post operative

1 Year, 10 Months, 17 Days: Anesthesia causes what? POCD?

kintsukuroiPost-op (make that post-op x6) I have been struggling with a few things.  A few new things.  I have been brushing them away for months thinking it was me, or that it was just mentally dealing with loss and change and well… losing my boobs, it seems that there may be more to it.

So… I finally decided to start researching it a bit. Research brings me peace and dare I say sanity… or at least moments of it.  😉  I found a great article that, well… I identified with a bit too much really.

Since the surgeries I have felt so darn tired, seriously tired.  I have blamed my commute, my schedule, sitting too much, my sleep schedule, myself… at first Continue reading →

Day 358: Just call me 7 of 9…

Day 358: Just call me 7 of 9…
So...

Since the last surgical procedure I have had all this water I just can’t seem to get rid of, in fact the plastic surgeon says I have 1-2 inches of fluid retention – yay me!  So she sent me off for an endermologie appointment – well 20 of them actually.  Today was the first.

Step one was to don a rockin’ body stalking, is that hot or what?  Then she takes this mechanized skin rolling device and Continue reading →

Day 139: Sutures out… saline in… Happy Birthday?

Day 139: Sutures out… saline in… Happy Birthday?2015 June 30 Post Op Expansion

Wow… I am amazed at how quickly I heal.  Or how quickly the human body heals.  Life continues to go on around the craziness of treatments and reality of the diagnosis.  I turned 45 between these two post-op appointments.

Today was my second post-op and not only did I have my sutures removed, but I also received my first expansion.  Odd sensation without a doubt.  I swear I heard the saline entering the expander.  The doctor laughed and assured me that I would be having Continue reading →

Day 72: Knitted knocker test drive…

Day 72: Knitted knocker test drive…

I decided to give the knitted knockers a whirl today.  I have to thank my mother in law Joyce for making these for me.  It is strange on so many levels.  Where to start…

Size for the day: C two sizes smaller than the original set I had grown all myself…

I have strange sensations Continue reading →

Day 64: What is this… Shipping tape?

Day 64: What is this… Shipping tape?

Ok, so when I saw the surgeon at my last post-op appointment he said I could start taking the tape off the surgical sites.  But SERIOUSLY, this stuff is like the packing tape that has the extra strong cord running through it.  You know the type I’m talking about? The heavy duty stuff you would use on a heavy box full of books or something.

So I have 8 pieces of this stuff on each mastectomy site.  These sites are Continue reading →

Day 58: Another post-op appointment and the lympha-whatsy…

Day 58: Another post-op appointment and the lympha-whatsy…

Tomorrow morning is my next, maybe last, post-op appointment for this surgery anyway. I am guessing that they will be aspirating a little fluid – yuck.  But being that I have no feeling in this area anymore, I suspect it won’t be painful.  I hope??

I am looking forward to closing out this phase of the multiphase project called cancer.  There will be at least Continue reading →

Day 50: Post-op, pathology, staging, decisions and drains oh my!

Day 50: Post-op, pathology, staging, decisions and drains oh my!

WOW!  Where to start.  Today is a very mixed bag of good news and not so great news.  I am going to let the words flow through my fingers and try not to over think it.

Starting with some of the good news from the post-op appointment.  The drains are out and the surgical sites look FABULOUS.  The tissue is healthy and clear and it truly looks great.  Having the drains removed did smart a little bit, ok, right drain #2 smarted a lot… and I dropped the “F-bomb” again… but the doctor was very understanding.  Having the staples removed did not hurt at all.  I am still a day away from a shower though.

Pathology report was not what I was hoping for, Continue reading →

Day 49: Getting my hairs set….

Day 49: Getting my hairs set….

I remember great gran going to get her hair “set” – gonna try that today.  I simply have not figured out a way to stay safely dry while washing my hair here at home.  Not to mention the whole hands above the head thing.  Hmm…. Pretty much everyone has offered to help, but honestly, the salon chair seems the safest bet.  Shoot… might even put on some make-up…  the photo is of course my anticipated after… LOL

Strange dream last night – for those of you who are into dream interpretation.  I dreamt Continue reading →

Gallery

Day 48: Itching for normal

Day 48: Itching for normal….

Oh today… this day… this day it feels like a thousand little ants are crawling around my chest under the bandages… the itching has truly begun.  Of course this is a good good thing. I keep telling myself.  The drainage amounts are much lower, which is great, and although I have spared you all actual images of what the drainage tubes look like, in this picture you can see my puffy abdomen, which is actually the JP Drainage bulbs tucked into my Softee Roo tank.  I actually went out in public like this today… to the grocery store!  **GASP**

The grocery store was mentally far more difficult than it was physically.  With the drains in place, I was Continue reading →