Friday Morning

I am having a nice visit with my family. I'm still sleeping on the couch, and in a neck and neck in the race with my dad to take the most naps each day.

I was supposed to be taking heparin shots since I was released, but due to all sorts of frustrating circumstances, I finally started them yesterday. I have to give myself two each day, about 12 hours apart. I already had practice with the neupogen shots during chemo, so it isn't hard. I still don't enjoy doing it, though.

My wounds are healing really well. I'm amazed at how much healing has gone on already. I put Bacitracin on them every day, and that really speeds up the healing. I still walk hunched over, but I think it is more from the tape holding my bandaging on restricting my movement. Today I'm going to go a different route. Instead of using 4 x 4 guaze pads, I'm going to use long maxi pads and hold them on by wearing an ace bandage as a belt. Hopefully that will give me a little more freedom of movement around my waist and be easier to change out each day. Right now it takes 5-6 gauze pads and a ton of tape to hold everything in place, and I'd like the process to take a lot less time each day.

I'm very pleased with my new "rack" and glad that it isn't any bigger. It is in nice proportion right now. I will likely get a little smaller later after some swelling goes down, but they are very natural looking and feel very natural. When I move my arms, I don't feel an expander tucked under my muscle any more. I just feel squishy fat, like I used to feel. Right before and right after the surgery, I wasn't so sure I had made a good decision because of the pain and amount of healing involved, but I think the memory of that all will fade with time. I'd love for this to be my last surgery ever!

One thing that does really amaze me is the people on extreme makeover shows who get a whole bunch of plastic surgery at once. I can't imagine, knowing what I do now, electing to do all that surgery without needing to. Or electing to have surgery more than once.