12 days post-op

Back to the doc a day early this week for the leaking drain.  She said it was fine, not ideal for the fluid to be coming out that way, but it's coming out and that's the goal.  She offered a suggestion to help the inconvenience of the leaking - use a maxipad over the drains instead of the dressings.  I'm going to stick with two 8-ply dressings over the left side and one on the right.  Just have to watch it a little better than I did yesterday, when it leaked through several layers of clothes.  Fortunately, I was wearing black jeans and it wasn't noticeable.  I can start wearing the new binder today, but might wait until I get the drains out.  I'll have to look at it and see how easy it will be to pin up the drain bulbs.


I asked the doc about putting lotion or oil on my stomach and she said it was fine as long as it didn't get around my stitch line.  No problem!  Hopefully, the lotion will help ease the stretching a little bit.


The nurse took the tape strip off the sutures so the doctor could examine everything.  All good.  She put a clean strip of tape over it before I got dressed and said it will come off for good next week.  Yay!  I have an appointment on Tuesday, another week, to get the drains out.  They have to come out by three weeks regardless of output, and that will be Thursday next week.  I think they'll be fine to come out Tuesday, if not sooner.  If the output continues declining at the current rate, I'll probably be able to call the office in a couple days and ask to get in their next appointment.  I CAN'T WAIT TO GET THESE DRAINS OUT!  :)


Had an unusually good night sleep last night and it really made a big difference how I felt when I woke this morning.  I love my new bed!  I have had more energy today and feel less melancholy than I have been the past several days.  I bought some face wash cloths with soap already in them - don't remember what they're called - and they really make sponge bathing quicker and easier.  I just wet a cloth, wash my upper body, wet another cloth and do my legs and "other areas", then sat on the side of the tub and used a regular wash cloth wet and wrung out to wipe off the soap all over.  Have to rinse the cloth several times to get all the soap off, but it's easier than it sounds and really makes me feel a whole lot better.  I then stood in the shower with the hose attachment and hung my head upside down for a good head washing.  My feet got washed in the process.  :)  Almost as good as a full-blown shower.  Followed with some good quality lotion and I was ready for anything.