Shower day! Woohoo! I am so thankful that I was able to borrow a shower chair and hand-held shower head from work. Boy, did they come in handy! Cooper had to pretty much assist with the entire shower, because I am restricted to lifting my arms above 90 degrees. I purchased a "Wet/Dry" brush from my hair salon, Bennie and Friends, which made brushing my hair that much easier for Cooper. If you have long hair like me, I highly recommend using one of these, plus taking conditioner with you to the hospital. Non-skid bath strips or a mat, inside and outside of the bathtub would also be beneficial to help prevent a fall. Bed Bath and Beyond sells suction cup grab bars that could also be installed to help feel more secure when standing to bathe. Some of my friends also recommended having a fanny pack to wear while in the shower to hold all your drains, although, I have not used one.
My girlfriend, Sarah, came over for a visit today and french braided my hair. It felt so good to have it out of my face! In addition, my friend, Heather, came over to hang with me so Cooper could get out of the house and have a break. I think it is equally important for your caregiver to have time away. This experience is just as hard on them as it is on us.
On my second day home, three of my best friends, Haley, Heather, and Susan, came to visit me and relieved my husband of some of his duties. I was still pretty groggy and sore. We took a short walk outside and I laid on the couch most of the day. Cooper continued to empty my eight drains 3 times per day and was diligent about giving my medications on schedule. My PS has me on a cocktail of pain pills, muscle relaxers, antibiotics, probiotics, anti-nausea medication, and an antihistamine. He has done an excellent job of managing my pain. The soreness is definitely tolerable. I do notice that when the pain pills start to wear off, there is a heaviness in my chest and it feels like rubber bands are squeezed around my armpits. The drains are probably the most annoying part of all of this...they are just simply in the way. We have to be very careful when donning/doffing my button up shirts, robe, or jacket, because it is easy to pull on the drains that are close to my armpits, which is very painful. The day ended with my sweet husband running to Homemade Pie and Ice cream Kitchen, to get me a scoop of Birthday Cake, my all-time fave! I know, I'm like a 6 year old :)
Hi everyone, I am a little behind on the past few days, mainly because I haven't felt much like moving and all the medications I am on make me pretty sleepy. So, here's a little summary on what's been happening in my world over the past few days. Day 3 started off rough. I had a horrible headache most of the night. The nurses and doctors assumed my headache was caused by caffeine withdraw. The antibiotics I was initially prescribed made me very sick with nausea and vomiting. Luckily, I have an awesome PS who checked on me four times that day and changed my antibiotic immediately. I was able to rest well with the medication changes. Later in the day, my nurse aide, Stephanie, and my husband assisted me with a shower, which felt amazing! We headed home around 5:30 that evening.
Although we were a little anxious to be turned lose on our own, we managed fine. Cooper was already an expert at emptying my drains. I strongly recommend that you have your spouse, friend, or family member be trained in the hospital on how to drain your drains, and have them do a return demonstration for the nurse. It makes everything so much easier! I slept well in my own bed that night with 2 pillows under my head and a small pillow under each arm. It definitely is an
Today started out well. Katie was able to get surprisingly good sleep last night. The nurses came in about once an hour or 2 to check drains and vitals. We both woke up at 6:00 AM and started moving around a bit. Katie was taken off of her pain med pump and switched to oral pain medication. Her range of motion was the same. She could only lift her arms up to her mouth. The plastic surgeon came in around 7:00 or 7:30 to check on the stitching on her breasts, drains and check her pain. The stitches were healing well. He said everything looked normal.
Our first visit of the day was from Teah. Katie was glad to see a familiar face. Teah pampered her with a manicure and facial and fixed her hair. Katie was very grateful and happy to be pampered. Katie was given the ok to sit up for the first time and did great. It was painful but she did it with grace. She said it felt like a burn under her arms near her armpit. Nurses said it was normal. She was assisted to the chair and was able to sit up for a couple hours.
My mom stopped by and I was able to go home and shower quickly. A great friend of Katie's, Mindy, stopped by to see Katie. Mindy has been through the same procedure as Katie and has been a wealth of knowledge for us both. Talking to women whom have had the surgery has been the most helpful. We were prepared to bring things to the hospital or have things at home that we would have never thought of had we not talked to these women. Katie was so grateful that Mindy came by to check up on her. Before Mindy left Katie was able to get up and do a lap around her floor of the hospital. She did an amazing job.
We had a lot of visitors today. Family and friends were able to keep Katie's mind off the pain a little. She has said that her chest is feeling tight right now. Tissue expanders will make her chest feel tight until the implant exchange. The drains will cause her to be sore as well. It looks as though 2 drains are starting to "dry up" which is a good thing.
