Photo: This is the "hospital bed photo" complete with IV's, etc. (note: lovely 'Fairy Crown' to make people smile at me - it worked!)Hello Dear Ones,
Yes, I have tubes but only two. One is a drain for the incision site which has a bulb container which I empty 3 times a day. And the other is for pain relief that I describe below.
Here's a quick lowdown but I have soooo much to tell you about!! So, more later :) (Plus my brain is still a little "funny" from all the drugs ;)
Thank you for your support just before I went to surgery (27th). I got back yesterday evening after a one night stay in the hospital. I had a mastectomy with sentinel node lymph biopsy.
I have had minimal pain. (Yay!)
I have a continuous local anesthetic (marcaine?) for about 2 1/2 days after surgery - an amazing device that administers it slowly from a ball like container held in a pouch outside my body with tubing going into the incision area (I call it my magic ball). I am also well bound up around my body so the drain doesn't move around inside. I'm off narcotics (had a morphine drip with PCA then transitioned to vicodin but only took one tablet as it made me weird!) as of yesterday 11am and I'm taking ibuprofen (600mg) and keflex antibiotic. Hopefully this will work still when the marcaine ends.
My preliminary report is the nodes were negative - double yay!
Now I have to wait for the path report - the holidays might delay it.
Send prayers,good thoughts please for a good one!
Lots of love to you all,
Joanne
PS I think I have the best surgeon. He is a perfectionist with a huge heart.
