:Hello friends of the blog,
Here I am. I'm home and already bored. I don't do idle very well so I'm trying to get myself organized while not overdoing it. I can't drive and I can't lift more than 5 lbs. I also received explicit instructions to not vacuum for at least 12 months. That's not a joke, she really said that...now SHE might have been joking but I don't think so. I think she was quite serious. Ask Bobby, she said it to his face!
Anyway, our overnight stay wasn't bad. I slept ok and they didn't poke on me too much through the night. I had a lovely cholesterol free omelet and baked hasbrowns for breakfast (they had the "Wellness Menu") and then we had a lovely visit with my brother in law and then they turned me loose!
We were home by Noonish, had some lunch and then I needed something to do. So I cleaned off my desk - trust me, it needed it - and then I started menu planning. I had to take a much needed nap and woke up to dinner from my dear mother in law.
Now I have the kiddos in bed, I've taken a shower and realized that it's going to take a few days to get the ink off (yay). Now I'm ready to settle down for good night's rest.
For those interested in the surgical experience, I have some swelling, the drain is producing a lot since I'm moving around more and we are guestimating that I have 30+ stitches. We're not going to take the time to count them (yet) but there are a bunch. The area is about the size of a small nerf football and almost the same shape. The incision she made yesterday is not just in that shape because she had to make a hole big enough for her arm, that piece of skin will be moved along with the muscle when I have surgery #2 in about 19 days. Here's a visual in case that description makes no sense.

from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/breast-reconstruction/multimedia/latissimus-dorsi-flap/img-20005836

So, for right now, I just have the incision from the picture on the far left. She opened me up and then closed me back after detaching the muscle. Next time around she will release the muscle again (since it will already be working on reattaching), tunnel it through under the skin under my arm and will pull it through an open incision in my chest. That skin will fill in the space that my radiated skin cannot. Once it opens up, since it has no elasticity anymore, it can't be pulled back together and expected to hold up. It would pop open again. She said that it will likely pop open a little even after this procedure. She expects to have to stitch me up a few times as we go through the process.
As a reminder, this process is going to take most of the year. I will have surgery part 2 on February 1st. She will move the muscle on the left side and also do some work to the right side before putting in the expanders. I then have to heal for at least 6 months before we start filling the expanders - depending on how my skin holds up, that process could take weeks or months. Once the expanders are the appropriate size, they will be removed in yet another procedure and will be replaced with the permanent implants. There will be some other minor procedures as part of the process but those are the biggies. So, the phase 3 journey has begun. We've been through Phase 1 was diagnosis and surgery. Phase 2 was treatment and Phase 3 is reconstruction. Wow, what a ride.

Thanks for checking in. I'll update you again tomorrow. The next couple of days will likely be the hardest, physically, day 3 tends to be the worst but we'll see. It's not been too horrible so far. *KNOCK ON WOOD*

Love to all,
Andee