The nurses have been amazingly patient with us and have catered to her every need. The general surgeon stopped by after lunch time and told us that things are looking great as well.
More friends and family stopped by after lunch and Katie took a nap.
Katie was thrilled to see her Mom, Dad, and two sisters. We are very lucky to have such a large support system.
Around 10 Katie started feeling warm and found out she had a fever. This is normal as well. We got her a cool rag for her head, emptied her drains and had her get up and walk a lap around her floor again. This helped lower her temperature and she is now sleeping.
We will be able to go home tomorrow. Nurses will show me how to shower her at home and change her dressings that are covering the drain sites. We are a little anxious about being on our own but I'm sure we will be fine.
Katie has been a champ through this entire process. She is a tough woman and has not complained a bit. I must be the luckiest man on the planet.
Thank you again for all the well wishes, prayers, texts, visits and phone calls. We are very lucky to have each of you in our lives helping us through this.
Much Love,
Katie and Cooper  Teah fixing Katie's hair during the pampering session.
We arrived at the hospital around 5:30 this morning. They took Katie back shortly after for her pre-op. Katie was in good spirits and was not nervous at all. She was ready for it to be over. We gave our hugs and kisses and she was off.
After about 2 1/2 hours the the general surgeon finished removing all of her breast tissue only leaving a small layer of skin. He let me know that everything went very well. The plastic surgeon came in immediately after the general surgeon to put in the tissue expanders. (Tissue expanders go underneath the pec muscles and are filled with a small amount of saline. This allows the pec muscles and skin to stretch gradually over time. Katie will have to meet with the plastic surgeon a couple times a week for a while to have saline put into the tissue expanders until she is expanded to the size of breast she wants to be. This usually takes about 3 months. After she is expanded we will meet with the plastic surgeon to have her breast implants.) The plastic surgeon completed his part in about 2 1/2 hours as well. He said that she did great and it went well.
Katie was in recovery for about two hours and I finally got to see her in her hospital room around 3:00 pm. She was all smiles and said "it is over." The surgeons have done a lot to manage her pain. She said out of 10 her pain has only been to a 4 so far. Katie said it just feels like there is pressure on her chest. There are 8 drains that extract fluids from the breasts that have to be emptied every few hours. As time goes on the drains will only have to be drained about 3 times a day. Katie will have the drains anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks.
Katie has been sleeping off an on. Her nursing staff comes in about once an hour to check her vitals and check the drains. We have been very lucky to have great nurses. They are all very nice and very caring.
She is able to eat and drink and is doing so in moderation. Right now she can only lift her arm up to her mouth. She will not be able to lift her arms to her head for a little while.
Needless to say, things went incredibly well. Seeing her awesome smile and knowing that it is finally over with is incredible. She wants me to tell everyone thank you for the all of the prayers, well wishes and support.
I will keep everyone posted daily until she is able to do it herself.
Thank you all for everyone who have sent flowers, texted, called and came by to hang out with me while Katie was in surgery. It makes it easier when you have so many people to lean on.
Much Love,
Cooper.
My husband and I had our last meeting with my plastic surgeon today, prior to tomorrow morning's surgery. He made specific drawings on my breasts, and explained where the incisions will be made. In addition, he gave me a thorough explanation of possible risks associated with surgery, managing my drains, and my range of motion and weight bearing restrictions post op.
Being an occupational therapy assistant, I have a good knowledge base regarding compensatory strategies for getting dressed and bathed, especially when you can't raise your arms above your head :) However, I have heard that people who work in the medical field sometimes make the worst patients! We shall see...
The days leading up to surgery have been a little nerve racking. The fear of the unknown is the worst part of all of this. Last night, I got a little emotional and questioned whether this was really the right decision. Being someone who has struggled with both weight and body image issues, I have never really felt attached to my breasts. However, the thought of saying "good bye" to my breasts and nipples has been hard. I went on FORCE's website last night and read a beautiful essay that a woman had written about saying "good bye" to her breasts. It was very moving. She reminded me that even though I am saying "good bye" to a part of me, I am saying "hello" to so many good things in my life.
So here I go...
"Hello" to new beginnings with my wonderful husband.
"Hello" to new memories and adventures with my amazing family and awesome friends.
"Hello" to never having to worry about breast cancer again!
Today, I feel loved, supported, confident and strong about my decision to move forward with surgery. So many friends and family members have sent positive words and well wishes today, and the weeks leading up to surgery. I am one blessed girl to have the opportunity to do this. I can do this!!!
 Organizing medical necessities for Cooper for when we return home.
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