Sometimes You Must Endure Discomfort To Relieve Discomfort

This is one of those weeks that I have medical appointments 3 out of 5 days. It's one of those weeks that sceams....

HEY, I'M JUST HERE TO REMIND YOU THAT ARE A CANCER PATIENT.

 

Well thanks, I need that every once in a while...said no one EVER!

 

 

Back to our story. So, I've had one appointment so far this week. I visited with my FABULOUS plastic surgeon and her LOVELY staff today. I expected to get my usual, a drain and fill. Not today, friends! Today was a drain only day. She checked the wiffle balls and said they still seemed a little tight so she wouldn't be adding anything to the tank(s) today. On the flip side, I'm still making fluid like a machine. yes, I'm aware that it has been almost 3 months since surgery #2. What can I say, I'm an overachiever.  In typical Andrea fashion, I'm an overachiever in something I would prefer NOT to overachieve in. In went the needles and out came the fluid. Relief is such a lovely, but short-lived, thing. My doc suggested full time compression to help the fluid issue. I'm looking for some compression garments but for now, it's the bandage. And the bandage feels kind of like this...



 

 

 

 

...but nowhere near as pretty.



 

 I'll keep myself bound up if it will end, or even improve, my fluid situation. I may need more compression "stuff" after Friday. If my arm is actually swelling and not just puffy and uncomfortable, I may end up compressed all over. I envision this...

 

 



Source:http://www.paulpinmd.com/compression-garments-and-taping-schedule-after-surgery/

 

 

My next appointment, bright and early tomorrow, is with my oncologist. I get blood work done first thing and then visit with him for a few. Hopefully it will be yet another uneventful encounter. We can catch up on the last three months and he can ask my why the heck I've gotten so fat after losing all that weight last year. We'll then discuss stress eating that was followed by surgery which left me unable to do much except eat and sleep. None of that is good on its own, much less when you add them all up. It's all my fault. I'm back to doing something everyday but I'm not back to where I can go hard core again just yet. But at least I'm off the couch and out of the kitchen. Getting back to work has done wonders. I felt like I was on the verge of falling into a weird depression. I have to be able to do something.

 

Friday I will get to visit my physical therapist after more than a year away. I'm excited to see her - not just so she can help with the scar tissue - but because I really like her and she takes good care of me! I'm still hoping to see her break out her tools and work some magic on this crazy annoying crap on my back.

 

Finally, we are praying for some luck here at The LD. Our youngest was hit with type A & type B flu this weekend. We had Saturday visits with the pediatrician and a trip to the ER. It was not fun. She will have some symptoms to deal with for a week or two but she's on the upswing. She returned to school today. Yay!  She's one tough little cookie. Now we are just waiting to see if anyone else is going to take a hit. Bobby is complaining about the smell but I'm rubbing oils on kids and diffusing them in the air. I have cleaned, I have disinfected, I've made my daughter wear a mask.  Don't laugh, friends, I had a micro-preemie that made it through 2 risky RSV seasons with only an ear infection. We know how to lock this place down, keep out the cooties and clean if they find their way in. Say a prayer for clean air and I'll do my part to keep the rest of the population healthy.  :-) No time to be sick!

 

 

Until next time!

Love to all,

Andee

Why I Need Physical Therapy

Let's jump right in.
The area left vacant by the latissimus dorsi muscle is now a large sheet of scar tissue and it feels like it has wrapped around my ribs. That means that when I make even a small move my left side, it pulls. If I shrug, it feels as if I'm going to pull a rib loose.  It's strange. It is WILDLY uncomfortable. In addition to that, there's fluid that creeps into my left arm and hand when I don't take enough breaks during the day. And guess what, I often don't take enough breaks during the day ( Yes, as a matter of fact, I AM a dumbass. )  Lately I've had to wrap my hand and/or arm to get some relief.

I am happy to report that I start physical therapy next Friday (a week from tomorrow). I'm praying for ASTYM but I'm willing to endure whatever torture it will take to break this stuff up...even if it means it's taking a rib with it. No joke!

You're probably wondering (or not) what about the scar tissue requires PT. It is not just hard tissue that fills the void - it is but it's SO much more. I try to stretch and it's not that it's difficult, it is IMPOSSIBLE. My range of motion is affected, not just in my arm but in my torso. When I try to turn at the waist, I can't turn very far. After a certain point it's not really stretching, it's trying to pull it loose from wherever it's attached. Sounds pleasant, right? It's awful.  I've tried to stretch enough to try to get it pull away and I just can't do it. I've tried hard...really hard...and I really don't care how much it's going to hurt at this point. I just want to be free.

So there you have it. I have another week of suffering and then I hope to get even a small amount of relief. I'll keep my posts to a minimum until I feel a little better. You're welcome. :-)

Love to all,
Andee

This is so not funny...no, it is...wait...no it's not

Short post tonight. I'm working on a PT post but it's not done. 

Tonight's topic is related to my ever expanding chest and the lack of feeling after surgery. I have a real fear that I'm going to injure myself if I'm not careful. I was flat chested for almost 2 years so I'm still getting used to the expander foobs.

This image keeps bouncing around in my head. 

Welcome to my world. 

Where have you been....again?

I felt this post needed a picture but I wasn't sure what would be appropriate. I didn't have any great ideas (probably because I'm so distracted by my discomfort) so I improvised. I pulled out a ridiculous pic from a couple of weeks back, did some cheesy edits and VOILA, this is now a post with a picture.

You might be wondering where I've been. Why do I post frequently at times, and then there are long stretches of not much...no...nothing. Well, I have a few rules that I try to follow. I have something to say just about every day but my rules keep me in check. Here are a couple of those rules:

• Whenever possible, try to not to repeat yourself.  If there is a good reason to share information again for the sake of the newbies and/or to provide information to my cancer patient readers, then I shall repeat. Otherwise, I don't write just for the sake of a daily post. 
• No complaining. I try NOT to write if I'm in pain, or even really uncomfortable, because I want the blog to informative, not a pity party. I'll eventually tell you about my challenges but only after I'm through the worst of it. It's important to me to share those things but I don't ever want to be a crybaby. My goal here is to inform. I'm not fishing for sympathy - that can stay in its assigned spot in the dictionary...you know what I'm sayin'!

I'm quite uncomfortable right now for a couple of reasons, but I will not be complaining. I will be providing a brief update because we have a new development. I went in for my bi-weekly "Fill 'Em Up & Drain It Out" appointment today. You can take a small leap and guess what one of the causes of discomfort is.  In addition to that, I've developed some not-so-lovely scar tissue on my back where the muscle was moved. My body is apparently working overtime to fill that void. Fluid and scar tissue are not my friends. The fluid was drained off (again) today so I will have a few days of relief from that but this scar tissue is CRAZY! If I raise my arm or even round my back it feels like I'm going to pull out a rib. This happened on my chest after my mastectomy but on a much smaller scale. It was uncomfortable and not fun but what I have now feels like it is the size of the lat muscle that was moved. Last time around I went to physical therapy  and it worked wonders. Feel free to look back at my post about ASTYM. I highly recommended it way back in 2014. I'm happy to report that my surgeon has referred me for physical therapy. I'm so excited that I get to go back to my favorite physical therapist and I'm even more excited about getting some relief. I'm not sure if ASTYM will be part of the plan this time but I sure hope so. I should get some details this week. I just know that we can't get started soon enough for me.  :-)  As always, I will keep the blog updated with my progress. 

Well, it's been nice to be back but I'm off to try to sleep a bit. It won't be long until I have to be up to get the kids ready for school and start my work day. I'll be back soon!

Love to all,

Andee