Daily routine

Not sure if I mentioned it earlier, but the surgery was on Monday and I was able to come home on Tuesday afternoon. I was really glad to come home and I think it is an encouragement to be out of the hospital. I think we equate hospitals to being sick, and home to being better. I truly feel that is why they send you home so quickly...for you to know you are much better. I wasn't having any issues from surgery other than pain management, which could be taken care of at home just as easily as the hospital.

I must say the 2 vicadens on the way home from the hospital didn't seem to have any effect, but how could any medicine have any effect on a bumpy road!! lol I tried it again at home and was soooo loopy!!! So back down to just one every six hours or so. They make me blurry eyed and kinda drowsy...can't really see straight! And then I have an antibiotic that I take twice a day.

I can say my chest area doesn't give me pain, but it is mostly my underarm and arm that give me difficulty. I can't raise my left arm more than a few inches. I can raise it from the elbow up and down, but not from the shoulder. Apparently when they took the lymph nodes, probably some muscle went with it. So that will take some time to heal. At the elbow it feels like someone taking blood..you know when they tie on the rubber strap and kink it down real tight?! ouch!

I can put my left palm on the base of the keyboard though, and my fingers can reach all the keys! Val told me some exercises I can do to help get a little strength in there and I'll be doing those. They are to walk my left fingers up a wall--which is SOOOOO hard to do, OH MY GOSH!!! But I can go up a little ways before calling it quits! :) The other is a cintrifegal (sp) force type exercise. I hold on to a table with the right hand and move my body back and forth...it makes my left arm move gently back and forth, and then do the same thing from side to side, making my arm move side to side. Just to keep everything in there working.

The hard part is put on Graland unfortunately. It is his job to dress the wounds and make sure the drains are taken care of. I have two drains, one for the breast area and the other for the underarm incision. Once they are draining less than 30 ml for two days, I can get them taken out!!! I am very close on the front drain!! YIPPEEEE The underarm is going to take a few more days though! But the amount is dropping properly each day, so that is very encouraging! Graland has been such a wonderful husband and I am so very very thankful that he is able to take care of me. I know how difficult it is...it's not pretty to look at and I know he hurts terribly for me. But we are learning to be very optimistic and only say positive words. It is looking better each day and healing is coming along as it should. He does dressings twice a day, takes temp, measures drain amount, washes my hair every other day, and just sees to every need. I wanna cry...he is so awesome!!! I LOVE YOU GRALAND!!! :) God is so good to hear our pleas.

In fact the first night home, I was on the couch and so groggy, couldn't read anything and needed a psalm. I asked him to read Ps 34, which Sherry had given me earlier. In it it says that God hears us when we call on Him. I told Graland, Help me call on him.. my mind is toast I can't do anything! :( And he did and we prayed together.

It is now Saturday and I can put on my nightshirt all by myself!! It is a men's pajama top..just can't find anything in the ladies department!! Buttons up the front...sadly no pink or purple in the men's department...actually...I guess that is NOT sadly though!! lol

Carla...everything is "moving along" as scheduled now! :) woohoo

School and church have been incredible with meals!!! I am getting nice and plump...thankfully my appetite is one thing that has not been affected!

Well, wanted to keep you updated. Mrs. Bookman brought over movies for the girls and I'm having a lovely time watching Lassie with Roddy McDowell and Elizabeth Taylor.

My next appointment is scheduled for Thurs April 19 with my oncologist and the plastic surgeon to find out about the lymph nodes. Hopefully I'll go in before that and get these drains removed...that will be a huge hurdle!!

Positive thoughts and positive words. I'll have to find it in the Bible, but Angela reminded me that scripture says what you believe in heart, so shall it be. I believe I'm healed and there is no reason to think it will ever come back! SO SHALL IT BE. :)

Completely loving Bernie Seigals books that Bill Collier suggested. Thanks Bill!!!