Update 24
January 17 - It is about 10:30 a.m. and I am up and typing away
here, at least for a bit. Won't overdo, just need to be up and moving
around and typing doesn't hurt at all. The Twins are behaving themselves
very well for newborns! In fact, I am not nearly as sore as I expected
to be, probably due to the wonderful pain killers he prescribed! However,
it said one or two every three hours and one pill is doing just fine so
I am not in never, never land, just comfortable. No nausea from this surgery
at all, none when I woke up from anesthesia and none so far. Ate fairly
light, lots of fluid. Up all night, couldn't sleep, probably due to taking
only one pain pill instead of two but doesn't matter, I feel just fine!
Do not want the dreaded constipation to return and these Percocet pain
medications are strong enough to do that to me.
Flavia quote: "Learn the language of your heart and say the
words. They may mean more to someone than you'll ever know." So very,
very, true! Learned this a long time ago, must practice it more and remember
to actually say the words!
How nice, Dr. J just called from New Orleans to be sure I was okay since
he was out of town until tonight. I have certainly been lucky with all
of my different doctor's haven't I! I will see him next Friday for my
post-op visit. He said as the bandages come loose and fell off they could
stay off so I will have a bit more unveiling each day until I actually
see the Twins, they are wrapped swaddling clothes now! A friend wrote
to me after I had told her about meeting the twins and she said she was
looking forward to it but would forgo the "handshake!" Got a
big chuckle out of that! I took photos yesterday morning of Leaky Louise
and Hard Rock Hannah as they were preparing to leave this world, will
photograph the bandages today and then will keep up with the photos of
the Twins as they settle in. I looked back at the first mastectomy photo
and again after a couple of fills, then yesterday's photo and the differences
are quite amazing. None of them are dreadful, just very different. I plan
on these photos being a part of my eventual book, along with my wigs and
Bald-headed Beatrice. Visuals are so important.
Okay, time to go back to the recliner, load myself up with all the ice
packs and watch a movie and nap! Soooooooooooo good to feel sooooooooooooo
good after this surgery!
January 18 - Pretty much slept, ate, talked on the phone a bit
and watched TV. Got up and walked around for a bit, not too, too sore
but I am uncomfortable. Took my pain meds, will begin to slack off tomorrow.
Just realized my fuzzy brain did not divide too well. Antibiotics are
to be taken 4 times a day. No problem - 4 goes into twenty-four 8 times
right? So, have been taking them every eight hours. Jen just pointed out
that 4 times a day is every six hours! Well………guess I will
adjust that one! Obviously was more concerned about the timing of the
pain pills!
Now here is a very positive thing about having no hair to worry about.
I do not have the dreaded greasy post-surgery hair thing going on! Just
wash over it with a wash cloth and Presto! Clean hair! Be glad to take
a nice long shower again, though.
Flavia quote: "The music of life may be different for each
of us but how beautiful the dance." My, oh my I do love that one!
January 19 - Slept in the bed last night, was okay, my back hurt
more than anything else! Switched to Tylenol Extra-strength pills today
and ditched the pain meds altogether. Had dropped down to Darvocet-N as
the interim pain meds, not as strong as Percoset but they made me very
woozy and I am tired of being woozy! So when those wore off I switched
to the Tylenol. Hurts a bit more but not unbearable. Feels like someone
punched me hard under my arms, boobs are just sore underneath and where
the band of stretchy gauze is digging into my skin (moved the cushioning
pads around and that feels better!). The port area is sore, maybe more
from the pulling of all the bandage tape than the surgery? The port area
is in a place that gets movement every time you move to do something.
I loosened the edges of the bandage and that feels a bit better. By the
way, none of those bandages have fallen off so I still can't see any more
of the Twins that I could when I came home from the hospital!
Flavia quote: "Sometimes we want to fold up our dreams and
put them away. Then, from somewhere inside there comes a song of courage
and we know we can never give up." I must keep that one posted where
I can read it each day!
Hospital called to see how I was doing; I really appreciate that little
extra. Very comforting.
Pretty much slept (only the morning), ate, talked on the phone a bit
and watched TV. Plan on being up a lot more tomorrow. Very tired of doing
nothing. Boring!
Well, this part is pretty uneventful, isn't it? Not complaining, mind
you, but just feel more like I fell down a flight of stairs and got banged
up than I had an operation that involved so much cutting and stitching!
Very good news.
January 20 - Tried to sleep in the bed last night but had to get
up and go back to the recliner. Fells better on my back and hips and also
on my chest when everything is not stretched out there by laying flat
on my back. Tylenol seems to be doing okay. Not ready to run a marathon
but feel pretty darn good for someone who had just had surgery! Believe
I will tackle a walk tomorrow! I will stick to the house and garden today.
Hair report - still only about ¼" long but filling in quite
well. Very dark! Soft, too, the bristly area is gone. Looks half hair
and half downy stuff to me. And, straight as a board! I'm beginning to
despair of getting the curly red hair I ordered! Other areas remain the
same.
Flavia quote: "To believe in yourself is to set your spirit
free.'
Just had one of those "moments" in time. Was standing out on
the patio with my face to the sun soaking up some vitamin D and realized
that for the first item in a very long time I could see my own eyelashes
surrounding my eyes! That, of course, brought on the tears and then I
had these sparkly halos all around my eyes with the tears that were caught
in the eyelashes! I just stood there in the sun's rays and silently wept.
