Surgery Update

I want to thank everyone for all of the well wishes on Thursday! I am happy to report that surgery went very well. It took him less time than he originally thought, and I warned the anesthesiologist about all of my post-op nausea from last time so they gave me a lot of good drugs while I was out. Luckily I had no nausea this time around. I did develop an irregular heart rhythm for about an hour and a half after surgery so they kept me a little longer just to monitor that, but fortunately it resolved on its own.

I am amazed at much easier this recovery is compared to the mastectomy. Even the night of surgery I was much more functional than I had expected. In terms of pain control I am just taking occasional Ibuprofen. I am definitely not functioning at 100% yet, but I am already back out walking and on our treadmill and elliptical.

The biggest hassle has been dealing with the drains.

If the drainage stays below 15cc/day for 3 consecutive days then I can have them removed at my post-op appointment Thursday morning. As of right now the drainage is almost double that so I am preparing myself for having them for 2 weeks. They are sore, uncomfortable, and incredibly annoying. I will be back at work tomorrow so I am planning my wardrobe carefully in attempt to hide them as best I can.

Overall I have been very happy with the surgery. I am excited to get rid of the drains and finally feel a little more "normal again" It's nice to think that out of a 4 step process (surgery, chemo, surgery, Herceptin) I have three of the four checked off!