On Wednesday 29th May at midnight I had my remaining drain emptied again. It had over 100 mls in it and I was so disheartened because the threshold for removal was 50 ml. The nurse caring for me said it could possibly still come out but that the surgeons would decide later.
I saw the surgical team around 7 am and they said it would be up to my surgeon who was in theatre but that they would contact him for a decision and let me know as soon as possible.
I was very restless for the rest of the day. I kept walking around the ward just to get out of my room and see some people. I was feeling pretty well considering how I had been only days before. I still had some persistent vertigo but finally had some tablets for it and I was getting sick of hospital food, a good sign that I was about ready to go home!
The ward seemed to be planning for my discharge because the pharmacist came and checked my medications and they said they would change my bed sheets if I didn't go. I was glad to be able to walk around and I also managed to sit and watch some netflix on my phone but I found I couldn't concentrate on anything like books or puzzles, or even games on my phone.
I video chatted with my family who were all on holiday together (a holiday I had planned to be on) which helped keep my spirits up and I was texting with my daughter and the friends who were looking after her so I knew she was ok.
Finally at around 2.30/3pm I think they said that the surgeon had approved the drain to come out and I could go home!
They took the drain out almost at once and re-did my dressings again.
I was told I would get an appointment to come back to the plastic surgery unit for a dressing change around a week later and a further appointment to discuss the histology results of the tissue they took.
My husband went to collect our daughter then came to get me so I could get home and rest.
It was amazing being home, being able to sleep without interruption, eat what I liked and have my family around me.
I remember I rested a lot when I got home and I worried about how I would sleep as up to that point I had slept sitting upright as the abdominal wound pulled when I tried to lay flat. I settled with a foetal position as this kept my skin from pulling and meant I didn't need to be propped up. I so badly wanted to lay on my stomach but it took weeks before I could do that and even then it was uncomfortable because it pulled so much.
I was in minimal pain as the support and bra kept everything relatively comfortable and the skin over my new breast as well as on most of my abdomen was (and still is) numb. The weird thing was having an armpit that was half numb. I've got used to it now but for quite some time it was very odd putting deodorant on and shaving my armpits.
So my hospital journey had ended and the new journey of looking after myself began.
More on the first few weeks out of hospital in the next post.
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