Yesterday I made the trek back to the Doctor's office, drains carefully pinned inside my sweatpants and sweatshirt tied around my waist to hide the bulk. I was taken back to the exam room quickly (amazing the service you get when you pay someone five figures, cash). They took one look at my drains and told me they could come out, as they were barely draining anything and were full of air.
I had been assured by the nurse that most of my pain was being caused by the drains, and while I was looking forward to them coming out of my body, I was DREADING them coming out of my body. Every description I had read said it was a weird feeling; you could feel the tubing being ripped out of you internally. I really had no desire to experience this. So I completely blocked what was about to happen and refused to think about it. I went Scarlett O'Hara on the whole thing, "Fiddle Dee Dee, I'll think about this tomorrow."
Well, I laid down on the exam table and they pulled out each drain. One by one (there were four). OUCH. No, really. OUCH. I felt the drains pulled from my sternum and lower back on each side, and out of the site on my groin where they had originally been placed. The best way I can describe the feeling is that I was laying on the bed and a Kung Fu master was throwing direct, tough punches at my abdomen.
Then, they removed the tape around my abdomen and I got my first good look at my incision. It's not bad. Every time I get frustrated with the thought of having this scar I think about what I looked like with the loose skin and it really isn't all that bad. I'll post pictures, soon.
We left after to go walk around Target and buy some new clothes for me to lounge around in (HELLO SIZE MEDIUM, I HAVE MISSED YOU SO FREAKING MUCH) and I was REALLY uncomfortable. We came home and I laid on the couch. Dinner was prepared for me and I didn't eat it, even though I was on full doses of pain meds I was really uncomfortable so I just went and lay under the covers.
While all this was going on, my skin started feeling really sensitive, like I was warned. My hands and feet got cold and I was involuntarily trembling. I put on three pairs of socks and two comforters and shook until it was time for my next dose of pain meds. I asked my husband to take my temperature and I had no fever. I started getting scared that I was dependent on the pain meds and that is what the shaking was from, because an hour after my dose of meds I felt able to sit up in bed and talk.
I took my last dose of meds for the day (the valium is no longer needed, my internal pain IS much better without the drains) and went to sleep.
I dreamed of a beach, where I was out in the sun all day. I'm white as a lamb so in my dream I contracted an awful sunburn. When I woke up, it hit me - that's exactly what I was feeling! Now that the incision isn't protected by the surgical gauze and tape it feels like I have a blistered sunburn. My solution? Naked time. Really. My poor sister in law - I'm sitting in my bed in a sports bra and panties, and as long as nothing touches my abdomen I have no pain. So...my husband should be happy and my sister in law and I are about to get REALLY close.
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