helping with the general numbness and discomfort my butt has felt (thanks Nic), however my undies continue to bug me. 

Without going into a whole lot of detail, since high school I have always found full briefs a tad uncomfortable, so I don’t have any in my underwear drawers.. but last week the time came to transition! 

‘Mum, when you’re in town next would you mind picking me up some new undies? I just can’t stand mine anymore…’, I asked in the melodramatic way that I seem to ask for everything at the moment, right before mum headed home last Friday. 

‘Sure love I’ll have a look for you over the weekend’, she replied ‘what sort?’

‘Oh anything that has a butt in them,  a full brief I suppose (?!), as long as I can lie around in them more comfortably I honestly don’t care!’

I never thought another thing of it until Sunday night when mum arrived for the week ahead with a bag overflowing with beige and white goodness! 

‘I picked you up some undies on the weekend’ she said as she pulled out 6 pair of the biggest knickers that I have ever seen! 

I could not help but giggle ‘Oh my lord WHAT ARE THEY?’ I stated loudly enough that the girls came to have a look and then also began to giggle…

‘Oh well don’t wear them, I’ll take them back its no issue‘ mum said in that tone that even now reminded me I was being an ungrateful child!

‘No, no they’ll be fine mum!! Beggars can’t be choosers.. look I’m only lying around in them – AND you never know I might even discover that I like them!’.

So as it happens my schedule early this week was kind of busy with appointments including a trip to the specialist on Tuesday! This would be the inaugural outing for my new knickers as I figured they would be super comfy for the car trip and it’s not like  anyone would be seeing them. 

So I pulled on that mountain of material and I have to say.. they felt good!

As Murphy’s law would have it Ivan (Dr Astori) decided Tuesday would be the day he would have a good look at my hips and see how my left femur was sitting.. 

Yep you go it… Dress around my waist in my white nanna knickers! 🙈🙈 I know he couldn’t have cared less however a little part of me hesitated as I hoisted my skirt up… though the rest of me is at that point that it just doesn’t matter! That’s the part hollering ‘lets grow this leg and get outta here’!  

Please note there is no intention to cause offence to full brief wearers, as I think I could be a convert… once I get them up they are pretty comfy, albeit big!

The ‘W’ you see on my leg in the picture above is actually an ‘M’ so I don’t forget where the ‘Precice Nail’ magnet is.. the mottled markings are burns from the heat packs that live on my leg all day most days..

 
THE highlight of my visit was the moment Ivan announced my left leg was now  5.8cm longer than it was previously  WOW (embarrassing undies moment forgotten)!!

Yahoo!! I was so pleased.. and Ivan knew it. He gave me a moment to enjoy the growth we’ve managed before swiftly introducing the reality that by no means is it a downhill run from here.  

The crushing analogy given by Ivan was that my last month (or so) will be like the final mountainous stages of the Tour de France!  UPHILL and winding the rest of the way! Awesome! He sure knows how to bring a girl back to reality. 

The thing is he is right – of course.  As felt yesterday afternoon when sobbing with pain for an hour as my poor mum tried to find me comfort in the form of more heat packs (because I only had about SIX on me at that time!) I know it’s not going to get any easier..I’m just not sure how I’ll manage as it gets harder!!

Find more strength? Cry more?  Or just take comfort from whatever works..

Yesterday afternoon that comfort did not come from medication or heat packs, but from my mum patting me on the back like she used to when I was sick as a little kid.. Kind of embarrassing to admit it but I cried myself to sleep as mum shushed and patted me. 

So yesterday I learnt that sometimes on the toughest of days it might only be raw love that can get you through. ❤️