Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

I am truly hoping that this will be the last post I make about my drains…at least until my next surgery…which I don’t dare think about yet. Tomorrow, I see the reconstructive surgeon and have my fingers and toes crossed that he will remove my final drain. This plastic tube that is sutured to the…

Before being discharged from the hospital I was given a booklet entitled “Exercises after breast or upper body lymph node surgery”.  It lists several exercises to start to do the first week after surgery and then another set after you have your drains removed, which in the book says “in seven days”. Ha, who are…

It’s Saturday. The “weekend”! Normally that would feel special but for me everyday is Saturday…without the “special”. I have been feeling a bit stronger every day although I tire very easily. In fact I just woke up from a three hour nap. Before my surgery, I was lucky to sleep three hours straight a night…

Just got back from a trip to the clinic to have my dressings changed and drains examined. My right drain has slowed down a lot the last few days although the left is still producing abundantly and still leaking. The nurse examined the drains and reviewed the spreadsheet where I record the output every time…

  For the last two days I have been fighting a fever. It’s really taken its toll on not only my body but my psyche. This time last week I was still in hospital and so yes I know, I am doing much better than I was, BUT, today I am definitely feeling down. For…

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I hadn’t really left my bedroom let alone the house since my surgery. I was feeling rather smug; thinking “I got this. My recovery is going to be faster than expected because I’m strong and determined.” Well the determined part may be true but the rest…not so much.…

Today was my first day out of the house since Friday. I’ve been camped out in my bedroom since arriving home after surgery. Today, I had an appointment at the V.O.N. clinic to have my dressings changed and my sutures examined. Apparently if you can get to the clinic, then that’s where they want you…

Drainage tubes. The bane of my existence. They have to be milked and drained several times a day and the amount of fluid from each drain has to be recorded. Yes, you read right…milked and drained. Sounds like I’m a dairy cow….without teets! Let me try to explain how these things work. One end of…

I haven’t yet talked about Wednesday June 13th other than a brief post as I left for the hospital. It’s taken me these last few days to gather up enough strength to tackle this subject. The day was hot and muggy, even though it was only 5:30am when we left for the hospital. The air…

The in-home nurse just left. It was my first time having someone come to the house for help. She inspected my drains, changed some dressings and reviewed my spreadsheet with all the meds. “Wow”, she said, “You’re very organized”. I know this will seem silly but I was proud that the nurse was giving me…

Cyclopentasiloxane and PEG, every day, twice a day Dilaudud (8mg) every day, 6 times a day Dulcolax (100 mg), everyday, once a day Ketorolac(10mg) every day, 4 times a day Amox/Clav, 3 times a day, every day Welcome to Club MED. Unfortunately there’s no beach, no pool, no entertainment  and definitely no swim up bar.…

Given the go ahead to go home. You have no idea what good news that is for me. Hospitals are NOT FUN! Did you know that there are a lot of sick people there?! I had a rough time of it. The last 48 hours have put me to the test but I knew I…

Day 2. Still at the hospital. My surgery went well…or so they thought until in recovery I was feeling extreme discomfort and a lot of swelling. The surgical resident examined me and determined I had excessive bleeding in my left chest area. My drains were filling up within minutes with bright red blood. This needed…

On my way to the hospital. Wish me luck. I will be back to you as soon as I can. Looking forward to sharing another chapter in my Ta Ta Cancer story.

…not even a ….Are you kidding me? I won’t be getting any sleep! Any one who says you should go into surgery well rested has obviously never had surgery. Or at least not major surgery. And even though I will only be in the hospital from 6:15 Wednesday morning to 6:15 Thursday morning, this is…

My biggest preparation for my surgery Wednesday is what to do to manage the drainage tubes. I have to say that I have lost a lot of sleep thinking about them and how they will impact my recovery. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about (and don’t feel bad ’cause this…

I’m so fortunate to live in an area that has as many hospitals and medical centres as it does Tim Hortons. The clinic for my pre-op was less than 10 minutes away, very convenient. The appointment itself….well a bit longer. Even though I had a scheduled appointment for 10:40, I was told to take a…

Let’s face it. This is a battle and a long one at that. But I’ve stepped into the ring and am prepared to go as many rounds as it takes until I am awarded the title SURVIVOR I like to surround myself with positive energy and positive people. And more so now than any other…