Do you smell that? No? That's because, for the first time in four days, I AM CLEAN!!! I won't lie, taking a shower was a monumental task that I was pretty sure I was going to pass out during, but I made it. I'm back in this silly old hospital gown in this silly old hospital bed, but at least I was able to clean up. And those shower chairs? Yeah, I totally get it now.
So.... my surgery went well. I now have two breasts made from my own tissue, which is the good part. I have two large, painful incisions on the back upper part of my thighs, which is the bad. I'm not really in as much pain as I thought I would be, but sitting down to go to the bathroom - OUCH! My plastic surgeon told me I will be "slouching" for a couple of weeks, and I can see why.
I was in ICU the first two days, which is good because I was able to get one-on-one care, but it was bad because that one-on-one care was happening every hour. Around the clock. Needless to say, Hubby and I didn't get much rest in that place. Last night they finally had a room open up for me, so we graduated from ICU. They still come in every few hours, turning on lights, checking my vitals, etc, but we did get some much needed sleep last night.
One of the things that is pretty cool is that they listen to each breast with a Doppler to make sure the blood is flowing through (because if it stops, the tissue dies and the flap fails). If you've ever had a baby, you know how the little baby heartbeat sounds on the ultrasound? That's what this sounds like. Pretty neat. Reassuring to know that that part of my body is alive and well.
I won't go into to much detail about this, but if you've ever had surgery where you had to have drains afterward, you know what a total pain in the ass they are. Well, I have SIX. I'm not liking that at all. Hopefully I can get rid of at least a couple of them before I get sprung, which should be tomorrow.
When I talked to K this morning, she asked where I was. I told her I was in the hospital in Dallas, and she said "Why are you staying there? The food is nasty!!". Ha. She was right on the money. I haven't had good luck with my meals. The first day after surgery I was on a clear liquid diet. I don't know why. The other times I've had surgery I was able to eat right away... Which is what you want to do after not eating for over 24 hours. Jello and Sprite just don't cut it. My first "real " meal was pancakes and bacon Thursday night. It was wonderful. Since then it's been all downhill. The French toast I ordered yesterday for breakfast was horrible. For lunch I wanted turkey and swiss on a croissant. They brought me a piece of swiss cheese on a dry croissant. This morning I went back to pancakes, thinking that was the safe bet. The pancakes and bacon were fine, but they forgot syrup, and didn't bring me any sugar for my tea. We even called back and asked for it and they never brought it. Have you ever tried eating hospital pancakes without butter or syrup? Don't.
Needless to say, Hubby went out to get us lunch today. I can't wait for a nice big refreshing iced tea!
Speaking of Hubby, you can't have him because he's mine, but he is the perfect hospital companion. If you ever have to stay in the hospital, you want someone like him with you. Whenever they try to make me do something not in my best interests (like take a shared room or put my dirty, worn compression shorts back on) he is right there to tell them "I don't think so". The gross tasks he's having to do for me are countless, and he does everything without complaint. He straightens my blankets, fixes my socks, brings me brownies and washes my clothes in the sink. See what I mean? Perfect! I'm so grateful for him, for his care of me and for his company.
Since my mother had surgery the day before I did, we have been commiserating via text about hospital food, uncomfortable gowns, fevers and pain pumps. Luckily she was discharged today and should be getting settled in at home right now.
Thank you all for all of the prayers for both me and my mom. We haven't had an easy go of it, but we are still standing strong. Well, I'm still in the hospital bed and she's probably in a recliner, but in our minds we are standing tall!
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