I'm home from the hospital! Dr. Davison walked in to my room around 1pm, saw me sitting up in a chair with my laptop, and said anyone who is able to sit up and work at the computer does not need to be in hospital. Little did he know that I was fast asleep sitting straight up when he walked in! But I did feel ready to go, and am so glad to be resting in my own bed again. I got home around 4:30pm on Saturday.
Dr. D said the surgery went as well as it could go, and everything looks great. The flaps are working perfectly, and I didn't need a blood transfusion (as some women do, especially if their hemoglobin is already low from chemo). My tummy feels extremely tight, and somewhat painfully bloated with gas. It really hurts when I move, sneeze, cough, laugh, burp, or hiccup...so am trying not to do those things too much! It sure looks flat, though! My plastic surgeon commented several time that I had the ideal stomach for this procedure, and that he'd never seen such a wonderfully loose saggy tummy....thanks, I guess?
The results are going to be very rewarding. My new boobs are much softer than the expanders, and so far look pretty good, considering. One weird thing...he was supposed to remove that pesky nipple, we talked about it several times...and then during surgery he forgot! I was counting on waking up from surgery with that taken care of. He says he was so focused on getting the flaps secured, that he didn't remember. So now it has to be taken care of at a later time.
In the hospital, I had so many tubes and wires sticking out of me, it was pretty crazy. I'll see if I can list them all: oxygen cannula in the nose; pulse/ox monitor on a finger; blood pressure cuff on the arm; various colorful wires connected to sensors on my chest; a continuous pain pump into my abdomen; an IV to deliver fluid, antibiotics, and pain meds; a thing called a biotech (I think) that had two sensors stapled into my skin, one on each breast, that was supposed to sound an alarm if the blood flow was failing in the flaps (this machine stopped working correctly, though, so the doc removed it, and dopplers were used to check blood flow); a urinary catheter; four drains, two in the breasts and two in the abdomen; and squeezy things on my legs to prevent blood clots. I was disconnected from most things by Saturday morning, leaving only the pain pump and the drains, which have to be emptied several times a day.
I also have to have a shot of Lovenox once a day for five days...that's a blood thinner to prevent clots. Nathan gets whoozy at the mere thought of having to administer an injection...and I don't think I could do it to myself. So Marilee, midwife extraordinaire, is coming to do it for the first three days...thanks Marilee! If anyone else out there is experienced at giving injections, and could come over on Wednesday and/or Thursday, please let me know.
We have already had several delicious meals delivered...thank you so much Lisa L, Tasia, and Maya! And thanks in advance to everyone who signed up to bring food...we are overwhelmed by your caring and generosity.
I'll post more later. Love to you all, and Happy Holidays!
-Liz
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