I Am Not a Good Patient. * Estrogen Content*

I really need a frowny face here.  For an update, and I will try to skip through details to get where I am.  I think I will write details in another post.

Arrived at surgery center for my 2nd stage Breast reconstruction otherwise known as the "Exchange" surgery.  My pucketts (TE) were expanded to 750 ccs of saline but the right one kept leaking.  Never knew why.  Even after they took it out, I was told, "it was definately deflated but couldn't tell why."  Because you need the pressure of the Tissue Expander to keep that pocket or capsule stretched out, they scheduled me for surgery.  So there I was.

Took 3 sticks to start IV.  Yeah, for lidocaine!  They believed me when I said, hard stick - shy veins.

Dr.. Puckett came and drew all over my pucketts, spiderwebs and all.

There was a BIG hoopla because I'm supposed to be allergic to Keflex.  Because the IV took so long, they were rushing to get all the other presurgery stuff done.  Someone hung Keflex.  uh oh.  Nurse noticed it was running.

The first thing I noted upon waking up was the strange sensation of little pain.  Wasn't expecting THAT!  They buzzed around while I tried to get my eyeballs to point in the same direction.  I told them I will recover faster if you allow my husband back here to keep me focused and talking.  They rushed out to get him.

He came back and while I was uncomfortable, it was like 5 on the scale using the pain I awoke with from the Bilateral Mastectomy with 1st stage reconstruction.  THAT was my 10.  They gave me a little IV morphine.  Rosey was in good hands.

Yep.  That's me on Morphine.  My new foobies are under all that ace wrap.







I was sent home with a list of scripts, my husband stopped on the way home to pick up.  I was still feeling ok.  I was given really GOOD drugs.

By 8 pm I had finished with a meal and was feeling beat and for bed.  I took a Dilaudid for sleep because I wanted to not move the new foobies.  Not one way or the other.  I never knew how Dilaudid would affect me, never having it before.  It was the first drug EVER that I felt worked.

Friday I went to the clinic and had the giant ace wrap taken off.  I looked down at the new foobies and was pretty discouraged.  Not what I was expecting.  I have two big round sets of 2 stacked pancakes.  Big and round but they barely project off the chest.

Sat. I had lunch in town and was looking for a baby gift at Samsclub.  I thought I could handle it as I felt pretty good.  It was hot there, crowded and people were rude.

The trip was strange.  I was cold.  I put on my sweater, because it's common for Mr. Rosey to keep the ac blowing at temps appropriate for hanging meat. Still I quivered with shivers. Slowly it dawned on me that I was having chills.  I shivered all the way back home.  I needed to answer nature's call, then I noticed I was now shivering so hard, my feet were bouncing.  Uh oh.  Been there before, these are RIGORS.

My temp was 103.6...way to high for "over doing".  I called the surgical resident on call.   He basically said take 2 tylenol and come see me in the morning.

I took my meds, fell asleep.  I awoke, no fever yesterday and felt foolish for having over reacted to a fever.  So I called to tell him, the fever was gone.   Dr. Puckett will want to see me for my regular appointment.

I am very anxious, moody, discouraged and I don't like waiting to get better.  I'm wearing something called a push down strap that makes me want to shriek in frustration.  I don't like missing out.  I feel like the kid who got put to bed when the party started.  There's a lot of emotional stuff tied up in this I didn't expect.  Remember post partum days, I am that emotional.  All over the scale.  I don't have hormones, so I don't know where this comes from.

Saw Dr. Puckett today and he was very happy with his work.  I'm expecting too much too soon, and he thinks the fever and chills is just the reaction to how brutal he had to get with my "pocket".  He put me on more antibiotics just to be safe.  He said I was not the easy, pop them in exchange.  He had to work at it and it became a major undertaking.  He was happy that I was not complaining of pain.  But said I was not the typical exchange.

I am told my body went through more than I was aware of.  I guess the mild pain had made me feel even MORE impatient to just get on with it.  Still no driving, no lifting more than 5 lbs.  Husband hates that 8 lb iron!  Everything itches and twitches and I'm told to be patient.  aaaaaauuuuuuuugggggggggghhhhhhhh.
Now you are caught up without all the detail work.  This was boring wasn't it.  lol