It's just after midnight on Day 4 of my recovery, and I woke up after going to bed around 9:30 p.m. I wanted to share a few observations from the past several days in case they help someone else going through a similar experience.
One thing I've noticed is that certain foods and drinks seem to affect how I feel. Yesterday, I experienced some pain on my right side and lower back. At the time, I had been drinking organic coconut water, but by the third day I was drinking darker-colored beverages such as ginger tea, along with water and coconut water. When the pain started, I decided to stop the darker drinks and switch primarily to water. Today the discomfort seems somewhat improved, although I can't say for sure whether it was related to the beverages themselves or simply the way I was sleeping in my reclining bed.
I've also been paying closer attention to my sugar intake. Early in my recovery, I was eating foods such as mashed yams, applesauce, Jell-O, and drinking sweet ginger tea. While these are easy foods to tolerate, I realized I was consuming far more sugar than I normally would in a day. Because of that, I began cutting back and focusing on simpler foods.
Looking back, I probably would have done well sticking mostly to water, mashed yams, and plain rye or white toast during the first few days. I also had avocado and some Whole Foods baked Italian bread. Today I'm planning to skip the avocado and keep things even lighter. My menu will likely consist of bananas, white toast, and a simple soup made with chicken broth, spinach, and white potatoes. I've even considered blending some of my meals to make digestion easier, although I'm not sure that's necessary.
On the positive side, my pain level has improved significantly. At this point, one Tylenol and the lidocaine patches seem to be all I need. The catheter itself has caused very little discomfort. Most of my pain comes from the incision sites, which I expected.
This isn't my first major surgery, and before this operation I spent a lot of time preparing my body. I regularly took cold showers and used cold plunge pools at the spa as a form of discomfort training. I also practiced intermittent fasting and often limited my eating window to about six hours per day. Whether that preparation has helped, I can't say for certain, but I do feel it gave me confidence going into surgery.
My appetite is definitely lower than normal, although I suspect that's part of the healing process. I've also experienced occasional brain fog. At times I've mispronounced words, misspelled words, or lost my train of thought during conversations. None of this has been severe, but it has been noticeable. Between the anesthesia, medications, disrupted sleep, and the body's focus on healing, I suspect this may be a normal part of recovery.
Overall, Day 4 has been a lesson in paying attention to my body. Every small change in food, hydration, sleep, or activity seems to have an effect. I'm continuing to learn what works, what doesn't, and how to support the healing process one day at a time.
One AI, “medical note: the brain fog, word-finding difficulty, and reduced appetite you describe are fairly common in the first week after major surgery, especially after anesthesia, disrupted sleep, pain medication, and the physical stress of healing. If those symptoms suddenly worsen, become severe, or are accompanied by confusion, weakness, or other neurological symptoms, you should contact your medical team promptly.” And don’t forget to walk, walk, walk….. I rinsed out the inside of the catheter. I was cleaning the outside daily while taking a shower, but I was more focused on the bags of the catheter than the catheter itself. Mentally me time to adjust to having something protruding out of my little friend.

I also while writing this left on my catheter clamp, forgetting to take it off when I put on my smaller urine bag. When I took it off a sharp pain went through my buddy.