Beneath the Bandages

I’m beginning to peek beneath the bandages to see what I can from there.

 

The doctor said I can remove the ace bandage today or tomorrow as long as I leave the other dressings in place over the incisions, but it’s keeping me safe from kitties, so I may not do that.  I have a Velcro kitty (Charli) who likes to fall asleep on my chest, and I want to be able to allow her to do that.

 

Fortunately, she isn’t a kneader, but I still don’t want her on my chest while it has as-yet unclosed incisions, even if they are covered with dressings. So I’ll probably keep the ace bandage on. If I don’t, I’ll wear a binder so Charli can still visit without the worry of contaminating the healing process.

 

But while peering underneath the ace bandage to see what’s viewable, my first big thrill was NO CLEAVAGE. Don’t ask me why I wasn’t expecting that, but I wasn’t.

 

This happy detail means that it isn’t all a fantasy and that I’ll have an unadorned chest when the unveiling happens next Monday. (It’s hard to believe that my chest is magically transformed until I see it with my own eyes. I know for a fact I’m going to cry. That’s a foregone conclusion!)

 

I shared our silliness from yesterday (Lisa’s and mine; see my last blog for the scoop on that) with Jackie, and I think that broke the ice with her. She can see how happy I am, and she laughed (genuinely) when I told her about my conversation with the doctor about nipple grafts sometimes failing to “take”  and the laughs Lisa and I had about that on the way home from the hospital.

 

Then she offered, “What do you care about nipples, anyway? It isn’t like anyone is going to see you.”  I said, “I’M going to see me, frequently and often, in the mirror, marveling at my manly chest, with or without nipples. I can get tattooed nipples.”  She responded, “Oh my God. You’re crazy. And that sounds painful, But then, so did your surgery, so what do I know?”

 

I’m amazed and grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and well wishes from so many people. I visited virtually with Helen Schofield  in New Zealand tonight via Facebook video, and she said she’s delighted for me and that now she and everyone else can stop holding their breaths and just enjoy my transformation.

 

Among the responses were, “You’re glowing!” “You look so happy!” “I’m so glad it went well and easily for you.” “Follow the doctor’s orders.” “Don’t try to do too much too soon.”  “THAT’S IMPRESSIVE!”

 

I’ll be good, I promise. I’m not looking to have any complications from NOT behaving as directed. My doc joked, “My surgery schedule is full. I don’t want to see any complications from this one!”  I said, “If I have anything to do with it, you won’t!”

 

And of course I have everything to do with it. Misbehaving can cause additional bleeding and other problems, so I’m toeing the line as best I can.

 

But do you know how hard it is to get up from a sitting position without having to apply less than ten pounds of pressure on your arms when you’re approaching 70?  I’ve learned how, but it’s a slow process. I’m accustomed to bounding up using my arms and kinda catapulting myself out of recliners (since mine are both broken and the foot rests won’t fold in), so I’ve forsaken my favorite resting places in favor of places that are easier to get out of… and even those are problematic, at best.

 

I have a futon I’m sleeping on, and its seat isn’t level. It slouches down in the back (where my back rests), so getting out of it isn’t easy, but at least it’s do-able without using my arms.

 

I won’t be sleeping in my bed again, probably, until the drains come out next Monday. In a hospital bed, the head can be raised. My bed used to have that ability, but now only the foot can be raised and I don’t think sleeping at the opposite end of the bed will do the job. Foot ends don’t come up as high as head ends. But maybe I’ll give it a try using some pillows to bolster me and see if that works.

 

It would sure be easier to roll out of bed than to get off the futon!

 

Guess that’s all the news that’s fit to print at 3:44 in the morning TODAY!  I’ll see if I can go back to sleep again. I’m just so jazzed that it’s hard to stay asleep all night right now, and I needed to take two Tylenol at 2:30 so I got up at 2:15 to do that… then I piddled around with the new fish and tried to get into a new book that isn’t as good as the back cover led me to believe it would be. (Sad!  I really wanted to love it, but I spotted at least thirty things in just the first few pages that could–and should–have been made worlds better with professional editing, and that put me off it entirely. I’m very disappointed. I simply can’t continue. I’d be gnashing my teeth before too much longer!)