Look Ma…No Drains!!!

I saw the plastic surgeon on Tuesday and to my surprise he removed both drains. I really expected to have them in for at least one more week. He said everything looked good and he will start filling me up next week. I think I shall start calling his office Jiffy Boob :) He said everything else looks good. I am allowed to start getting the incisions wet which means real showers. I’ve been very excited about that. It feels so good to let the hot water run everywhere. It still hurts under my arms where the drains went in but thankfully it did not hurt at all when he pulled them out. Unfortunately I am still not allowed to use deodorant and soap and water does not seem to do anything to get rid of the smell. So far no one is complaining and I’m sure it bothers me more than anyone; after all I can’t get away from it. I also haven’t shaved my armpits so I feel very European :/ The overall pain is significantly less. It has become a very strange feeling. I am completely numb from the shoulder blades down to mid rib cage and armpit to armpit. That area also feels very hard to the touch. I think that might be due to the expanders. Even though the area is numb it feels like I have a very tight bra across the front or a board taped to my chest. I guess you could now say I am flat as a board lol. I also have a lot of extra skin stitched back toward my armpits. This skin will be used during the expanding process. This skin is numb also and feels very strange especially when I bring my arms forward or down on it. This will be a very interesting process. I’ve looked at my chest many times since that first peek. It looks very strange and ugly to me. I’ve heard that it is very upsetting for some women to see how it looks and the reality of their breasts being gone. I really haven’t experienced those feelings, not yet anyway. When I look at my chest and my incisions I don’t just see that my breasts are gone, more importantly I see and I know that the cancer is gone. That is what is most important. That is why I chose to do it this way.

For updates on my Crohns Disease journey go to:
http://crohnsliveswithme.blogspot.com/