Recovering and bored

The recovery from this surgery has been easier than from my bilateral mastectomy surgery.  I have been off the pain medication now for three days and am functioning just fine.  I am sore, but it is not unbearable.  It's hard to not do anything for myself because I don't feel that bad, but my plastic surgeon is super strict and tells me not to do things.....ugh!  I am so bored sitting around being inactive!  I don't know how to do this for three more weeks.

So my breasts were slightly covered with some gauze that was taped over the incisions.  When I removed the tape, my skin was damaged badly.  Now I have what looks like a sunburn where the tape was.  My skin there is red, puffed up and super itchy.  There are even some blisters....nice hu?  I am putting some triple antibiotic cream on there and hope I get some relief soon.  All of this just keeps gettin' better doesn't it?  Who knew I would now be allergic to the tape they use in surgery. 

For the next 3 1/2 weeks I am suppose to not lift anything over 5 pounds.  I am not allowed to drive for 3 weeks post surgery too.  No exercise other than leisure walking for a month.  So I guess I will sit here on the couch and watch more bad TV.  I may actually have to resort to watching The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie soon enough as I have seen everything else on TV in the past 4 months.  I had no idea they still played those shows on TV, but sure enough they do!  Brings me back to my childhood when I actually watched those shows.  I hope I don't get that desperate to have to watch that stuff......maybe I should get Netflix instead.  I can't imagine tuning in to see Nelly Olsen be mean to Laura and Mary on a daily basis.  It would be pathetic to think that could be the highlight of my day.

At this point my pain is minimal and manageable.  I hope to get out for a light walk later once it's not so sunny because of my hair.  I am still babying my hair as instructed in the cold cap protocol.  Sun and heat are a big "no no" for my hair at this point.  As far as a hair update, it is still there!  I was shedding super bad the past few weeks - almost worse than I did all through chemo.  For now though it seems to have leveled off and the shedding is less.  I am still shedding more than I did before starting chemo, but it is manageable.  Overall, Penguin Cold Caps worked well for me.  My hair is thinner but I still have a full head of hair and look normal, not like a cancer patient.  That is something to celebrate.