Baby steps still move us forward
Somebody is getting really sick of this drain. It’s annoying. It itches and honestly, it’s just not fashionable. I know .. I know .. There are so many options for women that have undergone a mastectomy. Did I mention that I am also tired of wearing clothes with drain pockets? Pajamas have become my thing. I have six pair that rotate. A blue pair, a grey pair, a blue pair with shorts, a pink paisley pair that I stole from Ruthie, a pink striped pair with doggies on them, and a white pair with blue flowers. And I know there are seven days in a week. On Thursdays, I dress up for my appointment with Dr. Shuck. No PJs on Thursday.
Well today, I “dressed up” for my weekly appointment. Theo tagged along this time, ready to dry snitch like he always does. “She was sleeping on her side. She is still worried about her weight. I thought you said she shouldn't be sweating until her incision heals.” blah blah blah. Let’s see what he has to say today.
Dr. Shuck walks in and immediately I go for the jugular. “CAN WE TAKE THIS DRAIN OUT?” I pull out my phone to show him that drainage that I have been feverishly documenting twice each day since my last appointment. I remembered the levels that he said I needed to reach before he would remove the previous drains, and we are there. This little Christmas ball hanging from my side is coming out today. He looks at my records, nodding his head positively. I’m thinking .. oh yeah, he agrees, it’s coming out. That’s when he did the thing. You know the thing you do when you don’t really agree with someone. That thing where you close your mouth and suck air through your teeth. That expression that says .. “Well, maybe not.” Yeah, that’s what he did. Turns out that even though I’ve reached the threshold for removing the drain, he’d proactively added an “antibiotic plate” (no that’s not the medical term for it but it’s good enough for a visual) under my expander during the last surgery. And that plate continuously generates fluid…. So the drain stays until the plate is removed. Oh, when is that you ask? During my next surgery. Yep, I have to keep it in until then.
But here is where the story gets a little better ….
Houston Methodist has started scheduling DIEP surgeries again! Hooray!!! So now all I have to do is heal so that Shuck can finish my expansion. And then I can be scheduled for surgery. I’m praying we can get to surgery before the end of September. Well, and umm . since he brought the subject of surgery up, I used it to ask about all of the horror stories that I have been seeing on the internet. I asked him about side effects like dog ears, and keloids, and saggy skin, and relocated belly buttons. We had a whole lesson today. Dr. Shuck is patient, and he knows that I am coming with 21 questions. I am an informed patient.
In the meantime, I need to get moving. I haven’t been able to exercise or walk outdoors or lift anything so my body is not happy with me right now. When I sit for more than 15 minutes, I literally have to get myself together when I stand up. It’s crampy and painful. Oh yeah, I told you guys about it in my previous post. Well, Dr. Shahin referred me to a physical therapist to evaluate my condition. When I told Shuck about it, I laid it on thick. I didn’t lie. I just really let him know how miserable this is for me. So he’s letting me walk outdoors again. Actually, he said that my inactivity is likely the reason that I am experiencing pain. I’ve gone from 2-3 spin classes, 1 pilates class, 5 miles, and 2-3 strength training sessions each week to well uhhh nothing. Well not nothing, Shuck suggested that I replace the word “nothing” with “recovery.” Semantics. I’m sitting on my ass all day. Same thing.
So I started with .. “Can I walk a mile?” He was like … “Sure.” And then Theo jumps in .. “At what pace?” Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.. Whose side is this guy on??? By the time Theo asked his “helpful” questions, I had a new understanding of what “sure” really meant. As it stands .. I can walk outside at a leisurely pace .. starting at 0.5 miles and increasing at 0.5 mile increments while checking my heart rate to ensure that I am not out of breath. 🙄
So the summary is the drain isn’t going anywhere, but surgery could be sometime in September and I can start walking again (a little). You can’t have everything. You get what you get, and you don’t cause a fit.
♥️ T
