It's Sunday morning and I am feeling strong and refreshed. I had kind of a busy day yesterday, but it was a different kind of busy than going to work. We had friends come over to watch the football game with their two young children. Jack did most of the heavy housework, but I finished cleaning the kitchen (just because I like things "just so" when company is coming over) and cleaned our room. I had to clean our room because it was a mess because of me. My stuff was everywhere, it's been piling up since before Christmas. It was good to get everything put away. I also cooked a simple dinner. All in all, I moved slowly through the day getting everything I wanted to get done, done. Even though it wasn't a hustle bustle sort of day, it was enough to get me tired by late afternoon. At least I didn't spend all day sitting at a desk, like I do at work. This morning, I feel pretty good.
The doctor's office visit went well. Kimber, Dr. Hodge's nurse, clipped off all of the stitches that were poking through my skin. This will help the healing process. She is not worried about the little sore spot under my right breast. She fished a surgical knot out of that spot, which is probably what led to the abscess in the first place. She said that the sore was very superficial and nothing to worry about and to keep treating it with neosporin and a bandaid.
One thing she was not particularly happy about was a hard spot at the very center of my abdominal incision. This is the spot where a small vertical incision from where my belly button used to be meets the large horizontal abdominal incision and forms an upside down T. That area is firmer than the surrounding areas and she instructed me to massage it with more pressure. Also, she wants me to do my scar massage twice a day, not just in the morning. I have recruited Jack to the position of nighttime massage therapist, which makes having to add an extra 30 minutes of massage to my daily scar treatment routine a lot more pleasant. One of the side benefits of having him do the massage for me is that he can apply a lot more pressure than I can. Also, I have him massage the lipo area on my outer thighs which is difficult for me to do on my own. I hope to see some improvement in the area below my navel by the time I go back for my 1/25/16 appointment.
I am now permitted to spend some time each day without wearing a binder or compression garment of any sort. It's nice to be able to give myself a break. That said, Kimber did confirm that I will be wearing garments of some sort for 3 full months (7 more weeks), but after that they would no longer be necessary.
At Friday's appointment we started talking about the little things that Dr. Hodge would fix once the healing is complete, probably in May. He likes to wait six months, to make sure nothing else will change. Mostly, it is the ends of all of the big scars. At the end of each scar, there is a gathering of the skin and the scars are thicker and pucker a bit. This is a known probable result and it is very easy to fix in the doctor's office with local anesthetic. There will not be a charge for this. I am not at all anxious about these spots, as I sort of expected something like this and I know Dr. Hodge will fix it. This is something we discussed prior to the surgery.
I want to get fitted for new bras that fit well. I'd also like a really comfortable bra to sleep in. I may try to get to Victoria's Secret today for a fitting. That depends on what else Jack and I decide to do today. I think we both want to get out of the house and do something different, we have a bit of cabin fever, but it is so cold today and there is snow on the ground. We'll see what the day brings.
That's it for now.
Have a beautiful day!
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