Good evening friends.
I'm baaack. I'm officially 2 weeks past surgery #1 and now a mere week away from surgery #2. It's time to discuss the experience thus far and consider what's ahead.
First, this...I've thought long and hard about posting pictures and have finally come to a decision. I will share some things but nothing I wouldn't show my kids. That means, if you're curious about what's been done so far and what's coming, you can take a look. I'll have drain pics (my least favorite), a surgical site pic (as of now, no foob pics will be posted as I want to keep it family friendly) and anything else that might not be Instagram/Facebook appropriate (based on my personal standards). If you want to look, you'll be able to. If not, my business won't be in your face. Enter the photos page at your own risk. I will likely try to ease the yuck factor by posting in black & white. It makes it a little more tolerable.
Now, updates on life after surgery.
This has been challenging. I know I sound like a broken record but I had no idea what to expect when this part of the journey started. I'm going to share the ups and downs of recovery thus far. My intention is not to scare you if you are considering reconstruction, I just think that it's important to understand what you're getting into and what you can expect. As always, I will insert the disclaimer that the experience is probably different for everyone, but this is my story. I'm sharing the details so consider yourself warned.
I've mentioned that this has been physically challenging. I'm not sure that I have explained why. The drain is an inconvenience and a maintenance item. You have to empty the bulb at least 2 times per day and you also have to strip the tubes at the same time...I do it more frequently than I empty them. I've shown you a diagram of the JP drains before so I won't do it again. I will share a little bit more about what they do and a little detail on the maintenance. To my medical friends, feel free to share more clinical (and correct) explanations in the comments or on FB. I don't have formal training, I'm a just a professional patient. So back to the details. The drain helps remove fluid/blood after surgery. Often, there's some tissue/maybe clots that make it through the tube - sometimes it even blocks the tube. After my mastectomy, I only had drains for a week post-op but they were a pain! The one on my left side got a little backed up and leaked where it exited my chest. It was awful! I've had the current drain for 2 weeks now and it's still producing. I've been diligent about stripping the tubes and haven't (yet) had any backups. The JP drain works kind of like a vacuum. When the bulb is empty, you squeeze it and then close the top. It then gradually pulls the fluid (and whatever else can fit down the tube) into the bulb. The bulb will hold up to 100 ml but I never let it get that full. The goal for removal is to be producing less than 30 ml daily. I'm not even close to that yet. I emptied it this morning and measured 60+ and as I sit here now I'm guessing that it's holding over 70. I see my plastic surgeon tomorrow and last week the nurse told me that the drain would likely come out regardless of production. So what does that mean? That means, if they take the drain out, I'm likely to end up with another seroma. That means fluid build up at the surgical site. Oh yay! Eventually your body will absorb the excess fluid but the build up can be painful. I had to have seromas aspirated on both sides after the drains were removed after my mastectomy. I've never been so happy to have a huge needle jabbed into my chest. No kidding. So, if the drain comes out tomorrow, I'll probably have to deal with some fluid build up, which can be uncomfortable and painful. I'll deal with it. I just want a few days drain free before the triplets show up. UGH!
So, you might be wondering what I mean when I say that I have to strip the drain tubes. It's a lovely process that requires me to pinch the top of the drain tube (which I can barely reach due to its location) and squeeze as I slide my fingers down the tube towards the bulb. This pushes the fluid and tissue down the tube and (hopefully) into the bulb. Sometimes the tissue is stubborn and you just have to wait until it makes its way down on its own. Sounds lovely, right?
As I mentioned, tomorrow I go for another post-op follow up and will likely get the drain removed. The drain exits my side about 12 inches +/- below my armpit. Based on what I saw when they pulled out my first drains, there are several inches of tube that goes from that point into or near my surgical site. The tube is held in place by stitches. If they remove the drain tomorrow, they will have to remove the stitching and then just pull that sucker out. It's my least favorite part of the process. That last time it didn't hurt, really. It was not the most comfortable experience but it's over pretty quickly. I think my front was much more numb than my back is now, though it is pretty numb. I'll let you know how awful it is tomorrow. If it hurts, I'm sure I'll forget all about it because I'll be overjoyed to be drain free for at least 5 days.
Now on to the rash. It's not 100% gone but it is SOOOO much better. I'm not excited about the prospect of having the rash over 75% of my torso next week but I'll do my best to prevent it. The surgeon is aware and is ready to treat if I react again. I'll also be ready to aggressively wash that stuff off as soon as I am able. I'll probably still have a reaction but hopefully it will be minimal. If it's a full blown itchy nightmare that covers my torso, I will be asking for some sort of sedation so I can sleep through the worst of it. No joke! I don't think it will come to that but I'm prepared.
My surgical site is healing nicely, from what I can tell. I still have 60 stitches, which I hope to have removed tomorrow. The hardest part of the process has not been skin/incision related. It has been that poor angry muscle that was detached and "tacked" back into place. Trust me, you have no idea how much you use that muscle for even the slightest movements. Even two weeks after surgery, there are certain movements that make it spasm. Just standing around it feels like it's perpetually contracted. It's bizarre. And recently, once the swelling started to go down, I started to really feel it. Sometimes it feels like it's going to pop loose and roll up like a window shade.
I've done some research, trying to prepare myself for this experience. It sounds like I'm (possibly) in for nerve pain, muscle spasms/cramps and general discomfort for the next few months. I've read about the experiences other women have had so I'm prepared but, again, my experience might vary from theirs. I'll give you the play by play as it happens.
As I close for tonight, let me just say that I'm feeling more and more like myself each day. I understood at the start that I would not be fully recovered from surgery #1 before we rolled into surgery #2 but I'm feeling better about it each day. Even two short days ago, if you had asked if I was ready for #2, I would have given you a big fat NO! I'm in a better place mentally and physically. I'm ready to get it over with and move on to recovery so I can be ready for the next phase.
If you have questions, as always, feel free to ask. For now, I'm going to bed.
Love to all!
Andee
