58. Left drain out!!!

Don't scratch....

Don't scratch....don't do it....don't...

DON'T SCRATCH........

GAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Sometimes I fail.

The hives are not pleasant to say the least. It's both arms, shoulder, neck up to jaw, back of neck, chest above incisions, and now on my sides near the drain sites. The antihistamine takes the edge off slightly but sometimes it's not quite enough and ice packs help. The last couple of nights I have been sleeping with some icepacks for my arms and neck/upper chest area.

On Friday I saw Dr Inder. She took off the see through dressings on my incisions. Thankfully they didn't immediately come apart and the scars look very nice and clean. I told her that Renee from Restore Oncology said they could always tell the scars from Dr Inder as they are the neatest. "I don't respond to flattery" she says. What about compliments? I think to myself. There is a difference. She puts on some other thin strip things over the scars (longwise) and said keep them on, shower like normal and they will come off when they are ready. She checked my left drain site, not as red and feels much better. She says it looks ok. I ask her about the hives and could it have been something I was given in the operation. She doesn't know what the anaesthetists give but says usually reactions happen pretty quickly if it was that. The surgical drapes? No, she says they didn't go on my arms. I mentioned I had the same thing with the last operation, only a few weeks after and only on my right side. "Perhaps the silicon in the drains?" she says. Great, that would be right, having a silicon allergy. She says the drains can come out when they are 30ml of less for 2 days and wouldn't want them out sooner due to me being high risk for pockets of fluid to form under the skin which could end up painful or even get infected. They would also have to be reduced by me being stuck with a syringe and the fluid suctioned out. She will see me again in two weeks. When I was leaving and going to pay the medicare rebate system went down and so the receptionist gave me a freebie. That was nice!

I did a bit of research into silicon allergy and I did find a research paper which confirms Dr Inder's theory. This talked about medical silicon intubation, implants and topical allergic reactions and guess what, exactly like I have. Even the photos used in the study could be me, exactly how I look at the moment. Apparently it's rare, about 1% of people. You know, I like being unique but sometimes being part of the rare group sucks...well, itches! The community nurse yesterday said she had a lady a couple of months ago that also had a drain and hives and then nurse this morning said she had a lady a couple of weeks ago too. Maybe not quite so rare after all. The nurse today said she will mentioned it to her manager and see how many other people have reported it. Is it increasing? Have the manufacturers changed their formula?

Drain levels

Thursday - Left, 35ml, Right 100ml

Friday - Left 50ml, Right 120ml

Saturday - Left 30ml, Right 100ml

Sunday (today) - Left 28ml, Right, 70ml

Yep, the left drain came out today. Nurse Una came around 12.30pm. I was in the middle of having lunch. It was cauliflower soup which I had made a couple of days ago. Delicious. A John Kanell recipe of course. https://preppykitchen.com/cauliflower-soup/ Una checked my drain levels and then said "Left one is coming out today". YES!!! That was very exciting news. I didn't know if they would take it out today or tomorrow. She wanted me to lie down on a bed so I went into Mither's room as it had good light in there. She took the dressing off, snipped the stitch holding it into place and then said "Wiggle your toes". I could feel it coming out but it didn't hurt. The tube end would've been up near my sternum so a good 30cms or more inside me. I had asked Una if she knew where the drain tubes went and she did know as she used to be a theatre nurse. She put a waterproof dressing on it and said that it would weep for a few more days as the hole from the tube will take a bit to close. I remember that from last time.

This afternoon I went for a lie down and was watching a show on Netflix but couldn't keep my eyes open. So I took my contacts out and had a nap until dinner time. I do think that the itching may be slightly less intense on the left side. Let's see how it is tomorrow. The study I read said that the hives start to go away anywhere from when the silicon is removed or 2-4 weeks after. Let's hope for the first one please! I had to take my watch off due to the itches encroaching under the band.

I drove my car a few of times this week. First time was to Tradies at Gymea for the Breast Cancer Support Group, second time was to the local cafe and third time was to choir practice. Driving is a bit awkward but doable for short distances. The seatbelt fits properly now there aren't massive mountains of flesh in the way. (On a side note, car crash dummies are made to be like a white male man around age 35, normal BMI and who is about 178cm tall - which is why fatalities for women in car crashes are higher than men. Look it up, there has been studies done. Another thing where women are disadvantaged in everyday life and less safe. I wonder when true equality will happen?).

Talking about those massive mountains - I got the pathology report on Friday. Right boob was 2913g and left boob was 2542g. That is 5455g or almost 5 1/2kg of boob! On the right boob I added the 105g that was taken out with the first operation. I feel a lot lighter indeed. When I've gone for a shower and got my clothes together a couple of times I have had to remind myself I don't need to take a bra with me. Things you have done for years and years take a while to get out of the habit. I like to say I have a couple of micro boobs and a micro cleavage at the moment. There is a little bit of fluid still in the middle of my chest. It will go away either through the drain or will be absorbed back into the body.

I've been sewing hexagons together. I've been sitting out on the back deck to have the sunlight to see better. I have been wearing my UV shawl to cover my arms, often having an ice pack on the itches, and using the retractable awning to make sure my hands are only in the sun. The sun it HOT. It's winter here but we have been having beautiful days. High teens to low 20's during the day time. The wind chill brings it cooler in the shade but the sun is very hot direct on the skin. I still have hexagon templates to cut out, cover in fabric and then pin onto my design boards as well. They are something I can take with me when I'm out. Easier to do if I don't have that good light. There is no rush, this is a slow sew project.

I also did some crochet. My aunt Cath and cousin Danita crocheted "Patches" the cow, sans udder. She arrived in the mail from WA before my operation. She is about 30cm tall, maybe a bit more. She is pink with white patches. Totally appropriate that she doesn't have an udder as I don't either now. When April was here last week she said that Patches needed some shoes and a cape. Then she could be 'super cow'. So, I crocheted her some little shoes and a cape. She hasn't seen them finished yet as I had to go to the hospital last Monday - infection and all.

Exercises - my shoulders and arm mobility is coming back again, slowly does it. Now that the left drain is out I have started the exercises where I reach above shoulder height on that side. Last time I remember it was a good month or six weeks before I started to feel like my movement was coming close to normal. The people at Restore Oncology Clinic will be helping me with the scar tightness as well. I have an appointment with them on the 21st. Lewis is away on holidays for a few weeks. Good timing so I don't have to miss too many classes with my operation and recovery.