Kicking ass and taking names!

This morning, as scheduled, my fabulous home health nurse removed my foley catheter.  Having been educated by my physician as well as the nurse about what to expect, I knew it could take several hours and multiple attempts at going before my body remembered how to relax correctly and release my bladder contents into the commode.  I was prepared for the possibility that if this didn't happen in a timely fashion, I might have to ask the nurse to come back and straight cath me to relieve my full bladder manually, maybe even take a medication called Flomax to help my bladder muscles relax.  

So I was awesomely surprised when, less than an hour later, feeling a possible urge to empty my bowels, I transferred to the commode and was able to urinate almost immediately.  Sweet!  Something finally went right!  I didn't move my bowels, but I hadn't really expected to, since that's something I still struggle with.  I regularly transfer to the commode and try to go, but I generally don't have success and whenever I get really close to going I get so lightheaded I have to lay back down.  But it's worth it to practice.

I had several more successful urinary trips to the commode today.  And shortly after dinner (eating often seems to stimulate my lower digestive tract) I felt the urge to try #2 again, giving me the opportunity to show my husband how this all works, since he'd been at work all day.  

So we were both awesomely surprised when I had a bowel movement in the commode!!  First successful bowel movement (without fainting) on a toilet device (instead of in a diaper) since January 5th.  I couldn't have asked for a better first day of being fancy foley-free.  I have been working toward these goals for months, and they were as glorious as I dreamed they would be, for all that they were so ingloriously centered on sewery subjects.  To cap off the achievements of the day, I stood up at the edge of my bed to reach under my bottom and straighten out my disposable sheet protector pad, and used my own leg muscle strength to heft my legs from the floor up into the bed on two of the four occasions I did commode transfers today.  I feel so bad-ass I can hardly stand it!