Shout Out to Aloe Gloe

I wanted to give a brief shout out to Aloe Gloe for being a huge aid during this period of recovery from my tonsillectomy.  It has saved me much pain and discomfort on a daily basis.

I've used it since day one to chase down food even the soft ones like soup, mashed potatoes and spaghetti.  I've used it as a follow-up to other drinks like milky protein drinks that left my throat feeling mucilaginous.  Most importantly I used it to make taking liquid Hydrocodone (my pain medication) tolerable.

It's kinda ironic that in order to be relieved of my pain I have to endure the added pain of taking my pain medication.  At first I used it to chase the medicine.  That provided follow-up relief but it still required me suffering through a moment of painful, burning sensation in my throat.  But I soon realized that if I poured my dosage of Hydrocodone into a small glass and mixed in an ounce of Aloe Gloe it tremendously decreased the burn of drinking the medicine straight up.

Luckily I thought of using aloe water immediately after surgery.  I didn't have any previous experience with this product, it was just one of the aloe drinks my wife happened to come upon while trying to fill my request for an aloe drink.

There are quit a few out there but I didn't want one with a lot of sugar or any other added ingredients or pulp to make swallowing any more complicated than it already was.  I also tried aloe products with coconut water, but the coconut made my mouth and throat feel dry.  I just wanted something that was soothing enough, that I could drink everyday and that wasn't as harsh as water.  You wouldn't think water is harsh but when your throat is raw you can definitely feel how harsh it is.  Kind of like dry winter air on chapped lips or dry sinuses.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience with this product so that others could hopefully benefit from it and be saved of any unnecessary discomfort.  Live well, heal fast.

Day of Adjustment

Got up and walked around the block this morning.  Nurse said it was important to walk to prevent blood clots.  So I did a few times today.

Hydrocodone was wearing off before the a lotted time to redose of 6 hours.  I spoke with my doctor's office and they authorized more frequent doseages of every 4 to 5 hours.  I'm going to try to stay on a 5 hour interval first to see if that's adequate.  Personally I don't like using meds unless absolutely necessary.  The hydrocodone or hydro as the nurse called it is doing the job decently.  I'd say 90% which still makes it difficult to eat, or should I say drink being that I'm on a liquid diet, but I can still power through it.  I discovered that if I swallow on the left side of my throat it's less painful, less uncomfortable.

I was able to work today from home due to the hydro.  Being in I.T. isn't physically demanding, I just need to be aware of my posture and ergonomics while sitting in front of a computer all day to make sure I don't stress my neck.

My wife picked me up some aloe water which feels amazing on my throat and especially helps me swallow some protein drinks that cause discomfort going down.

I rested today at lunch and after work watching or more accurately listening to the "Moving Art" series on Netflix.  They're a series of nature video clips set to calming music.  They cover various themes like desert, waterfalls, flowers, etc.  I love them.  They're so relaxing.

I also tried to get more comfortable sleeping.  I wasn't that uncomfortable I just needed to sleep on my right side because my left was getting sore.  As a result I think it caused additional swelling in my neck.

So I tried sleeping on our reclining sofa and it felt pretty good.  I could precisely select a neutral position which I'm hoping helps with breathing and the swelling in my neck.

Anyway, I just took some hydro and am dozing off writing this.  Time for sleep.