Drains/Pains

My recovery is going very well, except for the nuisance of the freakin' surgical drains dangling from my body (which, most of the time, are pinned to whatever pants I'm wearing). Eleven days post-surgery and the fluid from my surgical area, while greatly reduced, is still not "clear"(still too much blood/pink) enough to justify the removal of the drains. DANG. While I've been able to shower and carry on normally, I've had to continue to wear baggy, long t-shirts and still can't sleep on either side. As a result, by 4am my back is totally aching and I have to spend the rest of the night (or early morning) sleeping sitting up. Oh well, in general I am feeling very good so this is all really a minor inconvenience.

This week I also had the first fill of my "expanders," which are expanding my skin and muscles to accommodate the eventual placement of my implants. Wow. Was that a difficult and uncomfortable experince. I seriously wondered if I would be able to continue with the process, going through this every week. Luckily, I had medication to help and felt much, much better in the morning. Now that I know what to expect I will just have to be prepared to deal with the pain and inconvenience once a week...I have to "keep my eyes on the prizes," as they say!!

This week was a great one spent with Mom Shiao here to help out, and more food and treats than we could handle. The generosity and kindness of wonderful friends and family has been overwhelming! I'm one lucky girl!!!