10.14.22

It’s hard to believe it’s been three days since surgery already! I wanted to give everyone a little update on how things are going. We were able to leave the hospital Wednesday morning! (Less than 24 hrs after having surgery!)

I wasn’t sure what to expect for pain… I can definitely feel it! It’s somewhere between some really bad pulled muscles and feeling like you were hit with a 2×4. (Although I have never been hit by a 2×4 I’m just guessing. 🤣) And every once in awhile I get a burning/stinging sensation at my incision sites.. They told Aaron that was normal… The nice thing for me is I still have one “good” arm. That helps with doing daily things like brushing my teeth and hair. On the surgery side I have a nice ~2″ incision under my arm where they removed the lymph nodes. So that side is a little more tender. I can still use it I just need to move slow. I also have this really cool drainage tube. 😬 Twice a day (12 hrs apart) I get to record how much drainage I have. I’m not sure how long I’ll have that, with any luck it can maybe come out next week at my follow up. (I posted b/w pictures of the drainage tube and underarm incision below. So if you don’t want to see those don’t scroll to the bottom.)

I was pretty excited last night! I survived (or I should say we 🤣) my first shower. I wasn’t sure how that would go because the compression bra they give you helps with the pain. Maybe because it was 48hrs after surgery, but it wasn’t actually painful to have that off. I think the worst part was trying to put it back on! That sucker is TIGHT! When we were in the hospital my ribs were bothering me… I thought it was from sitting in a hospital bed. Then it dawned on me, it was probably from the compression bra. (The side opposite my surgery was sore too..) It is getting better now that we are a couple days into it.

I also have to remember to intentionally take deep breaths. That can be a little uncomfortable at times. But if I don’t do that I can risk getting pneumonia. That and making sure I walk around to avoid getting blood clots. It’s crazy the things you don’t always think of after a surgery.

The kids have been doing pretty good. They really stepped up to the plate last night with supper and clean up. ❤️ Today is our first full day with just me and them. Fridays are Aaron’s short days. He’s normally home early afternoon so it shouldn’t be too bad! 🙂

I am amazed at how well I am doing and feeling! That just shows the power of prayer. Thank you to all my prayer warriors! ❤️