Once we discovered that the expander on my right side was tearing into the tissue above my breast area and moving into my shoulder, my doctor decided it was time to just do the whole shabang, and get those expanders out of there. Have I mentioned how uncomfortable those doozies were? Yeah. Well. They are amazingly uncomfortable. I had to tell myself every time I got a fill, "It's worth it! It's worth it! It's worth it!"
I saw my doctor on a Wednesday, and surgery was scheduled for the following Tuesday. Pretty darn quick as this whole breast cancer thing goes. I had to travel 165 miles for my pre-op which included all the usual: hospital registration, chest Xrays, blood work, peeing in a cup, and EKG. The Adventist Hospital in Glendale, CA is amazing! Everyone was so helpful. I never felt like I was putting anyone out. It was the most comfortable I've been in any hospital situation to date. Since the hospital was so far away, we just stayed down in Glendale at a hotel.
The next morning, I had to be at the hospital at 7:30 for my 9:00 am operation. Turns out, everything went so well that I was in surgery by 8:15 and done by noon. No more expanders! Hallelujah!
So, here's how recovery goes.
Day 1: Released from hospital. Stayed in a hotel in Glendale, because travelling 165 miles back home was too dangerous in my condition. Felt like a 100 pound weight was laying on my chest, but this is a normal sensation, and I was aware that this would happen. Solution: just breathe.
Day 2: Long 4 hour trip home in a car wrapped up like a mummy. Lots of pain meds. Lots of antibiotics, but happy little camper. Going home and almost done with this year and half journey. Cold compresses when I got home. Helped the pain and swelling.
First 48 hours: No moving my arms. That means no brushing my hair. No feeding myself. No brushing my teeth. Going to the bathroom was allowed, but not an easy activity.
Day 5: Shower and mummy wrapping gone! Oh hell yeah! Best shower of my life!
Day 7: Check up with the doctor. Stitches not ready to come out. Still pretty swollen. Apparently, this will last for about 3 months. Put in a recovery bra which is really some medieval torture device that resembles a race car seat belt. I'll post a picture next week. I get to wash the "bra" once a week which is the only time I can go without it. I wear it day and night except when I shower. When it's drying, I have to sit and not move.
First week: I had to sleep on my back. No fun for a side sleeper. We ended up stacking pillows all around me so that if I rolled over in my sleep, it would wake me up. That was a heck of a lot of waking up. So, in other words. Pretty much no sleep that first week. Using arms had to be minimal. So, no washing dishes. No cooking. No laundry. No housework. No lifting. Had to roll to get out of bed or to stand up from the couch.
I learned so much that first week after surgery. For the first time, I actually completely followed doctor's orders. Screwing up my expanders was such an awful, painful experience that I didn't want to go through anything like that again. I think I finally know how to let others love me. All these years, I have kept people at arms length. There's much to be said for independence, but like everything in life, even independence must be done in moderation. If you never let others show their love, how do they love you? So, I let my loved ones take care of me, and it was amazing! I am blessed, I am loved, and I know that I have raised my children to be wonderful people.
Day 10: First day that I can allow my pulse to rise or my heart to race. We'll just stop there. OK moving on. Driving is now permitted. Drove my car. Doctor may not have realized that I drive a hemi with a 6 speed standard transmission. Not going to do that again for a couple of days. Ouch!
Week 2: I can move around normally now as long as I keep my arms close to my body and don't lift anything. If I have to cough or sneeze, I have to hold my new boobies. It's pretty cute. Sutures checked again. I will be allowed to remove them myself on Week 3. My body doesn't dissolve its sutures. This has been true for each surgery I've had that is related to my breast cancer. Not sure why, but it's not a big deal. I'll be able to just pull the loops on Tuesday. Breast exercises start.
"What are breast exercises?" you ask.
Well let me explain:
1) I press my breasts slowly and gently inwards toward my breast bone and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times. This makes cleavage. It's pretty cool.
2) I press my breasts slowly and gently outwards toward my armpits and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times. This is my favorite part. After being in the torture bra, this feels quite wonderful.
3) I press my breasts slowly and gently downward and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
4) I press my breasts slowly and gently upward and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
I do this 3 times a day. I will be doing this for the rest of my life in order to make sure that scar tissue does not form and cause issues with my implants. It actually kills two birds with one stone. reast self exam? Check!
So that's recovery for the first 2 weeks. You can pretty much sum it up like this. Do nothing. There you go.
I'll update you on the recovery process next week. So, stay tuned.
I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas! I know I did.