Day Eight

Today was a definitive turning point in my surgery recovery. I feel nearly completely back to normal! All in one day. Wow. It's an amazing feeling of relief to be back in my life. Truly. It was fun spending a week high on painkillers in my recliner - I think - from what I can recall - but my real life is so much more interesting and never dull. So glad to be back!

I had an appointment with my surgeon this morning regarding the nerve issue going on in my left arm. Ironically, I woke up this morning and my arm felt significantly better. The pain has decreased almost to nothing, but the numbness is still there and quite bothersome. My dr. reassured me that none of the nerves in my arm where I am having trouble connect anywhere near where he was working during the surgery. So he believes it probably has to do with the way my arm was positioned during the surgery or something to do with the blood pressure cuff - perhaps a nerve was pinched and is trying to heal now. Either way, he believes it is temporary. We shall see.

As a bonus, since I was there, he removed all of my bandages and clipped a few stitches that were sticking out of the skin where my drain tubes were removed earlier this week. All is healing nicely and at this point, the incisions just need to heal and the swelling needs to subside and I'll be as good as new. Woot!

I questioned him about what he thought about using silicone strips along the incisions after they are closed. Basically, these are strips of silicone that are *said* to aid in the healing of scar tissue - making it more flat and less red. He said he'd never seen evidence of any product that helps scars heal better than just letting them heal, and he spent 15 years in the burn unit at Riley Children's Hospital. So the dude knows scars.

He said he'd never had a patient take him up on this: putting the strips on one breast and nothing on the other to see for himself whether they work. Me being me, of course, immediately said, "I'll do it!" That's so right up my alley. I love stuff like that. So we laughed, shook hands, and agreed that once the incisions are closed, I'm going to put the silicone strips on one side and not the other and do our own experiment! I'll keep you posted ...

Mrs. Zipps took me to my doctor appointment, so after that I was so excited to be feeling normal again, we went shopping at Costco. That's right. Not Nordstrom or Macy's. Costco. And we had coupons.

Just livin' the dream, baby. Just livin' the dream.