Healing...

Yesterday I had my last drain removed.  Yay!  You don't know what a big deal that is as far as getting dressed.  For the first time, I didn't have a tube sticking out of my waist, or a pouch hanging off my neck.  Freedom!  The drain levels were still a little high, but Dr. Berger felt we could remove it with a warning of, "If you feel like you're accumulating fluid inside you....or if you feel a sloshing inside your abdomen, you need to come in and we'll have to aspirate it."  Ewww.  I asked if maybe we should keep the drain in a little longer then?  I don't know, the idea of having to aspirate fluid with a needle to the abdomen....not nice.  But he felt it should be okay.  So out it came.

I could feel ever inch of the tubing as all 12" - 15" or so came out of my body.  Terrible feeling.  Not painful, just eery.  Like a tail whipping through your body from the inside.  They put a gauze over the drain site, told me it may drain on its own for a couple days and hopefully all will be okay.  The advice was to go buy some compression undergarments to keep everything supported.  I asked if I could drive.  He said he didn't see why not since I'm no longer on the Vicodin, so I got the okay for driving.  Not that I'm going anywhere, mind you....I still can't wear a bra (which means still can't dress normally), but the idea that I can if  I wanted to, is good enough for me.

And when can I wear a bra (now that we're on the subject).  Starting next week.  Why am I sharing this?  In case there are any of you out there reading that are going through, or going to go through, you've gotta know, right?  Okay, so three weeks out, I can start wearing a loose-fitting (circumfence-wise) bra.  This is because the blood flow to the reconstructed breast has to remain good...so no tight-fitting clothing. 

I asked about the pain I've been feeling...the hypersensitive areas, and the numbness.  Both are normal.  He explained that my skin has been traumatized by the reconstruction, so the nerves are all regenerating, and the skin is regaining it's blood flow.  The numbness is because of the extensive abdominal surgery when they moved the muscle/skin/fat UNDERNEATH my skin, and tunneled it up to create the breast.  So again, nerves severed, reconnected.  It was going to take time....meaning months...for things to get back to normal.   The doctor recommended a homeopathic cream called Arnica that would help with the healing/brusing.

On the way back from the doctor we went to Target to buy the compression undergarments...and to Whole Foods for the Arnica cream which I bought in gel and cream form.  I have to say that it has been helping, just a bit...but it's better than taking Tylenol for it, which was pointless. 

I was surprised as to how much drainage was still going on, but the compression has been helping a lot and this morning, everything seems to have slowed down.  ::phew::

Sooo....I'm home...and trying to clean house a little.  Not very easy when you can't bend too well.  But I'm trying to do what I can.    Everyday gets a little better.  My next doctor's appointment is not for another four weeks!

Oh!  And Dr. Berger said it's good for me to walk.  Ani and I told him we had signed up for the Avon Walk in September....he said, "Great...just don't walk ten miles tomorrow....but start training, just don't go crazy".  : )

So if you'd like to support us:  http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/LosAngeles?px=2246507&pg=personal&fr_id=2060    Only 121 days left!