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nym_wibblyI escaped the hospital at last after breakfast this morning! Glad to be home and comfy. Once the surgical drains were taken out last evening, a lot of the discomfort/pain went away. I'm not saying that having boobs chopped off is a walk in the park - and it certainly isn't as undramatic for anyone whose cancer means they get their lymph nodes or underlying muscle messed with at the same time - but compared to the pain I live with day to day, or the full-blown, uncontrolled migraine I wound up with, or a bad sprain/strain, it's hardly worth mentioning. Just irregular, sharp little stabs of nerve pain, so far. I only needed strong painkillers to get comfortable lying on my side to sleep. Hell, my chest has hurt more than this after eight hours work in a well-fitting bra.
I'm far more mobile than I expected to be, and far less restricted in how much I can use my arms - so much so that I keep having to remind myself to slow down, to stop and rest, or let mum do the thing for me, because neither the pain or the wounds are reminding me not to stretch and twist too far. Other than the migraine, I feel about as good as I ever do. I don't want to undo all the good work and good luck by tearing stitches!!
Everything's still hidden under four dressings, and meant to stay that way until next Friday when I go back to see the breast care nurses. I'm not crazy about leaving it so long, especially with the side that got a bit oozy and bloodied, and where the dressing began to lift because it was wet. The other side is still sealed tightly to my skin, waterproof and clean and much more reassuring. I'm well versed in signs of wound trouble, though, and so far it all feels and looks fine. Underneath the dressings is a half-numb, half-tender landscape of slightly puffy, slightly bruised lumps and bumps. You don't end up flat so much as scooped-out!
I'm far more mobile than I expected to be, and far less restricted in how much I can use my arms - so much so that I keep having to remind myself to slow down, to stop and rest, or let mum do the thing for me, because neither the pain or the wounds are reminding me not to stretch and twist too far. Other than the migraine, I feel about as good as I ever do. I don't want to undo all the good work and good luck by tearing stitches!!
Everything's still hidden under four dressings, and meant to stay that way until next Friday when I go back to see the breast care nurses. I'm not crazy about leaving it so long, especially with the side that got a bit oozy and bloodied, and where the dressing began to lift because it was wet. The other side is still sealed tightly to my skin, waterproof and clean and much more reassuring. I'm well versed in signs of wound trouble, though, and so far it all feels and looks fine. Underneath the dressings is a half-numb, half-tender landscape of slightly puffy, slightly bruised lumps and bumps. You don't end up flat so much as scooped-out!
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Date: 5 Jun 2019 03:18 (UTC)I'm always amazed at how well you cope with acute pain and large insults like the no-carb diet, or your operations. It really puts into perspective just how significant the things you do struggle to cope with are.
"Hell, my chest has hurt more than this after eight hours work in a well-fitting bra." Well damn, if that doesn't just drive it home. You made the right decision.
Don't worry about the lumps and bumps, over the coming months they will soften and flatten as the scar tissue underneath the skin incisions matures. You should see that begin to approximate the long-term look within a few weeks.
Anyway, recover well, take care and yes! Rest! No excessive wiggling!
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Date: 5 Jun 2019 03:19 (UTC)no subject
Date: 5 Jun 2019 08:28 (UTC)I'm actually surprised by how even the new topography is. Even as it is, with slim dressings on, you'd think I was perfectly flat-chested under a patterned shirt. I've switched the hospital dressings for hydrocolloid so I can see what's going on, and other than one of the below-armpit incisions which has puckered up, it's all very relaxed and even, considering how recent the damage is. There's some kind of narrow woven tape running the length of the scar lines, an alginate dressing maybe? It's stuck fast to the nicely-dry wounds, whatever it is, and I'm not looking forward to it coming off! I'll leave that for the breast care nurse on Friday.
And yes - I've been staring slack-jawed at the relative nastiness of this pain, and the gallbladder op, versus what happens to me on a "good" day without anyone suggesting I need morphine or fentanyl. I do hope your double-standard pain thesis becomes required reading for doctors everywhere. :/
Take care of yourself, too!
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Date: 11 Jun 2019 03:56 (UTC)