The day after my surgery, I still felt good. In fact, my Facebook post was that I was waiting for the hard part, the painful part. I kept on my pain meds, trying to head off the pain but it was not excessive at all. French toast was the best neutral food, so I ordered it again for breakfast. Flowers arrived from my uncle and cousins to brighten my room. Myron went home to clean up; the governor was in town for an event and he left for that luncheon and I was happy to sleep. Talked to my family and got my regular vital checks.
I had visits from my general surgeon and all looked good, as well as another doctor from my plastic surgeon's office. Both agreed I could go home tonight if I wanted to it was just up to my comfort level. I said we'd see how the day went.
By afternoon my nurse was ready to take me for a walk and I was ready to get my catheter out. Both were easy slow processes. The funny thing about my walk was the way I acted: the same way I did the only time I had ever been in he hospital with both of my kiddos. Getting up to walk around with an IV reminded me of that. I was about a fourth of the way around the oncology ward (yes, they still put me there even though I only have the cancer gene), I realized I was babying my pelvic area as if that went along with every hospital visit and IV, well it was all I had ever known anyway. I realigned my thoughts and confirmed that "nope, I was fine from the waist down! " and we shuffled on around.
Myron returned in the afternoon and his sister dropped by for a nice chat with a goody bag. A magazine, nail polish, hand lotion, dark chocolates, and notepad & cute pencil were a great treat to keep by my bed. Myron took me for a walk to so he could assess my progress. I was even faster.
To show you the level of strength I had, I asked Myron to bring back my water jug I received during my childbirth stay. The larger size with a straw, great idea since I was so thirsty but I could not lift it or tip it to my mouth. That was my strength level.
One of the best visits was with the breast cancer nurse. Not only did our kids go to the same school and thus we live in the same area, she brought me the BEST THING EVER for a breast surgery patient. It was a sleeveless vest with a delicate floral Velcro closure down the front. Inside are removable pockets to hold the receptacles for the drainage tubes. This keeps them from dropping to the floor, which would be extremely painful. She was glad to meet with me since I did not actually have cancer, a much happier visit than the majority she sees.
Mostly I was just tired, not in pain but my IV was starting to bug me. I knew if I went home that IV would come out, so I opted to go home. That was a lengthy process and I ended up ordering a grilled cheese and baked Lays to have one less thing to do once I got home.
The IV came out and we learned more about the care of my incisions and drainage tubes. In my pre-op visits I was given prescriptions for four things:
an antibiotic for 10 days (this can cause a yeast infection, be ready),
a medicine for nausea, which I did not have so I did not need
a pain medicine, which I took religiously every 4 hours the first two days to head off the pain
(this can cause constipation, so be ready with Miralax that you can mix into your drink, it has no taste.
I liked it in coffee.)
and a muscle relaxer to help with the expanders putting pressure on my chest muscles
I moved to Tylenol very quickly and kept ice on there quite frequently.
There were some medicines I had to quit 2 weeks in advance of my surgery and 2 weeks after, like Fish Oil and Vitamin E, anything that would cause bleeding. I did go back to my BCP and multivitamins the next day.
They wheeled me out and I cautiously sat in the passenger's seat of our car telling Myron to go very slow, thinking the impact of door frames' grooves and anticipating what a pot hole would feel like! My mom encouraged me to have a small pillow to place between my chest and the seat belt and that was excellent advice. I kept that in my car for nearly two months, weaning myself off of it, desiring it more later with multi-hour car rides.
We made it home successfully and I sat in a chair with an ottoman in our living room. A TV tray close by kept my water bottle, kleenex, phone, and other necessities. For a few weeks I would nap twice a day plus have lengthy nights of sleep. I just could not get enough sleep, but that is the body's way of healing.
The first night I took my medicines, drained my collection tubes, got a fresh ice pack (I preferred the soft gel ones you can get from a chiropractor, rather than bags of ice) and eased into the recliner in our bedroom. I slept in that recliner for two weeks or more because it was not possible to lay on your side with the drainage tubes. It too had a chair side table for my necessities. I set my alarm that first night for four hours so I could take my next medicine dose, use the bathroom and re-ice. My husband had to get up with me because I could not get out of the recliner without help.
It was a good night and I got up at 6:30 a.m. before he left for work to eat breakfast and repeat the process. My teammates from school brought me lunch that day and my bell from school. It was hard for the family to hear me calling for them when I needed out of the recliner. I had a housedress-like gown I got a Kmart. It was a floral pattern so blood would not show, it snapped up the front which was even better than buttons. That was great to sleep in and wear around the first few days.
I was able to get up and eat at the table with my friends and enjoy a short visit. Then my mom arrived with loads of food and goodies to keep us going: trays of lasagna and enchiladas, muffins (great for anytime of the day) chicken salad, Bath and Body Works soap to make everybody enjoy washing their hands, and she washed my hair after two days! It was much easier to lean forward in the kitchen sink in the water of the sink than back in the shower. Later that night I attempted my first shower (you have to wait 48 hours post op) and that was a long cumbersome process with the biggest challenge being the drains, keeping them from falling. I needed my husband's help for the first 2-3 times.
My incisions were taped and covered with gauze and my body was wrapped with a ace bandage around my torso. This reminds me, I was glad I was doing this in the summer and did not have to worry about keeping warm. I showered with the wrap and then changed to a new one after the shower, you'll want to have two. I crashed after that, earlier in the evening my in-laws had stopped by & we sat out on the patio for a couple of hours and now after my shower, emptying the drains, lotions and all that -besides the normal tasks - I was worn out!
Friday, we had no visitors and I took a walk to the corner of the culdesac, Saturday, my sister and her family brought lunch and she washed my hair in the sink. I took a second shower that night. I stayed on a every two day schedule for about 10 days, by the third hair wash I was able to do it in the shower.
My range of motion was really improving and I was realizing that as a non-cancerous patient I had the luxury of only two drains. When cancer is evident and lymph nodes are involved drains are attached to that arm pit area on both sides, for a total of four. Over the weekend, I was really easing into my routine, drain care, etc.
One week after my surgery was our 19th anniversary. Our plan was to go out to dinner, my first journey out to a restaurant. Our kids were going too, as it was a multiple celebration event. I truly wanted to get ready on my own. So once my daughter got home from work, I set to showering independently. She was close by in our bedroom if I needed a rescue, it took a long time but I was independent for the first time! Then I continued to do my hair and makeup and get dressed. All in all, it was about two hours from shower to shoes, but after a week of being my servant I wanted Myron to come home and not have to help me. I wanted to come out ready for our date. I did, I was tired and hoped I'd not fall asleep during dinner after doing all that. We went to Bonefish Grill and then took a little drive since I still felt so good. That was a milestone day!
Next entry: how to help a breast surgery patient
No comments:
Post a Comment