I had my reconstruction surgery on February 2, 2007 and I was supposed to be home in five days. Here it is day 10 post-surgery and I am still in the hospital. I should have been home 5 days ago but my developing pneumonia was something that was out of my control. The pneumonia is gone and my lab work looks great so I am finally getting discharged.
Before my surgeon would let me go home I had to look at the incisions. I don’t know why I was perfectly fine not looking but if I had to I would so I could go home. I could not really see the abdominal ones but I could see the incisions on the “girls” and when I did I started crying. I had looked online when I was preparing for the surgery but seeing them still made me cry. I looked so weird with all these drain tubes and sutures still visible. I was all bruised and honestly I looked so gross. My husband was great he said I looked great and I knew he was lying but he tried.
The doctors all signed my discharge papers and I was finally set free to go home. I put a pillow on my lap between the seat belt and my incisions. I swear the road must have gotten bumpier while I was in the hospital. When I got home my kids were so happy to see me the waited on me hand and foot. My little girl cuddled in bed with me and we watched Disney Princess movies all day. My husband played nurse to me and emptied the drains and changed the bandages every day. My middle son wanted to help change the bandages so we let him do the one on my new belly button. With the TRAM flap breast reconstruction that I had the surgeon had to make me a new belly button. I was just happy to be home and happy to see that my kids missed me.
We have a cat his name is Bubba and he used to climb on my chest to sleep. It is so weird somehow he must know not to go there because he walks up licks me and lies next to my head. I guess he missed me too.