Friday, November 9, 2012

Day 18: Super itchy and DRAINS ARE OUT!

Today is a turning point in my recovery journey!  I was producing less than 25ml of fluid per 24 hour period from each drain... so I called Doc's office, gave them my numbers, and they told me I could come in and have the drains removed today at 1:15!!!!

Time for a good old fashioned happy dance!


So I had lunch with my friend at around 11:30, we chatted for a long time and I'm glad, because it made the time pass quickly.  I also enjoy talking with her, so you know, double bonus.  We were done, so then I drove around a little bit and headed to Doc's office.

What Drain Removal is like:

Doc didn't even have me get gowned up, since I had a flowy dress on that I could just hike up for him to have abdominal access.  I laid back on the exam table, and tried not to look.  He clipped the stitches holding the drain in place, then gave me a "1-2-3" and pulled it out.  It didn't hurt, it just felt realllly weird... so I said, "Ok, that is the weirdest thing I have ever felt in my life.  I feel like you just pulled a slimy piece of spaghetti out of me!"

Evidently that's what everyone says.  Or some say it feels like a snake slithering out, but yuck.  I keep conjuring up the image of a pool overfilled with eels or something.  Just a slimy-noodle-pulling feel... from a place inside you that your'e totally not used to really feeling anything.

So then I told him when he pulled out the other one, to let me see it before he dropped it in the trash.  I was curious to know if it looked like the one I found in my online image search for surgical drains, lol!  Indeed it did not.  

The one I found online looked like this, with the flat part being what's inside you collecting your goo:


The one I had looked like this, with channels along the side instead of the little holes.  Doc said the ones with holes get clogged up too easily... Mine actually reminded me of a straw.  The sides are kind of fluted:

 

They weren't icky or bloody or gooey or anything.  So, while very strange, that was way easier than I expected.  I thought it would hurt at least a little.  The second strangest feeling in the world is moving around once those drains are out...lol.

He put gauze over the holes where the tubes came out, and taped it down.  I just need to keep gauze or a maxi-pad over them in case they leak goo a little, and that's about it.

I have my 3-week appointment next week, so at that time we'll determine when I'm allowed to take a bath.  My assumption is that those holes need to seal up before I can sit in water : )

Itchy Boobs

My breasts are starting to un-swell noticeably.  They are also starting to itch like CRAZY... which is funny because the skin on the bottom of my breasts is numb, yet I still feel like it's itchy.  If I try and scratch it, I can't feel a damn thing.  Evidently it's those nerves kind of trying to re-lay their map and figure out what's going on.  I hope they learn soon, it's driving me bonkers!!!!

I'll try some cool washcloths to see if I can get any relief.  I promise not to claw my new cute breasts off.





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