Yesterday I met with my plastic surgeon. The two small drainage tubes were removed. The removal did not hurt at all. And all the surgical tape was removed - again no pain. When I try to remove any tape from the wounds or just plain skin, it hurts. I asked the nurse why when they do it there is no pain but hurts when I do - nurse said it is probably because I am anticipating pain when I am removing tape and not even looking at the wound site when they are pulling and removing the tape. In other words, mind over matter.
Some possible bad news: in middle of my incision on left breast the tissue is not looking quite right so the doctor had the nurse clean everything and then cover all the incisions with surgical tape except the questionable skin. She covered the bad spot with a thin layer of Neosporin and then a non stick piece of gauze to keep the wrap from touching the wound. I have an appointment on Monday to re-check this area to see if the doctor needs to remove that small area of skin and re-stitch. There is plenty of skin to work with and the procedure can be done in the office. I don't have much feeling in either breast (common with this surgery), so wouldn't be painful. He kept the other two tubes in because I am still putting out a little bit of fluids. The large tube on the right side was really hurting me on Wednesday night (hurt so bad I was crying) - mostly due to me trying to wean off of the pain killers - too soon to do that. I told the doctor about the pain and he said he could remove the stitch but that the tube could come out and cause other problems. So we figured out a way to keep the pain at bay by taping the tube
so that it doesn't move around the site where the tube is attached - that was an immediate improvement for me as the pain completely stopped. I like this doctor and his nurse - they spend as much time as I need working out any issues. And they both have a very delicate touch.
Monday I visit the gynecologist that removed the ovaries to make sure all is healing well. So far I have no pain at all and can pull myself up by my abdomen muscles when I need to sit up in bed, etc. I have not tried to climb stairs yet, so will probably wait until my visit with her to make sure it's okay to climb stairs. I doubt it will be an issue but don't want to push myself too hard and reverse my recovery in any way. God is teaching me patience in all this.
Tuesday I meet with the oncologist. Since I had triple negative breast cancer (hormones not involved), need to find out if she thinks I need any other treatments besides the surgery. And I want to know what I can and cannot eat and what meds I cannot take or if I need chemotherapy (not sure what that would do) and how I would be tested over the years to make sure I don't get cancer in other parts of my body. The mastectomy surgeon stated that he didn't think radiation would be necessary since the cancer never
made it to the lymph nodes.
I received a copy of my pre-op blood test results yesterday (used by the surgeons to see if there were any underlying medical conditions in addition to the cancer). My blood tests showed low triglycerides, borderline high cholesterol (LDL), and HDL was a little low (I may be getting those two
terms reversed - still learning). Glucose was borderline also - but not enough to set off alarm bells. All in all I'm pretty darn healthy which is probably why I am healing so well and am not having side effects (minus soreness around the one drain tube).
There are many things I'm waiting on - but I am not overly concerned about any of it. God got me through so much to date - I fully trust that all will work out. I have His Peace.
I didn't update my blog last night because I was exhausted. Pain meds make me really sleepy to the point where I'll be typing away on my laptop and fall asleep as I'm typing. Can't wait to be off these meds. Going to try for a short walk outside with hubby this evening. I feel like getting up and cleaning and walking around the house during the day and sometimes in the middle of the night. But this constant sleepiness is bothersome. I hope that it is just the meds and not a combination of meds and menopause!
Kids had an annual check-up with their pediatrician this afternoon - Jim took them. They both got their tetanus shots and flu mist vaccines. JJ got blood work done so had to have a blood withdrawal. Fortunately for everyone involved, Jessica did not have to have blood withdrawn. According to her, Jessica does not handle needles well. JJ, however, never has a problem when visiting the doctor.
My sister, Kathi, came over this afternoon and helped me to redress my wound. I will have to do this twice per day until I see the Dr. on Monday. She brought me some wound supplies such as non-stick gauze and wound supplies for my horse, Spice. We'll try to get those items up to the farm tomorrow afternoon. I hope we get to go - I really want to see my horses and Rocky our goat.
God is still blessing me through this journey. I still feel His Peace and gentle guidance. My mood seems to be pretty steady and pleasant most of the time and my health seems to be steadily improving.
Have a blessed weekend! Love to All - Kelly
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