School is starting, summer is over, and I start work tomorrow- OH MY!
It all came crashing to a screeching halt in the matter of about a day! I saw Dr. Cochran on Friday and reminded her my leave is only approved through 08/31 and she said, "OK, back to work Tuesday, then." Normally, 8 weeks off is standard for DIEP but I feel great, despite my infection and open wounds still. So, I essentially had the weekend to find clothes and bras that fit (which I failed to do), get Vaida's schedule for the first few weeks of e-learning situated (which also is not finished), and all my other errands and to-do's completed so I'm ready for work on Tuesday. Anxious, a bit, eh? YEA!
I need to give a shout out to my home health nurse, Jennifer! Before surgery, a colleague of mine recommended I reach out to get home health services established and I'm SO glad I did! I ended up with a wound immediately post-op from my second surgery and couldn't reach it to change my own dressing. Vaida tried, but is that something I should really rely upon her? Um, no. Jennifer was also able to identify several other minor complications before I could (I'm numb across my torso and can't see under my breasts) and handled everything so graciously with me! I appreciate her so much - SO, if you're reading this in preparation for your own procedures and have the opportunity to either set home health up for yourself or through your doctor's office, take advantage of it! If you're like me, you pay the cost of your left arm in insurance premiums - get the most out of meeting your deductible as you possibly can!
One other thing I'd recommend to others preparing for surgery is to look into Physical Therapy options post-operatively (get it set up in advance though, if you can). I keep telling my surgeon, there's no playbook for this procedure and then she kind of makes me feel like a looney tune for asking questions about milestones, etc. For instance, when she told me I had the weekend to prepare to go back to work, I let her know I hadn't even worn a bra yet. I'm not even sure I can get a bra on! I know for sure I still require help getting shirts over my head at FIVE WEEKS OUT! I think this is normal but she didn't account for all that and how it affects me getting back to a regular routine. She snarkily said, "Well, do you want PT?" As if fitting PT into my schedule at this point is feasible (eye rolllll).
To close, I wanted to share that yesterday was a beautiful day here in central, IL - 80 degrees, sunny, nice cool breeze. At 5.5 weeks post-op, I was able to take the kids and a few dogs (I didn't hold the leashes) to the trails and managed about 30 minutes of hiking! It felt great!
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