Compression, cactus pits, and a bit more about my doctor
Cacti from Doug, which he pointed out are NOT the genus Mammilaria
I mentioned that on Thursday I got the drains out. Throughout all of this, I've had a compression wrap. This helps mitigate swelling (which is a real thing, boy howdy). Postop, I was wrapped in a bias wrap, which you can think of as slightly thinner and less elastic than an Ace bandage. That held a dressing in place over the incisions. That was to stay on for as long as possible.
After my major tape reaction, I removed it and moved to the compression bra they sent me home with. They sent me home with two really nice ones, complete with little clips to hold the drains. But they were loose enough that the didn't really compress. When I asked the doctor, she said it should be reasonably tight and I could stuff the bra...which I found frigging hilarious all things considered.
After the drains came out, I got a new compression wrap that was more comfortable. The incisions were covered in gauze and then an ace bandage wrapped around me. I'm liking this a lot BUT when I showered, I discovered that the gauze over one of the drain holes had become enmeshed in the wound. So removing it meant the wound re-opened. Also, it hurt (note: recommend doing this in the shower...). No big deal, removed, showered, replaced...but then it happened again. So the right side is largely healed at this point but the left is still a bit open. Last night I removed the gauze again and then just sat on the couch sans wrap for an hour while we watched a movie.
Through all of this, I think the armpits have been the most uncomfortable thing. They feel like the cactuses in the photo are shoved under there. I can't wear deodorant, and the skin is tight, so it just rubs and feels chafed. But the reality is that it's just that: discomfort rather than pain, which again is beyond weird to me. Yay science. And even that is getting better as things loosen up and the swelling recedes.
I keep talking about how much I adore my surgeon. It's not just her dry nerdy sense of humor that resembles mine (though that certainly helps), that she seems to have magic hands, or that I have come through this so far almost effortlessly. It's that she talked to me as a human. She listened to me that I had a background in endo and met me on my level, but patiently answered unending questions, never rushing me, knowing that it's a lot to process. She made sure I had ALL the information I could possibly need to inform my decisions. And then she respected my choices. After reading a lot about women whose doctors completely disregarded their wishes, it was fantastic to have a doctor like her.
Back when I was professing, pre-meds were a common source of grief among bio profs. There was a stereotype of the grade-grubber who thought they "deserved" As, even if they didn't earn them, pursuit of knowledge be damned. I would be asked to write letters of rec for students and would struggle to write them if I couldn't envision wanting them to be my doctor (though there were several, to be clear, for whom I was happy to write).
I wonder about the good doctors and part of me would love to dissect what helped them get where they are, become who they are. Alas, not this lifetime.
Tuesday is my surgical follow up...