Wednesday, May 30, 2007

And the Drain Keeps Going



We visited both doctors yesterday, Dr. Hodges first and he was disappointed in the amount of fluid that drain #1 is still producing. He can't start inflating the tissue expander until that last drain is out. He's really proud of his handy work on the left breast reduction that he did. And it does look nice. There will hardly be any scars on it at all in 6 months probably. He told us to come back next Tuesday. How disappointing!

Next we saw Dr. Laidley, who was also very pleased with the progress, except that she wanted the drain out also. This drain is in the place where she removed the 9 lymph glands, so there is more healing going on there. She, too, wants to see me next Tuesday. She did tell me to start "using 'her' a little bit a few times a day (talking about my right arm) to start a little bit of exercise for the mastectomy side. She showed me how to reach up and touch the top of my head with my right arm and do that 3 times. I was thinking----what an exercise!!! Until I did it yesterday. Believe me, it was enough.

Between the visits we had time to kill, so we stopped at a Sonic and had strawberry milkshakes! That was a staple while I was going through chemo and I hadn't had one since my last chemo on 4-6-07.

Both doctors are pleased with my progress. Neither has released me for work, for driving, for exercising or much of anything else except rest. BOY, am I rested!