This was proof that some things will indeed, be the "same" again!
Lots of things won't, but eyelashes and hair will be the same and will
make me look like a normal person again!
Slept most of the afternoon, but a nice normal healing sleep, not the
drug induced kind that leaves you feeling so yukky.
Managed to straighten up the house a bit today and that was it. That
old tired stuff is back for a while I guess. It can't stay long this time
though, I have things to do!
January 21 - What a day! Slept part of the night in the recliner
but my back and hips were screaming so I moved to the bed and actually
ended up on my right side! Got up and decided the tape had to go. I ended
up removing all the swaddling clothes and the Twins look pretty darn good
considering there is still a lot of swelling and I have magic marker lines
drawn all over! All the steri-strips are still in place but I can see
that there are six cuts, two in the original mastectomy scars for the
implants, two small ones under each "breast" where it looks
like the liposuction wand went in, an extra one on the left "breast"
to remove one of the "extra nipples", looks like the other one
was taken off at the implant incision, and finally the port removal incision.
Extra set of boobs are gone from under my arms, an eight inch, very back
and blue area is on each side instead! Feel much better without all the
pulling from the tape. I am very sore but not enough to hamper any movement.
Went for a walk with Harold, then got ready and he took me to the grocery
store. Chatted with the pharmacy gals and introduced the Twins (they read
the journals, too), and did my shopping. Came home, put the groceries
away and sat out on the patio for an hour or so because I was a little
tired and sore. Made baked ziti, garlic bread and salad for dinner, rested
again, did the dishes, did some drawing, did some painting and now am
ready for bed. Tired, but just normal tired, after a full day, not "sick"
or surgery" tired! Harold is working nights tonight so I get the
bed all to myself. The whole point of that paragraph is that it is only
the fifth day after surgery and I am feeling sooooooo good! I hope I improve
this fast each day, as I will be back in action in no time. Are you impressed?????????
I certainly am - this part is a piece of cake compared to all the other
stuff! The body is such an amazing thing!
Harold was sitting next to me in the sun today and asked me if those
were my own eyelashes! They are actually visible with mascara on and they
are all along my eyelid, not just in patches. Not very thick yet but no
bare areas! Hurray!
January 22 - A perfectly normal day - up at 6:00 a.m., walked,
worked all day at various things, made dinner, cleaned up………………lovely!
January 23 - Just back from Dr. J's (sounds a bit like a nightclub,
doesn't it!) and I am doing just fine. Still sore and black and blue,
but that abates more with each passing day. No driving for another week,
light gardening, no pushing and pulling so Harold will have to vacuum
for another week! Supposed to still take it easy……… Moi???????
Stitches will come out next Friday. That will be my last appointment until
the nipple reconstruction! I won't know what to do when I don't have to
plan my week around going to a doctor! Still a good bit of swelling, he
said it would be some months (maybe as much as six!) before everything
is the way it will look permanently. I have to do an "exercise?"
for another week. I must pull up on the skin and then push down on the
implant. Feels a bit odd but doesn't hurt. Speaking of feeling, they now
feel quite "real", pretty much feel like firm skin. I think
if someone bumped into me though, they would think I had on a bra, they
are not that soft! They are very rounded and will stay that way. I don't
look like I have the boobs of a twenty-five year-old (no conical shape
anywhere to be found!), but I didn't look like that before all this either!
I still have wide boobs but that is what I had before so I am beginning
to look fairly "normal" again. Today, out in public, I have
on a thin flowered, lace-trimmed shirt - the first time since last August
that I have not added a cover jacket of some kind to hide the lumps and
bumps!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is indeed progress!
Dr. J gave me all my "warranty" cards and explained the guarantee
that comes with my new McGHAN 363LF's! Even have the reference and lot
numbers! They are described as: [Style 363 - Biocell Textured shell surface,
anterior diaphragm valve, moderate height, full projection. Style 363
has a ptotic (closest definition I could find in the dictionary is ptosis
which means sagging of an organ) shape to match an existing beast in unilateral
reconstruction. They are saline filled and are constructed from Room Temperature
Vulcanized (RTV) silicone elastomer, made of polydimethylsiloxane.] They
are referred to as "devices." Devices!!!!!!!!!!! Now, go ahead
and ask me why I refer to them as "boobs" instead of "breasts"!!!!!!!
A good thing though with my new "devices", unless there is a
problem they are mine forever - I will not have to have them changed out
after ten or fifteen years as I had read. That was very good news and……
they are guaranteed for life! Ahhhhhhhhhh…………..technology!
Off to buy new bedroom furniture this afternoon and then on to Wings
tonight! Watch out world………….I'm back!
I must add that I have been getting cards in the mail congratulating
me on the arrival of the twins! Of course, everyone identifies them on
the card as Polly and Dolly. One friend even altered the card to read
the arrival of your "boobies" instead of "babies"!!!!!!
What a hoot!
Photo this week is of Nurse Martha (my sister) as you have all heard
me refer to her in my updates. Such a blessing she was with her spending
so much time with me going to all my initial appointments, her knowledge
not only of medicine but also of who were the "good" doctors!
She is some "sexy mama" isn't she!
As always, love and good health to all of you!
Margot - definitely Perky Polly!
After reading through the updates,
if you have any questions please email
me
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