Post-Op days 4-5

Monday was day 4 post surgery and day 5 in hospital. When the surgeons visited early in the morning I asked again whether I could have the window open and they finally agreed. It was unfortunately a very wet and windy day so the window being open meant it kept banging but I was able to wedge it with some paper. I finally felt more human and they said one of my breast drains could come out. It was a day when I was so grateful to everyone. An amazing HCA washed my hair over the sink and changed my anti-embolism stockings.

The drain coming out was almost painless other than the stitches being removed which was a little sharp but the drain removal was smooth and straight forward. 

Once I was washed and clean I managed to sit out in the chair with a hospital gown on and eat my lunch and dinner. I was able to put myself in and out of bed for a rest when I needed one and I also saw the physio who was very pleased with my mobility and strength. 

All in all it would have been a great day except we had a tremendous thunder storm overnight with sheet lightening. It was so bright it kept me awake for hours but, it cooled the temperature down making Tuesday even better.

Post-Op days 2-3

Saturday 25th May was mixed. I was able to eat for the first time and I got out of bed with help from the HCAs. I felt very awkward as I had so many attachments. I didn’t stay out for long and didn’t eat much at all as I felt so awful. I had a phone call with my family who were all together at my parents 50th Anniversary party. I felt dreadfully sad not to be there but also glad that I had the operation and the cancer was in theory all gone.

I don’t remember much of this day other than trying to keep cool, sleeping and having a quick wash by the bedside. I remember I was still on antibiotics and fluids and that the Doppler of the graft site was every 3 hours. 

However, by Sunday morning things felt a lot different. At around 4 am I asked for some of my own pain relief which I needed to eat with so I had toast and jam which was just amazing. I think I also had tea too. I then had breakfast but needed help to eat as my drip had moved and my hand and arm were swollen like the Michelin man’s. I had to hold my gamgee over me with the other arm which left me with no usable hands. A kind HCA helped me eat some breakfast and get into the chair and have a wash. I felt good in the morning but then I started to feel pretty lousy again. I couldn’t face seeing my poor husband and daughter who came for just a few minutes again before leaving me to rest. 

The consultant came and turned the radiator off but it turned out it was so hot in the room the radiator hadn’t actually been on. I had too much fluid on board and told the Surgeon such. He was very good and just believed me which meant the fluids could be stopped and I could just drink normally.  He approved the glove drain to come out and a dressing change and my catheter to be removed. 

 The nurses came and removed the drain, redressed my wounds and took the noisy fluid pump away. The drain removal didn’t hurt at all and having clean dressings and a fresh gamgee was good as it reduced the nausea.  

I seem to recall eating some lunch and dinner but not much.

After the catheter came out I had to work out how to mobilise around the room to the bathroom and they measured my urine for a few hours just to check it was all normal. 

It was another long night of drain emptying, antibiotics, Doppler checks and ice replacement. 

Monday however was the day I turned the corner.. more on that to follow. 

Post-Op Day 1 24th May

The night of the 23rd was pretty rough. The room was unbearably hot and the radiator was on. I knew that it was important for the room to be warm as it helps to maintain blood flow along the newly connected arteries into the new 'breast' tissues but the heat made everything else feel worse. I was woken hourly for the blood vessels in the new breast to be checked with a doppler (a small hand held ultrasound machine that can detect blood vessels) and the noise of it is almost deafening in the middle of the night in a quiet side room.
I felt nauseated, spaced out and sweaty but my pain was fairly minimal. They gave me IV paracetamol as I did not want to take any more morphine and felt too sick to swallow tablets. I also had a bag of ice that I kept on my head or my feet to try to cool me down a little. I had IV fluids running and the pump noise disrupted my sleep. They emptied my drains at midnight which added to the smell of old blood in the room (which really helped the nausea!)  I found myself thinking in French and Spanish (neither of which I am at all fluent in) and then repeating the name of the operation over and over again trying to remember what the P stood for as the hours dragged by. Finally morning came and I was given IV antibiotics (to prevent infection rather than to treat it) and had my observations done (BP, Pulse, Temperature etc..)
I felt dreadful but tried to sit up to have some breakfast however, I nearly threw up at the first bite and didn't have any more. I managed to drink cold water but other than that I had nothing to eat or drink all day as I felt too awful. I was now down to 2 hourly doppler checks between which I mostly slept and carried on my operation name mantra like a crazy person.